Wot Nott Kakuri and the Hu Ba Hou - Part Two: The Realm of the Black Crystals Page 6

  Chapter Four - The Way Forward is Under

  At first, it was faint, hardly noticeable at all, like the sound of wind blowing somewhere far in the distance, but as it grew louder, stronger and wilder, Wot knew this was no ordinary wind. This was a tornado, a tornado of his making, an incredibly dangerous tornado heading straight for the Dragonsaur and Nott. Dust, dirt and debris flew high into the air, making it impossible to see, not even the short distance across to his friend. As the whistling wind wrecked its terrible fury, Wot found himself wondering whether the cure was worse than the complaint. If Nott is still alive out there, he thought, how can he possibly hold on to that tree in such a dire wind?

  A gap suddenly appeared through dust. Wot spotted the Dragonsaur. It was high in the twister, powerless to save itself. The confused animal, unable to break free of the tornado, was like a piece of discarded paper flying around and around within it. As the tornado headed away, the winds eased around Wot and then they were gone. Running across to the scraggy stump of a tree, Wot searched frantically, desperately trying to find Nott. He had to know, he just had to check on his old mate, to see whether he was alive or dead. Sticks, branches, rock; debris of all kinds littered the entire area. Then he saw him, he saw Nott crouching next to the stump, smiling without a hair out of place.

  “That’s what I call putting on a performance!” Nott exclaimed. “It was absolutely amazing, Wot! Here I was in the middle of all that wind, all that commotion, with things flying so fast around me... Why, it even blew away that dragon thing! However, it never touched me! The wind passed me by as if I was not even here! It was weird, I tell you, weird and fantastic!”

  Gob-smacked, Wot was so happy to see his little friend alive and well.

  Having ascertained that Nott was safe and in fine fettle, Wot’s thought drifted to Kakuri, the incredibly brave Kakuri. “Where is she?” he mumbled, hoping she had not suffered the same fate as the Dragonsaur. “Kakuri, where are you?” he called out, rambling around the debris strewn area, searching for her.

  “Kakuri,” Nott called, “where are you? The Dragonsaur has gone, you know!”

  Despite calling and searching so valiantly for her, the two friends were unable to find any trace of Kakuri. “It’s no use,” said Wot. “She’s gone, lost in the wind.”

  “No! No! No!” Nott protected. “I will not believe she has gone! “Kakuri,” he called out at the top of his voice, “where are you?” His head cocking to one side, he whispered, “Did you hear that?”

  “Hear what?”

  “Shush!” he chided. “There it is again! It’s her, Kakuri – I am sure of it!”

  Listening, Wot also hear something, someone calling to them. “Wot… Nott…It’s me, Kakuri. I am over here!”

  Despite scanning the entire area, neither of the two friends could see her. “Kakuri, we can’t see you!” they replied. “Where are you?”

  Again, she called out, “Here, I am over here.” Her voice seemed to be coming from the (invisible) Seat of the Axis. Confused, they wondered if she had somehow become invisible along with it.

  Stepping out from behind the invisible structure, Kakuri said, “Has the storm gone?” Shocked, gobsmacked at seeing her suddenly appear as if out of thin air, Wot and Nott were both lost for words.

  Eying them curiously, she asked, “Are you boys okay?”

  “Us?” they answered, “Yes, we are fine.”

  “How did you get there, behind it?” Wot asked, pointing to the invisible building.

  “I’m glad you’re okay,” said Nott, butting in. “That sure was some wind, Kakuri!”

  “It certainly was,” she replied. “How I got here is really quite simple to explain. Do you want to hear?”

  “Yes, go on,” they answered.

  “There’s nothing to it, really,” she began. “Plucking me clear off the ground, the tornado carried my high in the sky. I thought my time had come, I really did! The strange thing, however, is that no sooner had it lifted me up, than it returned me to the ground, behind the invisible Seat. It was extraordinary experience. That’s why you couldn’t see me until I stepped out from behind it. I am sure it was deliberate.” Looking at the terrible mess around them, Kakuri asked, “Did everything go according to plan?”

  “Do you see the Dragonsaur?” Wot replied, as proud as punch.

  “No.”

  “Do you see the Seat?”

  “No, I do not,” she answered. “Is it really still here?”

  “I am certain of it!” he proclaimed. “You were hidden behind it, so it must have worked. Let’s go over and have a look-see.”

  “Nott, are you coming, also?” asked Kakuri.

  “No!” he insisted. “Not on your Nelly!”

  “Oh, well,” Wot chuckled, “I suppose that’s understandable.”

  Arriving at the Seat of the Axis, their hands running along the invisible walls, Kakuri and Wot in no doubt it was indeed there. “Well, that means everything went according to plan,” said Kakuri. “And time has been protected, at least for the moment.”

  “It’s true, Kakuri,” Wot answered. “It really is just for the moment. We still have so much to do, to finish the job properly. That brings me to the next item on our agenda,” he said. “Come on; let’s get back to Nott…”

  “Will you remind me what the next item on the agenda actually is,” said Kakuri, the moment they rejoined Nott.

  Instructing Kakuri and Nott to sit on a couple of rocks, which the tornado had deposited, Wot began to explain what the next part of their mission entailed. Standing there, walking back and forth in front of them, he looked like a schoolteacher taking an outdoor lesson (though in this case the pupils were adults). He told them the next part of their mission entailed freeing the minds of all Onishians, and in so doing return their independence and free will. “Remember the words Miafra used,” he said, “when he was below the Citadel of Composure.” Reading the Rhyme, one line at a time, with a deliberate pause in-between them, Wot began...

  “Darkest powers of darkness grow,

  _________________________________

  Darkest night, darkest sight,

  _________________________________

  Remove their light give me their might,

  _________________________________

  Their wills be only mine.”

  “This is how Miafra instigated the deed,” Wot explained. “We must study the verse fully.” Reading each line separately, discussing its full meaning before proceeding to the next, he was careful not to say the complete verse in its entirety, lest he empowered it again, and confuse an already complicated situation even further. When they had finished picking over the words of the Rhyme, Kakuri and Nott understood the nature of the job in hand, to return the minds of the people, from Miafra.

  Without warning, the Amulet of Oxmosis began to energise with the same red glow as before, projecting the now familiar visage of Umahia before them.

  “Greetings,” he said. “Well done, you have succeeded in the first part of your mission. Each of you performed so admirably. I could have done no better myself. Facing into the second part of your mission, I am impelled to tell you that it also will be filled with many dangers, some apparent and others less so. At all times you must be on your guard, trust no one, and I mean absolutely no one, is that clear?” They nodded a yes. Umahia continued, “You already know that your task is to free the minds of the people from the insidious control Miafra has instigated upon them. You must remove the fog that is clouding their thoughts, only then can the people of Onisha be truly free. Do not trust them, not yet, not any of them, until you have achieved this! Is that understood?” They nodded again, holding on to his every word.

  “In order to restore the freewill of the people,” Umahia continued, “you must restore the balance there was, the stability between man and man, and between man and land. You must restore the balance between objectivity and slavery, the balance between good and evil. When Miafra sought power, total power, he eroded these balances, these checks. Only when you have restored this equilibrium will the Onishians be totally free.” Umahia’s image flickered and buzzed. They knew his time was limited. Speaking again, he said, “By entering the land you can restore this balance, it is only by joining it can you find the answer. The way forward is under.”

  “Nott,” said Umahia, “remember you gift, you know the way. Listen, listen to the words from within.” Umahia’s voice trailed off as if he was incredibly tired. Speaking one last time, he said, “I cannot stay, it is not safe to do so...but before I go I warn you, to beware… The Protectors are coming! They are many, well armed and travelling at speed. You, however, are few... You must flee or do battle, the choice is yours. I am away.” With that, his image faded into the nothingness from which it had come.