This has been a long time coming. With everything I've been piling on the past few months, I've finally got round to doing chapter 30 of BOSE 2. I can't say I'm overly happy with this chapter, it's a bit too dialogue heavy but because it had taken me so long to finish the bloody thing, I trimmed it down in areas rather than completely restructuring it. It's also my longest chapter so far at around 10,500 words. The other slightly unnerving realisation is that BOSE 2 has now been in production for 5 years! Talk about slow progress! But I have to slot chapter production in when and where I can given my job and other life commitments. It's the only way I can get it done and time doesn't permit itself on all occasions. Anyway, bit more revelation this chapter. Hope it makes up for the absurdly long production time.
Feedback welcome as always guys! Thanks for your patience!
Chapter 30: The Secret of the StonesIt had been a few days since the night of the grisly murders that took place at Keltech Laboratories and things had not gotten any quieter despite efforts to return to a normal working environment. The public relations department had spent the time since the incident battling off wave after wave of media press trying desperate to get a leaked word out of any employee about the 'accident' that claimed the lives of a number of scientists; some of them greatly respected amongst technological social circles. Naturally, denial of all knowledge of allegations and vicious rumours that the multi-billion pound corporation headquarters was attacked by an unknown assailant was the one and only story that the strobing photographers and bustling reporters got as they jabbed and jousted their microphones and portable recording devices into every inch of air space between themselves and the speaking representatives. Every day saw a new interview aired telling the tragic tales of the widows, widowers and their grieving families as speculation mounted and consumed the broadcasting airwaves. All this excitement and public fronting didn't seem to faze Director Thorne at all as he sat in his monstrously oversized leather chair behind a twisted sculpture of glass and cold metal he had for a desk. He was completely enclosed with the confines of his personal office where the outside world could be blotted out at a mere whim. He was, however, transfixed on something. His eyes flickered randomly at the text and data streams that glided over his holographic screen that floated above his desk; the projection coming from a wide, curled swan neck of chrome that resembled a thin stripped reading lamp. Thorne raised a hand and brushed over the screen with his fingertips, flicking graphics and graphs out of the way as new data streams came in thick and fast.
Then, something of interest caught his eye and his dismissing hand hovered in the air, unmoving for a moment. He hummed curiously as he leaned and tapped the surface of his desk. A holographic keyboard popped up over the glass as he began tapping at it to reply to the message he had just received. With a smug grin, his pecked at the return glyph and the message disappeared from his screen. With the mail sent, Thorne leaned back in his chair allowing it to cradle him gently with a creaking sway.
"Looks like we're almost ready to go…" he grinned to himself. He reached forwards and tapped the top of the metal strip that housed the holographic screen and it sucked it back up into itself to enter standby mode. With a rocking lurch, Thorne hoisted himself out of his chair, straightened his two thousand pound two-piece suit jacket and headed for door out into the hallway.
After a short lift ride down to the labs, Thorne strutted out into the glowing corridors that masked the death and destruction of that fateful night with unerring professionalism. Everything was back the way it was leaving no trace of the conflict with either the Black Ghost or the mysterious creature that called himself Zeiger. The security officer for the floor, Sergeant Madden, stood up to attention as the director past his terminal.
"Director Thorne," he said sharply in his thick Scottish accent. Thorne acknowledged with a dismissive nod but didn't break his stride.
"Professor Clements asked that yeh meet 'em in his lab as soon as possible sir," the guard said as he shimmied around his desk to walk side by side with the director. By relative size, he towered over his superior but the balance of power was never in doubt.
"Has there been any developments to report Sergeant?" Thorne barked without even a sideways glance.
"No sir. The professor's been banged up in his lab since the incident a few nights passed. Prob'ly still grievin' over losing little Melissa. The poor fella."
"Despite that setback, Professor Clements remains focused on the task at hand and understands what goal remains is in sight," Thorne said coldly.
"Setback? Forgive my tone sir but he's jus' lost his wee little granddaughter! I think he's entitled to feel a little upset by that fact!" the guard said sounding cut by the director's steely choice of words.
"He understands what is at stake Sergeant and he remains focused on the goal," Thorne said flatly before turning to finally look at the giant man square in his eye. "And if we want all this to come to a meaningful conclusion, you should remain focused too." The giant man froze in his tracks and watched as the director continued to march down the corridor, around the corner and out of sight. His dumbfounded mien fell into a frown as he heard the clapping of hard soles on the marble finished floor disappear off into the distance. With a snort, he turned on his heels and headed back to his post.
Clearly feeling no remorse from his brief interaction with the Sergeant, Thorne made his way through the bustling corridors that saw multiple white coats flicking here and there as their owners made sharp twists and turns between the sliding doors of neighbouring laboratories. Only the odd eye flashed at the director's presence coupled with a brief gasp as if they'd just been caught doing something they weren't supposed to be doing. Still, Thorne's gait failed to slow as he rounded another corner and came to a laboratory door that did not open on approach. Thorne snickered to himself as he dipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out a translucent card and held it parallel to a panel just to the right side of the door. The console blipped as it verified the biometric data interwoven into the card. The security system required that the biometrics transplanted into the card be paired with the card owner in order to work. Just another technological advancement implemented from within Keltech's busy walls.
The defiant door reluctantly slid open allowing Thorne to step into the bleached white room. Its dimensions were impressive but most of the space was occupied by large chrome tanks with a small porthole window in it. At the far end of the lab, Professor Clements spun around on a stool to face him having been hunched over a workstation when he heard the clapping of hard soles on the polished floor.
"Preparations are almost complete I understand Professor," Thorne's slicked accent hummed tunefully as he came to a stop just in front of Clements.
"Yes. There are just a last few details to attend to. Otherwise we are pretty much set to go," the old man said. Looking up at the director, Thorne could see that the professor was drained. His sagging, dark eyes told the tell-tale signs of sleep deprivation. In contrast to his gaunt face, he looked like the very life had ebbed and flooded out of him.
"What sort of details need addressing?" Thorne pressed on.
"Besides the packing of necessary equipment, supplies and the like, some calibrations for transporting organic and inorganic matter need to be properly configured. Otherwise we may have some men coming out the other end spliced with a metal supply case," the professor said sternly. "We're still not fully confident on the mechanics and logistics of this type of technology. There is still much we don't understand and of what we do understand, there are still areas of uncertainty."
"Give us some credit professor," Thorne said jauntily. "We discovered much in these short few years and made great advancements within months. I think we can feel safe in the knowledge that we have amalgamated a substantial amount of information about this dark matter, it properties and the factors that filter into its functions."
"You mean the work Stephen Taylor theorised and confirmed…" Clements then said cuttingly. "The data and recordings that only he had access to and have since been impossible decipher by anyone." Director Thorne's smirk quickly vanished at this remark.
"A minor setback. His notes and work will be decoded in time but for now we need to remain focused on getting this project in motion." With that, Thorne spun on his heels to face the door but he didn't step forwards.
"Where is our newly promoted Colonel? Off enjoying his new title and polishing his new badge?" he asked over his shoulder.
"Probably getting those thuggish boy scouts of his in line in the briefing room. I cannot believe you gave that behemoth of a man such a ranking boost. It's unheard of. It's bad enough you are leaving the security for our highest priority project down to a bunch of hooligans whose only battle experiences are drunken bar brawls."
"I'd say he deserves it given his loyalty to the firm for so long. Besides, those boy scouts are gonna need a serious shot of morale if they're going to be part of this mission. No better dose than a drilling pep-talk from a newly ranked officer wouldn't you agree?" Professor Clements snorted indignantly as he swivelled around to his workstation again.
"What about Stephen's eldest? I heard he's starting to become unruly; especially after that run in with that black creature," the professor muttered.
"Schneider will keep him in check. Who knows? He might even become a hero for his dutiful actions as we head off into our brave new world. It's just the kind of potent energy we need for this kind of investigation. An undying passion to avenge a lost sibling and murdered father," Thorne drooled, his smirk returning.
"Why'd you say that?" Professor Clements said without turning around.
"Something tells me that that Zeiger character has more to do with this than we currently realise. And that fabled Black Ghost; they are both hiding something. I've got a hunch that they can supply us with all the information we need to see this project through to its completion. I wouldn't be surprised if that boy is the one to wrangle them both in for us." The professor snorted again waving off the idea.
"Anyway, at least he's showing some compassion for his losses," the director then said darkly as he took his first few steps towards the lab doors. "It's not like you've been showing much distress over the loss of your granddaughter, now is it?" Professor Clements froze in his seat. His bony fingers quivered at the director's words as he heard the electronics of the door shift into the open position and then click shut as Thorne left the room.
-*-
The morning sunlight was beginning to gently warm the Great Valley with the dawn of a new day. Littlefoot, however, had not been able to catch another wink of sleep since his nightmare a few hours ago. He sat awake watching the sun shyly illuminate the sheltered little copse around him as golden beams snaked between the trees and flared like stars in the gaps in the canopies. Despite being awake for so long, the familiar ambient sound of the Valley helped to calm his frayed nerves and keep him grounded in reality. Keeping him as far away from his foreboding dreams as possible. Littlefoot found a little solace in the fact that Kairyn had leapt down from the tree he was sleeping in and comforted him for a while when he first woke up. Just to feel the warmth of his friend's body as he cradled his head was soothing enough to dissipate the panic flooding every inch of him. The added gesture of sitting beside him for the rest of the night started out with a nonsense chat to keep Littlefoot's mind off of what he'd just been through but eventually, untroubled by his own dreams, Kairyn nodded off. Littlefoot glanced back to see the boy slumped up against the base of the tree in imminent danger of lolling to one side and falling over. He couldn't help but giggle slightly at how ungraceful Kairyn looked and immediately felt glad for having him here with him. It reminded him of the days when Jason was around. A nostalgic tinge that eased the settling even more.
Littlefoot looked back up at the sky that was still a burning shade of early morning orange slowly conquering the deep hues of the fading night. He sighed as his thoughts began to wander again. As kind as it was of Kairyn to try and keep his mind from his nightmare, it was still a prominence he couldn't shake. It wasn't the fighting with creatures or the reincarnated phoenix that rocked him so much. It was the interaction with his friends, the two other Chosens, and the ghostly longneck who had been guiding him the whole way. Her words had always been ones of hope, determination and promise, particularly when he, himself, was lost and confused. This time, she sounded so crestfallen he thought she might break down in tears. Like everything that they had fought for and achieved up until this point was all for nought. What puzzled him even more was that, for once, Littlefoot felt it was one step ahead when he reported that he'd already found out who the fourth Stone of Essence holder was. He even felt a little excited that it was someone he'd already bonded with quite well but when the ghostly longneck started voicing words of despair and discord at the relevance, Littlefoot felt more perplexed than ever. Why was the revealing of the final stone a bad omen? What could its presence mean that was so damning that it would made the spectral dinosaur act so downcast?
Then, Littlefoot's thoughts flickered unavoidably to the harrowing scenes of the longneck and his companions being brutally slain. Black, snaking tentacles just shot up from the ground like spurting stalagmites and ran them through in a second. Cold and merciless butchery. No one could have seen it coming. Littlefoot felt his pulse quicken as he remembered looking up at the chaotic sky and seeing the piercing eyes glaring down on him. Its booming, disembodied voice pleasured at damning Littlefoot for bringing the fate of destruction upon them all. A mistake he'd made; he was responsible for. He dipped his head and stared at the grass.
"But what? What did I do wrong? Why is it my fault?" Littlefoot mumbled to himself.
"Our fate is often not one of our choosing…" a voice then said over him. Littlefoot jumped and quickly snapped his head around.
"H-huh? Who's that?" Littlefoot babbled. He then saw a few loose leaves spin and flip down to the ground just off to his right. Tracing their trail upwards, Littlefoot let out a frightened yelp as he saw a shadowed figure perched on one of the lower branches a tree opposite to where he was.
"Black Ghost? What are you…? How did…?" Littlefoot called in surprise. The hooded figure thrust a vertical index finger up to his hidden face and Littlefoot immediately obeyed.
"Rough night last night?" the Black Ghost asked sounding genuinely sympathetic. Littlefoot nodded solemnly.
"I had a scary sleep story. About… friends…" he slurred.
"What happened to them?" the Black Ghost asked.
"They… umm… got hurt…" Littlefoot said hesitantly.
"Did they die?" the Black Ghost asked flatly. Littlefoot flinched but didn't say anything. "What killed them?"
"I dunno. Some sharp black things; kinda looked like spikes on a spiketail's tail. They looked like shadows that moved like vines as if they were alive. They grew and burst up from the ground." Littlefoot shuddered as he replayed his friends' deaths over again.
"Hmm… that is disturbing," the Black Ghost soothed, his gloved hand resting on the chin of his hood. "What happened next?"
Littlefoot hesitated again. Thinking about the horrors of his nightmare was bad enough, but having to talk about it and explaining every little detail was excruciating. Still, he mustered the courage to recount it all again.
"Yellow eyes?" the Black Ghost hummed thoughtfully.
"Yeah, like some kinda bloodthirsty sharptooth," Littlefoot said seeing the evil eyes flash before his own for a millisecond. He then caught onto the fact that the Black Ghost seemed to be lost in his own thoughts.
"What do you think it means?" he asked slightly nervously. He was somewhat anxious at what his answer might be. At the same time, he silently wondered if the Black Ghost was just humouring him and didn't really trust a word he was saying.
"I'm not sure. But if you're having these visions, then that means that we could be in more trouble than we first realised."
"You mean… you believe me?" Littlefoot then said amazed. His eyes lit up.
"I have every faith in your dreams Littlefoot. You should too. They've guided you before and you'd be a fool to disregard them now. Especially if they are giving you signs such as these."
Littlefoot suddenly felt overwhelmed. His dreams could be foretellings of what's to come? If that were true then he dreaded to think what could possibly turn up when they least expected it. The idea was beginning to make him feel paranoid. Yet still, somehow he was responsible for it all. But how?
"Don't trouble yourself about it too much Littlefoot. I know you are no stranger to hardships and danger. As a chosen holder of a Stone of Essence, you can overcome anything," the Black Ghost said encouragingly.
"Maybe… wait, what? How did you know I have a Stone of Essence?" Littlefoot reeled in awe.
"There is a lot I know about Littlefoot. Especially about you. I know you are the fabled Guardian and you hold in your possession the Guardian's Tear Sapphire to call upon its powers in dire times. A blue, curved shield of light that you use to protect the lives of those you treasure most by holding back those who seek to do them harm. A vanguard of life's flow. A perfect character fit for an ancient legend wouldn't you say?" Littlefoot shied for a second. By the tone of the Black Ghost's voice, if he could have seen his face, he could have imagined him smiling as he was speaking.
"But… how did you know?" Littlefoot asked. He was now hooked on every word so much that they had literally pulled him onto his feet.
"Your story is the very fabric of legend. I've been following that story of a long time now, in search of answers to its mysteries. More importantly, I'm interested in the stones themselves."
Littlefoot suddenly felt an awkward pang strike him in his gut. Kairyn's voice piped into his head running the same accusing tone that the Black Ghost could be tagging along for his own selfish needs. He let the cloaked figure continue.
"The other legendary lights fought beside you to rid the world of a terrible creature. One created by human's lust for power and dominion. You all used the power of the stones to vanquish this enemy. A power that now that lays dormant since the battle's end." The Black Ghost now leaned a little closer as Littlefoot edged forwards.
"Tell me, what's happened to the stones now your fight is over?" he asked carefully.
"Well… when the humans left to return to their own home, I swapped my stone with Jason's. Kinda like a gift to remember each other," Littlefoot recalled. "I haven't heard from any of them for long time now."
"And you've kept the stone with you all that time?" the Black Ghost asked. Littlefoot felt that niggling twinge kick him in the stomach again. His wrestled with his conscience questioning whether the hooded man before him could truly be trusted. Given how enigmatic he insisted on being before, he'd never been this forward.
"I can tell you are debating my intentions; a wise thought. Why would you trust a person who deems it necessary to hide everything? You'd be a fool not to question the idea that I might be up to no good."
"No, no… it's not that," Littlefoot said quickly. "I'm… just worried about what could happen. I don't want anything bad to happen to the Great Valley. Not after last time…"
"Such a caring heart you have Littlefoot. Look, I will not pressure you into telling me where your friend's stone is. After all, I owe you thanks. You gave me the chance to prove my loyalty to you and your friends. Seems as though you are the only one who can see through my appearance and see something good in me despite my… sudden outbursts."
"So what's wrong with you? Are you sick or something?" Littlefoot asked feeling a little more comfortable about speaking openly with the mysterious man now the topic had switched.
"In a way… I am cursed Littlefoot," the Black Ghost said slowly. Littlefoot tiptoed even closer so not to miss a word. "My body is infected with a presence that is slowly but surely consuming me. I can feel it… like a worm burrowing in my veins, polluting my mind. It fights me for consciousness; trying to take over. But I can't let that happen. If I submit to the demon inside, my very being will die and that evil could use my body to unleash pain and suffering everywhere I go. I'd be powerless to stop it."
"What is it that is making you sick?" Littlefoot asked curiously. He then noticed the Black Ghost raise his hands to his face and stared intensely at his palms.
"It has an ancient name but it has long since been forgotten. It is simply known now as 'The Corruption's Curse'. It is an infestation that consumes the body and claims it for its own. Once you are cursed, it transforms you into a beast of unrecognisable form. You simply become an empty husk willed to do nothing but destroy."
"How do you know if you are… cursed?" Littlefoot asked apprehensively. The Black Ghost then did something Littlefoot was not expecting, besides leaping down out of the tree and nearly knocking heads with him. He watched as the Black Ghost raised his left hand, palm towards his hooded face, and slowly peeled the black glove from it. Littlefoot eyes went wide in shock. Unlike the tone of any other human's skin he had seen, the Black Ghost's hand was as unnaturally dark as the glove he had just removed. It looked more like he had shed a layer of skin rather than removing an item of clothing; it was charcoal black. Littlefoot recoiled but strangely, as repulsive as it looked, it didn't make him fear being near the Black Ghost any more than it did before.
"This is the sign of the Corruption's Curse. It claims its victims at varying speeds but no one truly knows what causes it. It grants incredible magicks to those with knowledge but at the dangerous cost of one's soul. That's why I can perform the inhuman feats you've seen me do but, it causes me some harm every time I do."
"Is-isn't there a way to stop it?" Littlefoot gulped.
"The Stones of Essence are the key to containing this wretched plague. They are connected somehow but I'm not sure exactly. I've been searching for one of the stones as a means to purge this curse and return me to normal again. That has been my mission for the past three years. Three long years suffering with this evil coursing through me. I've started to fear that I may not last much longer."
"So that's why you came with us? To get one of the stones?" The Black Ghost nodded as he replaced the glove back onto his hand. "But what about Jason and Jill? They had stones when they went back to the human world. If you knew about the stones and about us, why didn't you find them?"
"The timeline as moved on quite considerably since the chronicled end of the Sacred Lights' last fight. Some three hundred years. The whereabouts of the Warrior and Summoner and their respective stones have been lost and become nothing but stories now."
Littlefoot suddenly felt sick. Three hundred years had passed since Jason and Jill went back to their own realm? He couldn't comprehend how that could be possible. Three hundred years had not passed in the Great Valley, otherwise he and his friends would have been long gone by then. So how could that be?
"But… that doesn't make sense!" Littlefoot said finally. "It's only been a few years since they left the Great Valley. How can they have been gone for three HUNDRED years?"
"I'm not sure on the logistics of how it works but it has something to do with the stones. When they travelled back with them, something must have happened. Altered something by accident," the Black Ghost theorised. Littlefoot was still reeling from the idea that one of his best friends was now nothing more than a memory. Jason was gone and has been for nearly three centuries. It made his head spin.
"The Stones of Essence have a lot of mystical power no one is entirely certain of. But the fact remains that a threat is lying in wait if the Corruption's Curse is allowed to spread. Its vector for passing is unknown and the stones can stop it," the Black Ghost pressed. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to be more direct Littlefoot. If what you said was true and you gave your stone to your friend, that means that you should have his stone, the Warrior's Heart Ruby correct? May I use it to treat the Curse please?"
Littlefoot's heart sank when he heard the question. He dipped his head sheepishly unable to look into the void where he figured the Black Ghost's eyes would be.
"I'm… I'm sorry. I… I don't have it any more. I… I lost it…" he said shamefully.
"Lost it?" the Black Ghost repeated breathlessly. Littlefoot explained what happened to him when he was kidnapped by the three humans. It didn't free him of the guilty fact that he'd robbed the poor human of his chance to cure the Corruption's Curse plaguing his body.
"Damn it! Then that means that they've…" the Black Ghost started but he was interrupted by a shuffling just beyond where Littlefoot was standing. A gasp suddenly grabbed the longneck's attention and he spun around to find Kairyn standing there, his mouth agape in shock.
"Littlefoot! What the hell is he doing here!" he yelled enraged throwing an accusing finger up at the Black Ghost.
"Wait! Kairyn, hold on!" Littlefoot pleaded but at that same moment, he heard the Black Ghost groan. Littlefoot glanced over his shoulder and saw the black-clad man doubled over in pain. Littlefoot's brain flashed with a panicked flurry of thoughts. Kairyn looked ready to launch an attack but he didn't know about the Black Ghost's condition. He didn't have the time to explain. On the other hand, the Black Ghost was starting to fit and convulse again meaning he could go off into a frenzy at any moment.
"Get out of the way Littlefoot!" Kairyn barked.
"Littlefoot, please. You have to help me. You know I mean you no harm," the Black Ghost wheezed.
"Don't listen to him! He's lying! He's been lying since the day we met him!" Kairyn fired back.
Littlefoot desperately flicked between the two humans. The volley of voices began to make his head hurt. He had to do something.
"Black Ghost! Please go! Maybe I can help you find a stone," Littlefoot then said as he stood between them. Kairyn's face pursed up with confusion but the Black Ghost simply looked up at the longneck and gazed into his restless eyes. There was a spark of comprehension between them and the Black Ghost nodded.
"Thank you… I'll be in touch," he said finally. With that, the Black Ghost managed to muster enough strength to stand and with a leap, dashed off into the shrubbery and out of sight.
Kairyn dodged around Littlefoot and was about to give chase but quickly retracted the idea. There was no way he could catch him and he knew it would be pointless to try. Littlefoot gave a quiet gasp as Kairyn then turned to him, his face flushed with anger.
"You mind telling me what the hell he was doing here! How long's he been here?" he shot at the poor dinosaur like an irate father blasting a child for seeing a forbidden, delinquent love interest behind his back.
"He needs our help Kairyn, he's in trouble," Littlefoot argued.
"Oh yeah, I'm sure he have you a great sob story to make his lies more believable!" Kairyn muttered sarcastically. Littlefoot felt a hot surge run through him but he kept his cool as he recounted what they had spoken about during the dawning hours of that morning.
There was a lot of verbal volleying between the pair of them where Littlefoot was trying valiantly to break through Kairyn's cynicism and succeeded to varying degrees. Their commotion ended up waking Littlefoot's grandparents which then forced them to convince the concerned elders that everything was fine. By the end of it all, Littlefoot felt he could have happily taken a nap despite his looming fear of nightmares returning. They decided to move on from Littlefoot's home and began wandering out towards the open fields.
"So, he's got this curse thing and he's looking for a cure? And he thinks that these magic stones can heal him," Kairyn said, his fingers pressed against his smarting forehead. Littlefoot nodded in verification.
"Yeah. He said that he needs one of them but I told him that I didn't have my one because I swapped it with Jason and I took his red stone," he added. "He asked me if I could use Jason's Warrior's Heart Ruby but I told him I'd lost it when I was kidnapped."
"Right… wait, hang on a sec! How did he know that the Warrior's Heart Ruby belonged to Jason?" Kairyn then said. Littlefoot opened his mouth to answer but the damning realisation struck him so hard that not a word came out. He froze in his tracks.
"I… I don't know! I told him I had the stone but I didn't say which one," the longneck breathed in astonishment. "How could he know that?"
"And all that stuff about your friends being lost three hundred years ago? It just doesn't add up. The Black Ghost exists in my time and has been terrorising England for months. Stories of some mysterious intruder are always in the national news. How could he know about something that supposedly happened so long ago. He seems remarkably well informed on all of this. Sickness or not, I think there's more to this than that trench coated madman's letting on. He's not telling us something," Kairyn pondered. As much as Littlefoot didn't want to think of it, he couldn't help but agree with Kairyn. The Black Ghost did seem to have an extensive knowledge on the Stones of Essence; it was accurate too. He didn't know whether that should make him more trustworthy or not. Yet, he'd, not too long ago, openly agreed to help him.
There was nothing else for it. Both Littlefoot and Kairyn agreed that the only way they were going to get answers was to attempt to interrogate the Black Ghost again but they had to be prepared. They had to figure out the right questions to ask and put him in a spot that he couldn't wriggle out of. Be that by magic or running away on foot. With a head fit to bursting point with everything that had happened over the course of the night and early hours, Littlefoot felt swamped. He couldn't tackle this on his own and decided he needed his friends to bounce ideas off. A problem shared was a problem halved after all. Kairyn followed Littlefoot out of the open fields where a number of early risers had started to graze and down a sloped path between the trunks of some impressively tall trees. Kairyn's ears pricked up to the sound of gently running water and soon the pair found themselves following a sparklingly clear stream. Kairyn gawked at how perfect and unpolluted the water looked. It was like looking through a sheet of rippling glass. He could see every rock, plant and contour of the riverbed and even saw small fish gliding up and down effortlessly, hardly disturbing the surface. Walking along its bank, against the flow of the current, Kairyn then saw a family of bipedal dinosaurs sat near the water's edge. He could hear laughing and giggling as if children immersed in a game of sorts. Following Littlefoot's lead, they approached the giant saurolophus whom the young longneck greeted warmly.
"Morning Littlefoot. You're looking for Spike and Ducky? They're just over there playing with that nice human girl," the mother saurolophus said nodding just beyond where she was laying. A number of her young just in front of her were rolling and diving on each other. Littlefoot thanked her and Kairyn offered a nervous nod before following him around to where she had signalled.
As they had been told, Ducky and Spike were by the riverbank along with their swimmer brothers and sisters. Some were splashing about in the water giggling hysterically whilst Spike sat under the shade of the trees with Melissa who was just crowning Ducky with a tiara of brightly coloured flowers. Kairyn stopped and stared for a moment. In the warming morning light, he couldn't help but notice that Melissa seemed to glow with radiance. Every strand of her long, blonde hair reflected the sun's beams. An affable smile was stretched across her face as Ducky thanked her for the flowery headpiece. It took a second for Kairyn to realise that Littlefoot had been talking to him.
"You okay Kairyn?" he asked sliding his head into Kairyn's view.
"Huh? Oh yeah, yeah. Sorry, I was daydreaming for a sec there," Kairyn said hurryingly.
"Oh hi Littlefoot! Hi Kairyn!" a small voice suddenly piped. It was Ducky closely followed by Spike and Melissa.
"Uh, hey Melissa. Umm… how was your night here?" Kairyn said dumbly.
"Oh it was great. Ducky helped me make a little bed out of leaves. I've never slept outside before so it was nice for a first time," Melissa said with a coy smile.
"Melissa has been showing us how to make pretty decorations with flowers. We made-ed lots of different things but Spike eat-ed some of them," Ducky said eyeing her brother accusingly. Spike whimpered guiltily but Melissa patted him on the head.
"It's okay. We can always make some more later," Melissa reassured him which brought a smile to the stegosaurus's face as he looked up at her amorously. "How was your night with Littlefoot?"
"Err… good! Well… kinda…" Kairyn babbled itching the back of his head. He and Littlefoot glanced awkwardly at each other for a moment which the others caught onto immediately.
"Come on, we'll explain as we go," Littlefoot said nodding towards the field.
It took them both a while to get through the story of what had occurred last night and the events of the morning. In that time, they had to restart parts when Petrie and Cera came to join them a little later. Between munching on breakfast and relocating after the Grazing Grounds started becoming increasingly crowded, the gang settled under the shade of the trees away from rest of the world to consolidate their ideas.
"Ugh… this stuff with those stupid stones again?" Cera huffed. "After everything we did and all the trouble we got into last time with those stupid pebbles, that weird human in black thinks that there's more to happen?"
"Well, he didn't say that exactly Cera," Littlefoot developed. "He said he thinks that there is a connection between this Corruption's Curse thing and the Stones of Essence."
"And he failed to mention just what that is huh?" Cera snorted. Littlefoot shied slightly. Another loose end that he couldn't qualify to add to the hundreds of others.
"And what about your dreams Littlefoot? Your sleep stories? What did the Black Ghost say about those?" Melissa asked. She was sitting on her heels, playing with the grass that was brushing her leg. Kairyn was watching her the whole time.
"He didn't say much, but he did say that I should be paying attention to them," Littlefoot said airily. "Honestly, I'm a little worried about that given what I saw."
"You said that the Black Ghost is sick. What does he need to do to get better?" Ducky asked sounding genuinely concerned for his well-being.
"He said that he needed a Stone of Essence, but I don't have mine or Jason's anymore. I felt so bad that I couldn't help him," Littlefoot winced, his guilt was still gnawing away at him. "I think that's why he came with us; in search of the stones."
"But how he know you have stone? And how he know red stone belong to Jason?" Petrie puzzled.
"I don't know Petrie but, he said he knew me. I can't see how because I don't recognise him," Littlefoot shrugged again.
"I still don't trust him. What if this is all a feint? What if he's trying to get the stones to further spread this curse thing?" Kairyn said strongly. All eyes turned to him.
"Think about it. He said the stones and this curse were connected somehow and he doesn't know how it spreads. What if the stones ARE the key required to spreading this corruption stuff?" The group fell silent. It was a possibility after all.
"But why would the Black Ghost want to do that? What would it accomplish?" Melissa then asked. Yet another question without a definite answer (despite another cynical remark from Kairyn that everyone dismissed).
"Well, whatever the reason, he can't get his grimy mitts on a Stone of Essence if he doesn't know where one is," Kairyn said. This suddenly made Littlefoot's mind click.
"Wait, Kairyn! You have one! You have a stone!" he said excitedly. A chorus of gasps went up around him which made Kairyn flinch.
"What?" he stammered.
"Your yellow stone! It's a Stone of Essence isn't it?" Littlefoot said stepping towards him.
"I… I don't know. I didn't know what a Stone of Essence was until I met you guys," Kairyn babbled defensively. He could suddenly feel the heat of everyone's gaze on him. "You didn't tell him I had it did you?"
"No I didn't. But you can use it to help the Black Ghost and then..." Littlefoot started but Kairyn immediately cut him off.
"Ohhhh no! Not a chance! There's no way I'm giving my stone to that maniac whether it's magic or not! Forget it! Anyway, I promised my dad I'd look after it and discover what it's for," he protested backing away from the longneck as he advanced.
"But maybe he can help you find out more about it," Littlefoot pressed but Kairyn wasn't having any of it.
"But why not? Do you not want to help the Black Ghost get better?" Ducky cooed.
"No! Well, no… it's not that. I just don't trust him enough to just hand it over to him on a silver plate. How do we know what he's planning to do? He hasn't given us anything but a load of loose threads that don't tie up. If he wants it then I'm gonna want some solid and straight answers outta him first!" Then, like a tidal wave had flushed over the seven of them, they all jerked up straight. Everyone saw the same sparkle of ingenuity twinkle in the other's eye. Just like that, they had the beginnings of a plan.
It was as simple as plans go but an effective one all the same. The typical stand-off 'you've got something I want, I've got something you want' situation just without the melodrama. The group agreed that since Littlefoot was the one who had conversed with the Black Ghost the most, and didn't have an overbearing grudge against the man, that he'd be the one to talk to him whilst the others lay in hiding to eavesdrop. They strategized the exact questions that they wanted answering and insisted that until there was clear cut response, the Black Ghost wouldn't even get to sniff at the yellow triangular stone that Kairyn had. Littlefoot couldn't help but feel his moral fibres tie themselves in awkward knots. It felt wrong to exploit the Black Ghost's predicament as a pressure point to getting what they wanted, but he couldn't argue the vague answers they'd gotten from him so far were not as helpful as they'd liked. As he had already stressed that time was of the essence, they were having to up their game (Kairyn's words). Their plan was set but the biggest issue still lay in their way. How do you track a man that moves like a shadow in the night and can use magic at a moment's whim? The answer was simple. Let the mysterious man freak the hell out of you when you by dropping in on you when you are alone.
Poor Littlefoot thought his heart was going to burst when the Black Ghost suddenly dropped out of the sky and landed inches from his face while he was off finding his grandparents later that morning. Kairyn had agreed to stay away from the initial meeting to resist the urge to smack the Black Ghost in the face for his earlier intrusion.
"Oh! Black Ghost! You… you scared me!" Littlefoot puffed, he could still feel his panicky heartbeat lurching violently in his chest.
"My apologies my friend. I figured this was the best time to catch you alone. I didn't want to cause any more of a disturbance than I did back at your nest this morning," the cloaked man said softly.
"Err… that's okay," Littlefoot stuttered. He wasn't sure if he was just nervous from the fright or if he was more jittery about the plan they had in store.
"I know that I have been rather cryptic up until now but I feel you are the only one of your little friendship group that will grant me the time of day to actually speak."
"That's alright. Umm… did you want to talk now?" Littlefoot asked trying to keep the quivering out of his voice as best he could.
"Hmm… this is a bit open. Wouldn't want to startle anyone," the Black Ghost said scanning the gaps between the trees and bushes. There were perfect lines of sight for them to be seen where they currently were. "Is there somewhere where we could go that's a little more… covered?"
Littlefoot's brain fired at a light speed; too fast to process anything. Where could he suggest they meet where the others could spy on them without being discovered themselves? Also, he didn't want any of the adult dinosaurs to interrupt them by accident. The Black Ghost would take off in a shot and their opportunity would be lost.
"Err… I know. My friends have a little hideout not too far from here. It's in a thick part of the woods where the grown-ups can't get to," Littlefoot then said.
"What about your friends? Won't they be there?" the Black Ghost asked. Littlefoot felt a flush of panic.
"Err… they're all busy this morning. I went to see them already but they're doing things for their mums and dads," he lied.
"What about Kairyn and that other girl?"
"They're umm… off exploring the Valley with Ducky and Spike. Kairyn went to see Melissa this morning after you came to us. She uhh… spent the night there. He… he wanted to see how she was." Littlefoot was finding it difficult to come up with enough excuses to throw off suspicion. He was sure the Black Ghost could see right through him as he stumbled over his words and slurred every sentence somewhere.
"Alright. I'll follow you there. I'll keep out of sight as far as possible," the Black Ghost said. Littlefoot cringed again. How was he going to let his friends know where the meeting was going to take place?
"Uhh… sure! But I need to… talk to my grandparents first," he suddenly piped. "I need to meet with them down by the river by the Thundering Falls. You know, just to check in with them." That wasn't so much of a lie but it still wasn't strictly true.
"Alright, I'll wait here. Pass back this way once you're done and I'll tail you to your hideout," the Black Ghost said authoritively. Littlefoot nodded hurryingly and quickly turned about to head off to find his grandparents. After taking a few hurried steps, he glanced back over his shoulder but the Black Ghost had already disappeared.
Littlefoot soon found his grandparents exactly where he had stated and quickly checked in with them. He also asked them to relay a message to his friends of his whereabouts should they come looking for him. The kindly elders smiled and nodded before letting their grandson wander off into the Great Valley again urging him to stay out of trouble. Double backing to the sheltered path where the Black Ghost had previously pounced on him, Littlefoot scanned the bushes and tree canopies for any sign of the cloaked man. Fortunately for him, the Black Ghost didn't make so much of a dramatic entrance and calmly strolled out from behind an ivy tangled tree trunk.
"All set?" the Black Ghost inquired.
"Yeah, let's go," Littlefoot said as he led the way to his hideout. "This way."
It was the oddest feeling being tailed by the Black Ghost when you knew that he was there somewhere but you couldn't actually see him. How he managed to hide in plain sight was nothing short of a mystery as Littlefoot strolled awkwardly through the trees and out into the fields towards the entrance of his friends' little hideaway. His gait was very rigid and uncomfortably upright like someone was jabbing the longneck in the back of his head and refused to remove it. From an onlooker's point of view, you would have thought that Littlefoot was walking across the densely populated grazing fields alone but he knew otherwise. Upon reaching the shelter of the trees at the far end of the fields, Littlefoot stopped and couldn't resist searching around for his invisible tracer.
"Umm… Black Ghost? We're here now… are you ther… WHOA!" Littlefoot recoiled as the Black Ghost dropped down from the sky and landed a few feet from him.
"So this is your little hideout? Cosy," the Black Ghost said eyeing the pathway into the tightly packed trees. He turned back to Littlefoot who still looked spooked. "Shall we?"
Littlefoot nodded, his throat still locked shut by the rush of breath that shot down his larynx as he gasped. Finally remembering to breathe again, Littlefoot led the way into the little wood followed by the Black Ghost who promptly promised not to drop in on him again unless it was completely necessary.
Despite the path quickly becoming swallowed by the leafy bushes that surrounded the tree trunks, Littlefoot had committed the layout of the little wooded area to memory and guided the Black Ghost to its heart without a misplaced step. The shelter of the trees opened up to a tiny patch of grass that had a few grey boulders and broken rocks strewn around the place. The glorious sunlight beamed into the centre of hideout like a skylight and illuminated it with a blissful radiance. Pollen and spores floated like puffy wisps in the glaring light as Littlefoot sat on a comfy patch of mossy grass. He watched as the Black Ghost stepped cautiously into the hideout and made a beeline for the rock carving that sat in the middle of the tiny clearing. He raised a gloved hand up to the chipped surface and eyed the seven crudely chiselled figures leading one another on the rocky tapestry.
"My friend, Jason, made that just before he left. A memory of our adventure we had together. Me, the guys, our Farwalker friend Ali and him," Littlefoot said calmly. A wash of fond memories flooded his mind of a moment.
"He must have cared deeply for you all," the Black Ghost said as he examined it even closer. Littlefoot smiled inwardly, "I guess so. He said he didn't have much of a family until he came to the Great Valley. It was… hard… for all of us when he went back." The Black Ghost then came to a stop as he approached the front (the far right) of the friendly line up. He held his gloved hand up an etching of three triangles stood on top of each other like a balanced pyramid. It floated above them all like a guiding star showing them the way.
"Heaven's Eternity Crystal…" the Black Ghost hummed lowly.
"That's right," Littlefoot said calmly. "How did you know that?"
The Black Ghost finally turned to Littlefoot. His shoulders were slumped as if he were about to deliver a crushing confession and it made Littlefoot feel uneasy.
"The Stones of Essence go back a long time in human lore. Their presence and usage known to only a select few. A power of an ancient civilisation that predates any known human colonisation," the Black Ghost said smoothly as if he were reading it out of a textbook. Littlefoot blinked dumbly which made the Black Ghost snicker slightly.
"Put simply. It is a power not created by man and the dinosaurs knew nothing of it. The stones on their own hold a great power but combined, they are greater still. Just by looking at this carving here made by your friend, you have all bore witness to both forms of the stones' powers. A once in a lifetime privilege as well as a terrible burden." Littlefoot shuffled on the spot. He was thankful that the Black Ghost was willing to spill his information on the Stones of Essence without being prompted by questions which, in all honesty, he hadn't thought up yet. The Black Ghost continued,
"When the three stones came together, and the crystal was formed, it harnessed a power that channelled the life force of all living things. This living energy was stronger in some than others, hence the reason why only a select few could use them. But… this was down to one key factor." The Black Ghost's hood angled up so Littlefoot could see deep into its blackness.
"Wh-what's that?" he asked nervously.
"The Heaven's Eternity Crystal… was incomplete," the Black Ghost replied darkly.
"Incomplete?" Littlefoot echoed.
"Yes. The three stones were used as three different channels of life force. Heart, Soul and Tears. But there is one piece missing." The Black Ghost summoned Littlefoot over to him with a beckoning finger. Littlefoot stood up and trudged over to the black-clad figure as he turned and pointed at the carving again.
"You see this space here?" he said pointing to the inverted triangular gap between the three other embossed triangles. "That is where a fourth and final stone is supposed to be placed." Littlefoot gasped as the idea of it all sank in and an idea popped into his mind.
"So… what power does this last stone have?" he asked carefully.
"It is the governing stone. The Angel's Amethyst. On its own, its powers for wielding are untold. However, what is known is that it is a Stone of Essence that channels the raw energy from the three other stones and neutralised them. This, in turn, grants anyone the capability of wielding the incredible power the Stones of Essence hold because the magical current of each of the life forces is freely distributed amongst the stones and is no longer bound by a single trait. Not heart, nor soul nor tears. In other words, any living being with brain and a pulse could use this power if they can control it. The chosen lights the legends speak of would become obsolete since there unique powers would be free for anyone to acquire."
"So… if all four of these stones were put together, anyone could use the magic power it has?" Littlefoot concluded. That thumping headache of being overloaded with information was starting to come back.
"Yes. Could you imagine if everyone knew about this power? They would stop at nothing to seek it and claim it for their own. Power struggle after power struggle would tear lives and civilisations apart. Wars and conquest would decimate and destroy every living thing on the planet. There would be nothing left."
"So? Why do you need it?" Littlefoot then asked before he could stop himself.
"I already told you. I want to be free of the Corruption's Curse. I don't need the completed crystal to be freed of it. Only one of them to be used on me to purge my body of its evil current."
"Is that really the only reason?" Littlefoot then said. He wasn't sure where the courage to ask these probing questions was coming from but he was glad it was there.
"I promise you Littlefoot. It may seem selfish but when you have suffered from this crushing grip for so long, you can't help but wish for any kind of release."
"But why come with me? How did you know I had a stone? And how did you know I had Jason's stone? I didn't tell you I had it," Littlefoot fired. The Black Ghost glanced at the longneck sideways but didn't say anything.
"Why won't you answer? Why can't you tell us anything about you other than you being cursed?"
"Littlefoot I… I can't…" the Black Ghost said sighing.
"Why not?" Littlefoot pressed. "Why won't you show your face?"
"Because… I don't want you to see…"
"Don't want me to see what? You've already shown me your hand so why won't you let anyone see what you look like?"
"They won't understand. All they'd see is a monster. I… I don't…" The Black Ghost stopped again hesitantly. Littlefoot edged closer.
"You don't what?" he asked, his tone much softer.
"I don't want you… to see what I've become…" Littlefoot took a couple of steps backwards. His mind flashed back like a portal to when the Black Ghost threatened to slice his jugular on top of the snowy mountain after the avalanche. Once he had managed to calm down, he remembered the Black Ghost saying to him that he was 'a prisoner of fate' and that he was once 'one of them' and that the stones could set him free. Littlefoot flicked the blurry images from his mind and refocused on the Black Ghost.
"Who… who are you?" he whispered starting to reel in his own thoughts. The Black Ghost simply looked into his wide eyes.
"So Littlefoot? You said you would help me find a stone. Are you still willing to offer that help?" the Black Ghost then said. Littlefoot wasn't sure if he was coming or going but he just couldn't ignore that gnawing feeling of pity for the shadowy man.
"First, I gotta know. Kairyn keeps saying you killed his father. Did you…?"
"No I didn't. But Kairyn needs to confront me himself if he wants to find out the truth about what really happened to his father."
"I know how you can get a stone…" Littlefoot then said slowly. The Black Ghost didn't leap at him but Littlefoot could tell he was interested. It was time to put his power play into action.
"Kairyn has a Stone of Essence. A yellow one. I think it might be the one you were talking about earlier."
"The Angel's Amethyst? Kairyn has it?" the Black Ghost sounded amazed.
"Yes. But he wants to know the truth about his father; how he died?" Littlefoot said stony-faced and tuneless.
"And if I told him, he would grant me use of his stone? Is that it?" the Black Ghost said catching on. Littlefoot nodded.
"I doubt he'd take it even if it was the truth. He's determined to believe that I was the one that did it."
"If you want the stone that badly, you'll try anyway," Littlefoot said sternly. The Black Ghost sighed and sniggered slightly.
"Your resolve is just as impressive as your courage Littlefoot. You really are one in a million." Littlefoot tried hard not to let the flattering comment get to him.
"So? Whad'dya say? Will you tell Kairyn the truth?"
"Alright. I'll tell him everything. I'm prepared to tell him but I hope, for his sake, he is prepared to listen." Littlefoot nodded as he felt the swelling pressure in his chest suddenly deflate. As noteworthy as his resolve was, it was tough trying to keep up such a strong front against someone who could strike him off in one blow if things went south.
"So, should I speak to him face to face? Or should I just speak loud and clearly into the microphone?" the Black Ghost then said. Confused at first, Littlefoot craned his neck behind him to look to where the Black Ghost was pointing. On the ground, just beneath a large umbrella-like leaf was a small clam-shelled device sitting and pointing into the little clearing. It was Kairyn's Minicom. Littlefoot felt a numbing chill snake up his spine and made his muscles lock rigid as the realisation hit him. The Black Ghost knew about the plan to draw information out of him. The jig was up.
"Tell Kairyn and your friends, once they've crawled out of the bushes, that I will see you all later to discuss our proposal," the Black Ghost said to Littlefoot who was still staring off into the foliage. There was a suddenly whoosh of air and by the time Littlefoot had turned around, the Black Ghost was gone.
"Damn it! He knew we were there!" an aggravated voice sounded from close by. Littlefoot suddenly saw a number of bushes rustle and an assortment of creatures come traipsing into the copse.
"Well that was a big waste of time! We didn't find out anything!" Cera muttered as she flung a stick caught on her nose horn back into the shrubbery. It narrowly missed Spike who, at that exact second, dipped his head to munch on one of the giant leaves.
"I wouldn't say that Cera. He actually told us quite a lot," Littlefoot said turning to her as she, Ducky, Spike, Petrie and Kairyn gathered around.
"And I got it all on tape. Well, most of it anyway," Kairyn said poking his Minicom before snapping it shut. Littlefoot then noticed that the group was one short.
"Hey, where's Melissa?" he asked.
"She went-ed back to my nest. She said she was not feeling very well, she did," Ducky reported.
"She'll be okay. She said she was gonna go take a nap. We've now gotta figure out what all that nonsense about magic stones and unlimited power for every Tom, Dick and Harry was all about," Kairyn said waving his Minicom in the air in a tight fist.
"What 'bout helping Black Ghost with his sickness? You gonna help him Kairyn?" Petrie asked.
"Dunno yet. Have to see what he says first," the boy snorted.
Littlefoot was about to say something when there was a suddenly bright flash that illuminated the sky. Everyone looked up at the gaping hole in the trees and saw the cloudless sky flash and flicker a bizarre array of unnatural colours followed by a loud series of booms and crashes. It only lasted for a minute or two but as it died out, the gang then all looked at each other.
"What the hell was that?" Kairyn asked. Petrie immediately took to the air and hovered over the treetops.
"There look like somethin' happening over by the Great Wall," the little flyer reported as he swooped back down to ground level again. Suddenly, everyone but Kairyn froze.
"Uhh… someone wanna explain to me what the Great Wall is? What's with the faces?" Kairyn asked flatly.
"The Shiny Ring! Do you think…?" Ducky trailed off. Kairyn still looked lost.
"Let's go take a look!" Littlefoot said immediately bounding for the exit. The gang following him one after the other.
