Where The Cracks Will Be Smoothed OverA Chapter by AlskarAdainne next saw Trellor at breakfast. When they came back they each grabbed a bag of pretzels and retired to their rooms to eat before sleeping. The next morning Adainne had dressed as usual, pulling on skinny jeans, brown riding boots, and a white blouse. Today, she also decided to put on make up, not shying from long black lashes and blush lips. “Do you usually wear make-up?” asked Trellor as she sat at the table, laying down their breakfast of a fry-up. “Not really,” she said, passing a salt shaker of popping dust to the star. “But I thought I would make the effort today.” “Where were you two last night?” enquired Boston. He was scoffing a full kipper to himself. “We went back in time,” said Trellor. “To apparently one of the best nights of Adainne’s life.” The cat’s golden eyes widened. “She knows you’re a Time Wizard?” Trellor attempted to reply, but his mouth was stuffed with potato scone. After a few indicative but unsuccessful hand gestures, he spoke after a large gulp. “Yeah, but it’s fine, because I don’t think she’s going to tell anyone. And if she does, we’ll disappear into another dimension for a while.” “Will we now?” said Boston, licking his front paw. “Who says I want to risk being stuck in another dimension, unseen by anyone else but fellow time-travellers until we finally become visible?” The star went a faint red and twirled her agreement. “Well you can both stay here and get information tortured out of you by Cloudline, then.” “They wouldn’t torture them,” said Adainne. “Well, perhaps if they didn’t talk at all, and because you’re a Time Wizard.” “You see?” said Trellor, waving a hand at Adainne. “So, stay here at your own peril. I’ll be taking the ship with me, so you don’t have much choice but to stick around.” The cat released a long sigh. “Okay, so she knows you’re a Time Wizard. Does she know what you do with your time wizardry?” Trellor stabbed at an evasive bit of sausage. “I was getting to that.” “Well, what do you do?” asked Adainne. He gave up on the sausage and set down his cutlery. “I…Why do I get the feeling you’re not going to like this? Anyway, I guess you could say I go back and smooth over the cracks in time.” “Specifically which cracks in time, Trellor?” said Boston. “Yes yes, I know,” said Trellor irritably. He turned to Adainne. His expression was imploring. “I fix the cracks that made this war happen, Adainne. Soon, if I’m successful in what I’m doing, we will be in a different reality with no war.” Adainne was silent. “Really?” “Yes. Again, I can show you if you like.” “But how?” “Never mind the how,” said Trellor. “I just am.” “But you’re one wizard. How the Hell can you shift one entire reality into another?” “It’s not the whole of reality. Just this one, on Earth.” “Time Wizards really have the power to do that?” “Yes, with great difficulty, but we can.” Adainne fell silent again. “But that’s silly. You can’t change a whole reality. You were getting on at me last night for doing something reckless in the past, but you’re changing our entire planet and everything we know!” She stood up. He had stood up too and held her gaze. Across the table, the cat watched with silent interest and the star had turned a pale blue. “Don’t you see what I’m giving you back here?” asked Trellor. Adainne sighed through her nose. “I know you’re giving me my mum back. I would love to have her back. But you’re only one wizard, and what’s to say you won’t mess this up? Not only that, but what happens if next time you go out to sort a crack in time you get stuck in the other dimension and leave things incomplete?” “I know it’s a risk, but if it pays off we could have our families back!” “And if it doesn’t, it could end up killing the only family we have left!” Adainne snapped. “You’re playing with the entire reality! I know the war is s**t, and I know people have died, I mean we know more than anyone else. But if you continue to do this, you could, theoretically, cause some sort of…explosion!” Trellor took a step back and breathed deeply. “The changes I’ve made so far are small, but are making a difference in their own way. I can’t stop now I’ve started - I’ve already created two separate realities on Earth, and they’re beginning to rub off each other. I need to see this thing to the end now, whether I like it or not. If I leave things the way they are, a hole will be created from the friction of two realities and both will cease to exist.” “Well, don’t expect me to play any part in this,” she said, starting up the stairs. She paused and turned her head to regard Trellor. Faintly, in the background of her expression, emotion stirred. Water simmered at the lower rims of her dark blue eyes. “I appreciate what you’re trying to do for us Trellor, but it’s either satiating our want for our families or risking losing everything. Even if everything isn’t all that good.” She darted upstairs, aware of the tears that were fast gathering as she suppressed the want to bring her mother back to life. When she got to her room, out of public view, she began to mull the information over, dabbing desperately at her eyes. With her co-operation, Trellor would have a higher success rate. He was going to do this with or without her, so why shouldn’t she take part for no other reason than to help? One wizard changing reality was hugely difficult. With the help of another he could actually succeed in changing the world. But he should have never started this in the first place, another part of Adainne argued. She argued back that that was irrelevant - it had happened now, and she had the opportunity to get her mother back and restore many lives wrongfully taken. If a Time Wizard and a War Wizard teamed up to fight this war in their own way, they could make a bigger impact than any warships or armies ever could. *** She was thrown to the floor. The room trembled and roared like an angry wildcat. “Adainne!” yelled Trellor. With a final shudder the room stilled. She wasted no time getting to her feet and darting down to the living space. “What the Hell was that?” She was leaning urgently over the banister. “I think your lot have just engaged in an attack!” Trellor called over his shoulder, madly twirling the ship’s wheel. “What, on you?” “No, on the Earth Wizards. But we’re getting caught up in the blast.” A dimmer tremor rumbled through the house, still strong enough to make Adainne clutch to the banister. “Aren’t you flying us out of it?” “Yes! But they’ve launched one Hell of an attack, I’m finding it hard to find a spot where there’s no warships.” “Just keep flying as fast as you can!” she called, coming down stairs and going to Trellor. “Where the bombs will fall exactly are unpredictable, but I know the formation of the warships. Find a space between them, fly up, and then fly straight. You should be able to skim over them.” “Arg I can’t risk it - we’re in a huge nimbus cloud, I think they’d notice if it suddenly started flying diagonally!” Another quake terrorised the house, throwing Trellor off the wheel. As it passed, he went straight back to it. “You think they’re focused on you right now?” “No, I don’t, but I don’t want to risk it. I’m going to fly us back in time.” Adainne stared at him. “What, the entire cloud?” “Yes, the entire cloud! Time and space is limitless, anything can go back in time so long as a Time Wizard is steering! Get something to grab onto!” Boston emerged from the lower bathroom, the star in tow. “Are we in the clear yet?” “’Fraid not!” said Trellor. “You three get right back and out of the way of anything sharp or heavy. We’re going back in time sexy! Woo!” “Who’s sexy?” asked Adainne, throwing a chair aside and tucking herself, the star and the cat underneath the table. “You are, baby!” he yelled triumphantly, then gripped tight onto the ship’s wheel with a hand, raising his wand with the other. “It’s going to take a good bit of energy to get this mama through the rift, so make sure you hold on tight!” “We’re ready, go before we get hit again!” Boston called. The star was a sickly green colour, gripping Adainne’s shoulder. “It’s okay,” she cooed at the quivering toy. “It will be over soon.” “On my mark!” Adainne looked at Boston, a finger stroking the star’s topmost point. “Why does he act like he’s enjoying it so much?” “The worse things get, the more he seems to love it,” sighed the cat, digging his nails into the floor for the impact. “Get set!” Adainne grabbed hold of a table leg. The star was vibrating on her shoulder. “GO.” The white light was invasive, bright, persistent, flashing in their faces and giving them glimpses of the world around them - falling, spinning books, they stayed still but everywhere was being torn apart, shreds of sugar orange swirling below, around, in front of them, pale green, nut brown, in an endless hurricane of light. She didn’t seem to exist anymore, other than the single sensation of sickness, and neither did the world. *** She woke up. Or that’s what it felt like. As suddenly as her reality span out of control it reinstated itself. “That was horrific,” the cat pointed out beside her. He began retching, then bounded off to the lower bathroom. “T-Trellor?” she said, holding back illness with difficulty. She began to slide out from under the table; the star flew off her shoulder at the same time. “Urg,” he groaned, bent over at the furthest window. “Present…” “Are you alright?” “Will be…” He retched violently, then hurled up vomit with a wet splat against the floor. “Sorry…” Adainne went to him, holding back his quiff. “You’re the Time Wizard here, I’m most unimpressed.” Trellor shot her a grin through heavy breaths. “Oh shoosh. It’s not about whether I can time-travel properly, it’s about my weak stomach.” He heaved forward again. Adainne grabbed him a bag from the kitchen which he used to great benefit. She traced delicate patterns on his back until he was done. “Thanks,” breathed Trellor, magicking his own bag away. “If you don’t mind, I’m going to get a quick shower.” “Hang on,” said Adainne, as they both straightened up. “Where exactly in time and space are we?” “Somewhere above the Republic of Ireland,” he replied, running a hand through his quiff to check for vomit. “And we’re a year and a half before the war began, the year 3024.” “Why are we here?” she called after him, as he moved past her to get to the shower. “Hey!” But he had shot upstairs. The lower bathroom toilet flushed. The cat and the star emerged from it, the star flying to the top of Adainne’s head and standing there. She was yellow again. “I’ve never seen so many regurgitated sherbet stars in my life,” groaned Boston, leaping up on the dining table. “Who knew she could regurgitate things.” “Ew, that’s enough,” said Adainne. “Any idea why we’ve gone two and a half years back in time to the Republic of Ireland?” “Not really,” yawned the cat. “I suspect it has something to do with Wizard Eron, though.” “Oh yes, wasn’t there rumours to suggest he had a hide-out in his native Ireland?” “Yes, that’s right. As far as I know, though, Trellor has never dared to come in direct contact with Wizard Eron, even with the protection of the time-rift. He could be pulling out the big guns tonight.” “Yippee,” Adainne moaned. “Which is probably how I would come in handy, right? He takes on an Irish wizard dictator, the source of all our problems, and here I am, just waiting to be used.” “Yup,” agreed Boston. “Anything wrong with that?” “Plenty. But he’s done the damage now, and therefore he’ll need all the help he can get.” “That’s the idea,” said the cat with commendation. “We don’t approve either, and we did try to talk him out of it. But he was beyond talking to when he started this whole thing - it hadn’t been that long since we lost our family. He was emotional when he made his first change to the past, and regretted it soon after and has ever since. He knows what he is doing is reckless, but after that first change he couldn’t stop no matter what.” “I’m starting to feel bad for being so hard on him,” admitted Adainne. Boston shook his head. “Don’t. I imagine anyone else would have had a similar reaction. Although, I am curious. You’re no ordinary person to have fallen in here; like Trellor, you lost a family member to the war. Since that’s so, why aren’t you as desperate to get your mum back as Trellor is with our family?” She blinked at the cat for a moment, thinking of the answer. “I am desperate,” she explained. “I would feel so lucky if I got my mum back. But, as I said to Trellor, messing with the past could result in something much worse than losing our families alone.” “Well, you’re certainly seeing a bigger and less coloured picture here,” said the cat. “It’s admirable what Trellor is trying to do, but he is very much driven by his own purposes. You, on the other hand, weigh up what’s the best course of action overall. But now he’s started this, you both have no choice but to go about this as logically as you both can. Trellor is not an idiot, although he is emotional. He thoroughly researched the road to this war, and has planned what needs to be altered and what is achievable for one Time Wizard. With your help, he could not only pull this off, but you would both be unsung heroes of the modern world. You could end the war before it has a chance to begin.” “Or destroy two realities so no one lives and Earth ceases to exist,” she added dryly. The star rolled its eyes despairingly and flashed blue. The cat bowed his head. “Or that.” Adainne was silent. “You know why my mum died? Because she was my dad’s wife. Wizard Eron tried to use her as bait to get my dad to call off his troops who were surrounding his hide-out. He had already killed her before any sort of negotiation came about.” “I’m very sorry,” said the cat. “Wasn’t Foxlin Silver the Prime Minister of Britain?” “Yeah he was,” said Adainne. “A country with a prominent naval force and a decent-sized army. Exactly the sort of place Wizard Eron wanted to wipe off the map and make his own.” “Ah, fresh and ready to go!” called a sing-song voice from the stairs. Adainne stared at Trellor as he came down stairs. “I wouldn’t say fresh. You’re wearing the exact same outfit you always do.” “I do wash it, you know,” scoffed Trellor. “And I change my man-blouses everyday.” “Shirts, you mean.” “Yeah, that sounds manlier,” admitted Trellor, pulling a face. “Okay, down to business. You might have already asked Boston about why we’re right here, right now, and gotten a vague answer about Wizard Eron. This would be accurate. We are going to whap out the big boys tonight and we’re going to put an even bigger hole in his plans.” “How are we going to do that?” asked Adainne, swinging round a dining chair and sitting in it. The star finally removed itself from her head and flew to her master’s shoulder. “For your own benefit, I can’t tell you just now,” said Trellor, massaging the nape of his neck. “You’re just going to have to trust me. Listen to everything I say, and follow my instructions to the letter. Then maybe we can pull this thing off.” “Maybe isn’t good enough,” said Adainne with force. “We can’t fail, the entire wizard race falls in our hands. We have to be rigorous and logical about it.” Trellor’s eyebrows touched the tip of his quiff. “Wow, someone’s changed their tune.” “It’s either let you carry on with your silliness alone or have help from an experienced War Wizard.” “Well, good then,” he said, visibly pleased. “Okay, first of all, you need to stay as still as you can at all times unless I tell you otherwise. We have two tasks to complete tonight, one enormously bigger than the other, and it is crucial you don’t let your feelings or thoughts get in the way. You have to keep a hold on your movements, if someone bashes into us, it‘s over.” “Right, okay,” she said slowly, raising an eyebrow. “It seems strange, I know. But it will become clear, trust me.” “No, not that. Why can’t we be seen or heard, but touched?” “I’m not sure about that one myself. But my theory is that our physical being cannot be erased from time as we go back where we don’t belong any more, because we‘d disappear if we were just some molecules hanging around in the past. If we were reduced to molecules, we wouldn’t be able to get back through the time rift, and therefore we need our solid beings. I don’t know. You’d have to ask the universe.” “I will when I get a moment,” she replied. “Does that wear off at any point?” “Always depends on how far back you go, or how far your dimension is. The further you go back, the less time you have invisible and inaudible. For instance, if we went back to the year 2012, we’d probably fall out of it pretty quickly.” “So we should be fine for a while here,” murmured Adainne. “Okay so, obey, obey, obey, basically?” “I like the sound of that,” he said with a grin. “Of course, if you think I’m being an idiot at any given time, you’re welcome to point it out.” “Can we still see each other?” “Yes we can,” replied Trellor. “We’re both time-travellers, and therefore are on the same wavelength. Possibly literally.” “Good. Then what are we waiting for?” “We’re waiting to stock up on weaponry,” said Trellor. “Wands are good for big combat, but when we need someone cleanly taken out, guns are better.” Adainne sighed. “Better pass me a pistol then.” “I’ll pass you something better,” said Trellor, tossing her a wand. “I always have a spare. You need to when you’re a rogue wizard. But you can keep it, now.” Adainne smiled. “Thanks.” She made herself a pistol with her new wand. “I’ve never had to shoot a real person before. Only target practice.” “Then I suggest you do the shooting and I do the thinking and the actual thing we need to do,” said Trellor. “Are you sure that tiny pistol will hold enough ammo? We’re going up against Wizard Eron’s army here.” “I don’t waste bullets. My shots are accurate,” Adainne explained. “If you think so. Don’t expect me to magick you an AK 47 if you get in trouble.” He shrugged on his cape, pulling it off the end of the banister. Adainne stowed the pistol inside her trouser pocket. “No one can see you, and yet you insist on the cape.” “Yes. Get over it, I like capes. Now off we pop to save the world.” He flew to the door and threw it open, being greeted with a blast of air. “Ooh, it’s chilly in Ireland!” “I thought you said if you opened the door to the real cloud you’d get sucked in and die?” “This isn’t the cloud. Well, it is, but this is the view from the front of the cloud, rather than the centre where we are. Come see.” She did. In front, fellow wisps and hills of cloud were strewn in front. The moon, considerably larger at this altitude, was defined by it’s pock-marked complexion and stark white glow. Looking over the edge of the threshold, through strings of thin purple cloud, yellow stars dotted the deep green landscape below. “His hide-out is in the city?” she asked Trellor. “Surprisingly effective to plant a hide-out right where people wouldn’t expect it,” Trellor commented, staring down himself. “Ah well, that’s where we’re headed. Tally-ho, and all that.” “Wait a minute,” protested Adainne, holding Trellor’s arm back. “You’re not suggesting we jump down there?” “Not jump. Glide, just like we did in the forest.” He offered the arm she was holding for her to take. “Yeah, but not at this height!” “Adainne, man up. You’re a War Wizard and you’ve got me. What could possibly go wrong?” He shook his half-curled arm at her. Slowly, she engaged her arm around his. “Don’t even go there,” she said, taking a deep breath. “Ready to go create a new reality then?” “No. But we might as well give it a bash.” And with that, Trellor stepped out onto the air. Adainne lingered for a moment at the door, but quickly joined him. Trellor half turned to the open door, which now occupied the cat and the star. “Usual drill, lock the ship so you don’t float away. Give us two hours before you start panicking, we shouldn’t need any more than that.” “Yes yes. You two be sensible about this now,” said the cat. The star twirled her agreement and whined for her master. “Don’t worry, baby girl. We can’t take you this time, but we’ll be back soon.” He turned back to Adainne. “Yeah let’s do this.” They descended down into the night like a bomb hurtling to the earth. © 2012 AlskarReviews
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