A Gift of Misfortune Finished 03072020

A gift of misfortune finished 03072020
Part 1
Chapter 1
Finding yourself
Eithen Forreser, this was his name, a normal name for a normal boy. He was
nine years old, had fair hair and was very laid back. And like all boys, he loved the
PlayStation. In fact, he played on it so much that Pops and Mum thought Eithen’s
thumbs were changing shape and that they were becoming spoon shaped with all the
constant pressing he did on the game pad!
Eithen lived in a small town called Spilsby in England. This town was normal
too, with the usual small town problems. Town councillors had nothing better to do
than chase after pathetic little quibbles, often over nothing. It was a quaint town
though, and historic. Outsiders seemed to like it. Eithen lived just outside the town in
a little village next to, if not linked to, Spilsby. He lived in a big three-storey house
built in the 1850s, with lots of room, which his Pops enjoyed thoroughly, for in big
houses a child’s noise was distant and therefore less stressful, and this was good for
Pops. Pops was a laid-back kind of guy, but also fairly strict in a nice way. He was a
mere manager and was there for his kids most of the time, which he enjoyed. The last
thing Pops wanted was stress, he had had enough of that over time. Mum was often
quite busy with work at the hospital, trying to provide as much as she could for the
family. And last but by no means least, was Eithen’s older sister Demi, a highly
strung eleven-year-old with a heart of gold.
School went well for Eithen on Thursday most of the work he completed
easily and when he finished his work first he didn’t tell the teacher, he just continued
to look busy so he wouldn’t be given any more work. This was his little secret. He
often sat there and dreamed about games on the PS2, thinking of a strategy for his
next tactical move.
Only today’s daydream was different; in a weird kind of way, he felt like he
was actually there. Was he really there or not? He couldn’t tell. He was standing in a
white room, well, at least he thought it was a room. It had white walls, a white ceiling
and a white floor all so clean you couldn’t see the seams. “Wow,” he said, with great
mystery in his voice, “this is too real.”
He moved around; there were no walls or physical boundaries after all. He
bent down to touch the floor and, with astonishment, his hand went completely
through it. That’s as if there was a floor. It felt like a floor to stand on, but he could
feel nothing. Was he floating? He panicked slightly and shouted “Hello!” The word
echoed around and around, bouncing off the walls (which weren’t there) like a power
ball.
Suddenly he came round and fell back into the reality of school. At that
precise moment his teacher stood over him shouting the same word: “HELLO!”
Eithen looked up at her and gave her a crooked smile to confirm he was back.
“Nice of you to rejoin us,” she said. “You can finish this tomorrow.”
Eithen’s heart was pounding and he was sweating as though he had been for a
ten-mile jog. Mrs Joplin walked away. Then the bell rang, the class leapt to their feet
and started walking out as Mrs Joplin was yelling instructions for something that
Eithen had totally not heard. He shook it off, took a deep sigh and walked out of the
classroom.
Pops was waiting in the car park as usual and, as usual, Eithen made it to the
car before Demi. He got in and closed the door. “All right?” said Pops.
“Yep,” which was Eithen’s regular reply.
1
“What have you got to tell us then?”

Eithen thought for a moment and then decided to tell pops everything that had
happened. The daydream… the reality of it… the white room… the sudden
awakening.
“Hmmmm,” replied Pops in a jealous way; he liked a good daydream himself.
Eithen looked at him waiting for something, anything that would make him feel
better. Eventually he said, “Wouldn’t worry about it if I were you, just one of those
things I guess.”
This, amazingly, was enough to quench the worry.
“Here comes Demi look, last as usual.”
They both looked at her and smiled, and she threw back a little beauty herself.
On Friday morning Mum was at home and getting Eithen and Demi up for
school. She had shouted to them five minutes ago and still no sign of either of them.
She went up to give another shout when Demi came bursting through the door.
“Morning,” she grunted.
“Morning,” said Mum, “have you seen Eithen up and about?”
“No, I thought he would be down by now.”
“Me too,” said Mum, “I’ll go and check.” She walked into Eithen’s room.
“Still asleep,” she muttered, “very unusual.”
She called to him, but there was still no movement. She walked over to the bed
and pulled back the covers, giving Eithen a shake, yet there was still no movement,
and she began to panic.
“Jason! Jason!” she shouted, “get up here quick!” Pops shot in the room, with
Demi tagging along too.
“What’s up?” he said.
“It’s Eithen… he, he, won’t wake up”. Pops walked over calmly, so as not to
panic anyone, and he bent down and spoke to Eithen. “Eithen, Eithen can you hear
me?” “He’s breathing ok, perhaps it’s a coma, call the doctor now.” Screamed mum
Little did they know that Eithen was alive and well, but in his own little world.
A world he did not yet realise was he was going to play an important role in. All
Eithen knew was that he was back in this white space with no walls, floor or ceiling.
He was here again! And why so, if this was in fact a daydream, or just a dream; it was
rare to have the exact same dream twice. So there he was, just standing there. Eithen
pinched himself to try and wake himself, but it didn’t work. So he decided to walk,
but to where? He sensed as though something was calling him. But he could see
nothing.
The doctor arrived and was led to the bedroom in which Eithen lay. He went
over and put his hand on Eithen’s head. Normal temperature. He checked his heart
and blood pressure; they were normal too, and there were no rashes. In fact, there was
no indication of anything abnormal.
“Is he on any medication?” said the doctor.
“No,” said Pops as he went over to Eithen.
Eithen stopped walking; something was behind him. He froze, his heart
missing a beat or maybe two. “Should I turn round?” he asked himself, “should I?
Should I?”
2
Eithen started to turn around; there was something behind him! It was a giant
iron cage approximately twenty feet tall and about ten feet square, right in the middle
of this white space! “How on earth did that get there?” he thought aloud.
Then he realised – it was a dream and anything could happen. His heart started
to calm. Eithen himself could fit between the bars, so the cage wasn’t designed for
him. He walked up to the cage and looked. Then, with a blinding rattle, the cage
shook incredibly violently! Eithen ran backwards, falling onto his rear, and as he
panicked the cage shook and creaked and banged.
He sat up in bed, looking pale and panicked.

“Eithen!” cried Mum, “how do you feel, are you ok?”
“I’m, I’m ok, a bad dream.”
The doctor checked him over again and gave him the all clear.
“You must contact me if it happens again,” said the doctor.
“Sure,” said Pops, “thanks for coming.”
The doctor left. Pops went back upstairs and walked into Eithen’s room.
“Blimey, you gave us quite a scare there, Eithen, what was that all about
then?”
“I don’t really know, all I know is, that the dream I had yesterday… you know
at school, I had again today, only this time it was longer and there was a cage and
something was in the cage, but I couldn’t see what it was.”
“What dream is this then?” enquired Mum.
“I’ll tell you later,” said Pops, “as for you, Eithen, you’d better have the day
off school.”
“What about me?” said Demi.
“Oh, what the heck, it’s 11am now anyway,” replied Pops.
“Yippee!” shouted Demi. “Thanks, Eithen!”
One week passed and Eithen had no dreams at all. He was feeling a lot more
relaxed now and was quite happily playing with his friends at school. He was once
more concentrating on his school work; the dreaming episode seemed to have passed,
much to the relief of everyone. And with the weekend to look forward to, everyone
seemed very happy. For this weekend Eithen and his family were planning a camping
trip to the Lake District. Mum was not overly keen on the idea, but Pops, Demi and
Eithen couldn’t wait!
The weekend soon arrived. The car was loaded and it wasn’t long before the
trip was underway. Demi was reading and Eithen was playing on his Gameboy
Advance; all was going well. The scenery began to change from towns and
motorways to small country roads and tiny quaint villages. There were more trees,
more water and fresh country air; it was absolutely glorious. They were all beginning
to feel relaxed.
Then, all of a sudden, a death-curdling scream came from the back of the car!
Pops almost passed away of a heart attack. The car swerved from side to side, until he
managed regain control and stop it. Mum was panicking.
“It’s Eithen!” she yelled, “look at him!” Pops looked on in horror. Eithen sat
there, his eyes were as wide open as they could possibly be and he was sweating
profusely. His eyelids were not blinking at all. Pops waved his hand in front of
Eithen’s face; there was no response. Demi got out of the car, afraid she might catch
whatever it was that Eithen had, whilst Mum was shouting, “Find a hospital now!
This has gone on far too long! Come on, come on!” she yelled, still panicking.
3
“No,” said Pops. He felt a calm about him somehow, almost as if someone was
saying, “Don’t worry, stay calm.” But what he knew, deep inside, was that it wasn’t
his imagination, for normally he would be rushing to the hospital.
“No,” he said again, “we wait.”
“What do you mean we wait, are you crazy, there is something seriously
wrong, let’s go!” yelled Mum, obviously upset with the whole situation.
Pops looked up. “No, we wait.”
Mum saw the calm in his eyes and began to feel it. She began to trust his
insight; she knew Pops wouldn’t purposely put Eithen’s life in danger, so she calmed
down and made herself at least rational.
All three of them gazed at Eithen. Where was he… where was he?
Eithen was once again back in the white room or space. There was the cage
and there stood Eithen, facing the cage with the same exact expression on his face as
in the car. He was petrified to say the least, for this time he saw what was in the cage
and if it got out, surely he would not live. In the cage was a creature more than twenty
feet tall; the cage was too small for it. The creature was hyena-like in shape, with a
large head, a hunched back, and smaller legs. It stood on its hind legs. Its front legs
were more like arms with hands. It had two horns on its head, one on its hunch and
one on its lower back pointing the opposite way. Its eyes were the size of an orange
and the colour blue, and its head shape was more round than long. The creature’s teeth
transfixed Eithen… it had lots of teeth, sharp teeth, and its skin looked like dark red
leather. Snarling, drooling and howling while shaking, bashing and hitting the cage,
the creature looked as if it were insane.
The creature seemed to take a deep breath, as though it knew what it was
doing, and then, with an almighty bang and thunder, the cage split open. The creature
fell to the floor from the shock of the impact. Eithen turned to run, even though there
was nowhere to go, for where can you hide in a white expanse? But within two steps
Eithen heard two words, two calm, pleading words.
“Help me…” It was almost as if something was crying. Eithen stopped in his
tracks and listened again. It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop at one moment,
followed by an almost unstoppable deluge of noise and now, once again, silence.
“Please help me… please, please, Eithen, help me! You must find Jedda,
Radar needs him, do not run!”
Eithen nearly fell over.
“Yes,” shouted Pops, “yes, are you all right, Eithen?” He turned to look at
Mum; she looked like she was going to burst into tears.
“I’m fine, I’m ok,” responded Eithen.
“You have got to tell me what’s going on,” said Pops, “right here, right now.”
They were all gobsmacked as Eithen told them exactly what had happened.
They all sat there staring at Eithen. Then Pops announced, “Chanta is back, I can feel
it,” with worry in his voice.
“He is back, what do you mean he’s back? Who’s back and from where? What
are you talking about, he’s back?” Mum said with an impatient touch to her voice.
“Do you know what’s going on?”
“Unfortunately I do. I know where Eithen’s been. I was just waiting for
confirmation and now I have it. He’s met Radar, an old friend of mine, and he’s in
trouble, big trouble by the sound of it. He’s used Eithen to contact me.”
“Who’s Radar, who’s contacted you?” said Mum.
4
“Yeah, who’s Radar?” said Demi.

Eithen just sat there looking at Pops, waiting for an answer with desperate
anticipation. His face asked the question, not his mouth.
Pops took a very big sigh and started to answer. He owed them all that at least
that much, just to put them all out of their misery. He started to explain.
5
Chapter 2
Trouble
I come from a place filled with mystery, magic and myth called Rhinspar. This
was my home for many a year. I was the ruler of Rhinspar, a position inherited from
my father, Yusha. It was a place of calm and peace, and all in Rhinspar worked well
in harmony. The soil was fertile and the food full of richness. The land was green
from the bottom of the mountains to their peaks. The sun shined constantly, there was
never night. The plants got their water from underground reservoirs, the water came
up and fed the plants; it was beautiful. It was so green and tranquil there was no
hatred, no threats of any kind; it was perfect. We played in the woods as children, we
ran, we hid, we chased each other, it was so serene. Animals were different, nothing
like what we have here. Their appearance was different, they were tame and they
played with us, almost speaking to us. Our houses were similar to the ones here, but
one level was underground and the other above ground level. They have no windows
because it is warm all the time. Rhinspar was one of the Four Kingdoms.
Willdamor was another kingdom, much the same as Rhinspar, but many miles
away, with green mountains, underground reservoirs and similar creatures. Their
houses were oval and have only the one level. Their ruler was Fredas. He was old in
age. He was more than wise, but with little strength. He was not human. He was from
the Rytan species, very tall and very slim, with six arms. When he was young he had
green hair, but with age it has turned blue. His skin is grey. Fredas means no harm to
anyone. If his kingdom were to be attacked, he would surrender it immediately. The
only battle he would fight would be a battle of wisdom, not of blood. Fredas loved his
people and his people loved him. We were good friends, Fredas and I.
The third is Radar’s land, called Kufa. That’s who Eithen’s met. An
underground city of what appears to be monsters. They all look like Radar, just
different in size. You cannot tell male from female, or one from another. The only
way to tell them apart is by their size and personality, or unless they tell you who they
are. Their city is an amazing network, all underground, and all you see are steps,
cliffs, tunnels and more steps. You would expect it to be cold in Kufa, but it’s
incredibly warm. They create the warmth by tunnelling in the warm air from outside,
so there is a constant flow. A peaceful city or land, but highly strung. They have a
connection between them all, as if they all know what the other is thinking. Radar is
their leader; he is the strongest. He has helped and saved me more than once; in fact
without him I would be dead and all of Rhinspar too. Willdamor and Kufa would now
be under the rule of Garsia.
Garsia is the fourth kingdom, and one not talked about or visited. A cruel
kingdom, made from hatred, greed and the wanting of power. There is nothing good
there at all. The people are the same as those in Rhinspar, only a long time ago a
leader called Reas took them into the depths of doom and evil using a device called
the Sphere. This contraption was a gift from a king unknown to any, who comes from
an unknown location. The Sphere was a gift intended to help the Four Kingdoms, to
enable them to prosper in many ways for good. You could say it was a gift of
knowledge. It was small, the size of a marble in fact, but quite heavy; no one
understood why. When touched it felt leathery and alive; in fact it was a living thing,
which connected itself to the one touching it. When touched it provided the one
touching it with knowledge of all kinds. With the knowledge came power. This
Sphere was only meant for good. But Reas became greedy and wanted more and
more. He loved the power more than the knowledge.
6
Reas was with the Sphere for days and nights, which turned to weeks and
months. It turned out that too much knowledge became dangerous and Reas became
obsessed, evil, full of power, hate, envy and control. He changed his people from
loving, kind, generous people to monsters. They turned on the three remaining
kingdoms, killing thousands. Their armies led were by Chanta himself, who was at the
time Reas’s leading general. We managed to overthrow the Garsian’s and capture
Reas. It took two hundred Kufas to hold him down; he wailed like a fighting cat. We
used knowledge from the Sphere to make a cage, which would hold him and his
magic, and it worked. Eventually the power wore off and stopped flowing through his
veins. He became a withered, wasted old man in the space of two years. He died
bitter, twisted, hateful, loveless and sad. All this came to pass during my father’s
reign.
They now look different to us, the Garsian’s. They look withered, gaunt and
almost lifeless. Their land is grey and dull, the air is foul, the sky red and their water
poison, all made this way from the greed of others in Garsia. They seem to enjoy their
doom and revel in their evil; it seems to make them strong. They care nothing for
anyone or anything and kill those attempting to help them. Their magic is strong and
used only for bad. This keeps them alive. They kill one other like it means nothing,
and those to be killed fear it not. There is torture for pleasure and prisons for
Garsian’s disliked. All a direct result of Reas’s greed for knowledge and power.
I have been amongst these animals for the sake of peace and was not killed
because of my good friend Radar. He surrounded me with an army the size of the
Garsian City itself; they protected me as though I was Radar himself. As the Garsian’s
threw insults and spat at the Kufas, but the Kufas stood firm and loyal and did not
strike one Garsian.
I reached my known meeting ground, coming face to face with the animal that
slaughtered my father, family and many others too. In fact, thousands of Rhinspars,
Willdamor’s and Kufas were murdered when he was Reas’s leading general. Chanta
was now the Garsian leader, through bullying, strength and the sheer determination of
wanting the Sphere, in the same manner as Reas. Chanta would not hesitate to kill
anyone who stood in his way, either by conspiring against them or by execution.
We were there to discuss peace as Chanta had been making threats of war.
Some of his army had been moved from place to place, in a way that was making
other kingdoms feel uneasy and suspicious. Now he was going to talk about peace.
But when something is so caught up in evil, one knows that peace has no meaning,
and he would not rest until everything was his.
Chanta stood there. As I approached him, he was whispering to me, not using
his mouth, but feeding words into my mind. Trying to tease me, brainwash,
manipulate and control me. I had to discipline my mind in order to recognise my own
thoughts; my mind had to be as clear and strong as his, although this was difficult.
In my mind I kept hearing the words, “Bring it to me… we can use it together
for good…. bring it to me, you must bring it to me or my people will surely die…
together we can use the Sphere, together.” The closer I got, the clearer it became, this
evil, soft whispering. I stopped and looked up. There he was, towering over me,
looking, staring at me, trying to manipulate my mind and thoughts.
Radar’s generals were now at my side and back, twenty in number. Chanta did
not like this at all. The generals were guarding me like a king, but before I knew it
they started to back away one by one, and not quietly either. They were backing away
but at the same time fighting with themselves! Shouting, screaming and cursing.”
“I must stay, it’s my orders…” one of the generals said.
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“NO, leave now… that’s what I must do… NOW… leave NOW… NOW…”
said the same general as he pulled and kicked himself.
“NO…” All coming from the same general.
The noise was horrendous. It filled the air with panic and mayhem. The Kufas
outside could hear and became agitated. Just as the army was about to attack, the
twenty generals threw themselves out of the door!
Silence ruled once again.
I looked at Chanta with anger in my eyes; he stood there looking innocent and
blameless. He stood a towering eight feet tall. He was slim in build, his clothes hung
on him with no real shape. He had no hair anywhere and a growth under the skin (of
what appeared to be bone) from the front of his forehead to the middle back of his
head, which looked like someone had implanted this surgically into him. This was the
mark of power a Garsian grew once he became a leader. Chanta looked tired and very
gaunt. His hunt for the Sphere had become his life’s quest and it seemed that he was
now about to turn up the heat a little. Time was on his side now, not ours, and he
knew that, which pleased him greatly.
“You will not win,” I said in a calm, controlled voice “you will not find the
Sphere, it’s banned from here you know that. The Four Kingdoms know that.”
Chanta interrupted abruptly, in an angered voice that showed his impatience.
“The Four Kingdoms know nothing! It’s myself, Fredas’s, Radar and you, Jedda, that
know. Do you think for one moment that I could not take the Sphere right now?!”
“Then why am I here? Why have you not got it?” I
Chanta clenched his fist and strained so hard that I thought his bones would rip
through his gaunt withered skin. He only did it to show that pain is not a matter of
interest to him, and while his fist was clenched he whispered into my mind: “Neither
pain nor death deter me from my goal. I will not be stopped, Jedda!”
“There is nothing to stop and if that is all… I will be leaving now,” I said. I
turned and started to walk to the doors, still calm and controlled, but knowing deep
within that Chanta was very capable of causing untold death and destruction and that
it was only a matter of time before he would start.
It was then that Chanta said something that nearly brought me to my knees. I
was hoping and willing this not to happen but knew it might. The trouble is that
nothing is really reality until it happens, and it just happened. My hopes and yearnings
just ended and I was now in a totally different ball game. Unfortunately it was one
that involved pain and death.
He whispered into my mind: “How wise is Fredas?”
I froze, facing the doors, saying nothing; I just waited. Chanta, screaming as
loud as he could, squealed it again: “HOW WISE IS FREDAS?!”
Chanta whispered again into my mind. Just as the worst thoughts possible
were galloping around in there.
I knew that Fredas was an easy target and that only a power-mad evil coward would
strike there first.
“No, no, please no,” I kept saying to myself.
“He wants to see you. Would you like to see him?”
Before I could answer, Chanta answered for me: “Of course you would.”
I looked up at the visiscan and saw the big picture. There was Fredas, hanging
from chains, his feet and hands behind him, suspended from the ceiling, obviously in
pain. Fredas knew I was watching, and he was shaking his head slowly. I knew that
every inch he moved was painful. His head must have felt like a kcras sting.
I sent a mind message to Fredas, saying: “I will do my father’s will.”
8
Fredas heard the message in his mind and he started to nod. He did not want
me to stand down to Chanta, he did not want to see his people die either and neither
did I. But he knew he must control the pain and wait.
“Willdamor is surrounded, my Garsian’s await a simple order. Do your
father’s will and they die, all of them! Do my will and I will spare them, it’s quite
simple.” Said Chanta.
My father had told me to never disclose the location of the Sphere, even if I
were to die for the sake of the kingdoms as my father had by the hand of Reas. This
was his will. For the sake of the kingdoms he had died and I undertook my duty,
taking his place. Radar, Fredas and I decided to hide the Sphere, for better or worse,
in a cave under the control of a furrock, a creature very loyal to its friends. They come
across as being very dim but are in fact highly intelligent. They stand about twenty
feet tall and have extremely large feet and hands. They are covered in velvet-looking
hair. Kuska was his name and I loved him deeply. I had known him all my life and we
had some great times together.
Kuska agreed to keep the Sphere in a safe place and well-guarded. He had no
desire to use the Sphere, for he was totally happy and content with his life. Trust was
not an issue with a furrock, their word was enough and was never broken. There the
Sphere stayed for a long time; in fact it is still there today. Safe.
We had been well and truly trapped in hoax peace talks. Chanta had foreseen
the situation, knowing full well that Radar’s army would provide protection for me,
thus leaving Willdamor totally and easily removable. A big mistake on my part
indeed.
Word had gotten back to the underground city of Kufa. As events unfolded
Radar tried not to panic, for as big and strong as he was, he was still a big softy at
heart and dilemmas were not his strong point. But he knew that this was a time to plan
and take great care. He had to be very together, for he was aware that if he could keep
it together the Kufas could cause Chanta a horrendous problem, for it would take at
least ten Garsian’s to stop one Kufa. But brute force was not the key here. Radar had
to be tactful.
Radar knew Chanta wanted the Sphere, but only he, Fredas and Jedda were the
ones who knew where it was. Chanta would never find it without at least one of them,
so at least one of them or possibly all three of them would die, at least not until
Chanta had the Sphere.
Radar asked himself: Is Jedda being held hostage in Garsia, or is he free to
leave? Would Chanta want Jedda loose even though he held Fredas? So many
questions… what about his own army, where were they? Were they dead?
Radar knew that Jedda would want him to make contact somehow, someway.
He must come up with something, and fast. Radar decided to send a glider to scan the
city. A glider was a strange creature and easily trained; the Kufas used to use them a
great deal for spying. But it was rare now; in fact, they had not been used since the
days of Reas, Chanta’s leader.
The glider opened its thin, large leathery wings – it had no body as such, for it
was all incorporated in the wings. Radar gave the glider its instructions and off it flew,
through the tunnels until it reached the outside and off to Garsia.
9
Chapter Three
Decisions, decisions
Jedda awoke in a small room that had no more light than a candle. He couldn’t
see much at all, but he could sense that something was near. He stood up and wobbled
around; he had been drugged somehow without knowing. Chanta’s powers were
strong indeed. If he got his hands on the Sphere, things could go very wrong indeed,
as if things were not bad enough already! Jedda heard the rattle of chains. He froze for
a second, waiting for conformation; there it was again. He whispered, “Fredas, Fredas
is that you?”
“Yes… yes, are you well?” It was typical of Fredas; always thinking of others,
even while he was hanging in chains, in pain.
“Never mind me, what about you?”
There was no answer, which worried Jedda a great deal. Jedda sent Fredas a
mind message, asking what he knew, if anything, but there was nothing in return.
Jedda walked to the door, which took only one step, and peered through the opening.
Two large Garsian’s were looking at Fredas as he hung there. They were enjoying the
show of the slow, torturing death of Jedda’s good friend.
Jedda knew what to do; luckily he was carrying an inviblade. This was an
invisible sword strapped to his thigh. No one knew it was there apart from Jedda, for
no one could see or feel it unless struck by the inviblade, apart from the person who
carried it. It came from the woods of Rhinspar and only two people had them: Jedda
and his father that was. It was their secret weapon, which no one knew about, and that
was the way it was going to stay. But Jedda had to distract the Garsian’s far enough
away to be able to break the lock without them hearing.
Suddenly Fredas started to scream the most piercing scream ever heard. The
guards were distracted. Jedda broke the lock and walked directly behind the two
Garsian’s. Before they knew what hit them, Jedda touched their mouths, which left
them with no sound at all; they tried to shout but nothing came out. He then took their
hands and made them touch one another; their hands were then stuck together. He
pulled them into the cell and placed their other hands on the wall, to which they stuck
also.
Jedda ran over to Fredas he swiped the chains with his inviblade. Sparks
seemed to fly from nowhere, and he removed the chains. Fredas was in bad shape. He
fell.
“Thanks for the distraction, Fredas.”
Fredas replied with a simple “Yes.”
“We need to get you out of here.”
“Leave me and save yourself, Jedda. The Four Kingdoms need you, not me.”
However, Fredas knew that Jedda would not leave a friend and he watched
Jedda looking around frantically for some means of escape.
Meanwhile Radar listened to his glider revealing all that it had seen from the
sky. It spoke in a very unusual, colourful language that was hard to understand, but
the Kufas had seemed to master it. Radar looked very troubled as the glider told him
that Willdamor had been surrounded by Garsian’s. Chanta had put a spell on his army,
causing them to wander around the outskirts of the Garsian city like lost sheep. Where
was Jedda now? Radar needed him now!
10
Radar had to make a decision. He decided to leave Kufa, go to Garsia and

locate Jedda, hoping that it wasn’t too late. He packed some vitals and went up
through the tunnels to the surface. He started to run. The Kufas could run for several
days non-stop, day and night, and that was exactly what Radar did. He ran and ran and
ran, sometimes humming along the way and stopping occasionally to monitor the
way.
Back at the prison, Jedda opened the chest in the hallway and found exactly
what he wanted: a balljet. This was a metal ball the size of a cannon ball. When turned
on, two handles popped out, one from either side. All you did was simply hold on and
pull in the direction you wanted to go (pull to the left to go left, or to the right to go
right). Jedda had only been on one once before, when he was young, and not very
successfully, and he was unsure whether it would hold two! In fact he was doubtful,
but this was their only chance. He ran to the window and looked out; they were very
high up, which could be a good thing, or maybe not. He ran back and grabbed the
balljet and checked it for fuel; it was half full.
“Good,” he said and then went over to Fredas. “Have you got enough strength
to hold on, my friend?”
“You go, you go, they need you.”
“And I need you, Fredas. I will not do this alone; we will win together, now
can you hold on?”
“Yes.”
Jedda ran back to the window and swiped the bars with his inviblade top and
bottom. The bars tumbled out into the foul air of Garsia and disappeared. The noise
had alerted some Garsian’s at the bottom. Jedda and Fredas could hear the squealing
beginning as panic started to take hold of the Garsian’s. They did not want Jedda
escaping, for he could bring them the valuable prize, which was the Sphere.
Jedda stood holding the balljet. Fredas managed to stand and put his six arms
around Jedda. It was highly unlikely Fredas was going to fall off! Fredas tightened his
six arms, which took the breath out of Jedda. “Not quite so tight, Fredas.”
Fredas loosened his grip slightly.
Jedda started the balljet. He nervously stood at window and looked down.
“Here goes nothing,” he mumbled, and off they went.
Radar had reached the outskirts of the Garsian City. He knew a while back that
he was getting close. The air had started to change. Breathing had become
increasingly laboured and harder. The air thickened, its taste foul. There was no
vegetation near Garsia either; it had all perished years ago when Reas was in reign.
The vegetation had all slowly died from nutritional starvation, dirty air and poisonous
water contamination. Nothing grew here now apart from evil. The land was black and
dry.
Radar stood about ten liem (about a mile) from the walls of Garsia. There were
five walls in all around the Garsian City, each one in turn getting higher the further in
you went. There was a main entrance into Garsia, like a tunnel going through the five
walls with large gates at each wall. This was the only route in and out of Garsia.
He stood there looking at the city and its surrounding walls. He pondered how
could he get inside without being noticed or killed? He could see his army walking
like lost sheep around the walls. This itself posed a further dilemma: he would need
his army, so how could he break the spell and release them?
11
Something caught his eye; it looked like a Jartaballs had just been shot into the
air. A Jartaballs was a small illuminous green ball fired by a catapult. When the
Jartaballs hit its target it numbed the legs, leaving the target unable to walk at all. A
very effective weapon made and perfected by the Garsian’s.
Radar noticed another and another, then ten, then twenty, and then too many to
count. What were they firing at? Radar knew that the Garsian’s would shoot anything
that moved just for the pleasure, but there were no living animals left in Garsia
anymore. They had all died or moved habitats. Whatever it was, it was moving over
the Garsian walls. Slowly moving outwards and a bit more quickly downwards. Radar
squinted hard; he could just make out something dangling. He decided to start running
in the direction it was going to land.
Jedda gripped the balljet hard. He steered left then hard right, not really caring
about where he landed as long as it was over the Garsian walls. He watched as the
Jartaballs flew pass at quite a rate. Fredas lifted his long legs to try and reduce the size
of target but with little success.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, a Jartaballs hit Jedda on the hip. He let out a groan
filled with pain as his legs became surrounded in a blue electrical field that lasted a
couple of seconds. Fredas felt it too, but fortunately it was not enough to numb him.
Jedda almost let go of the balljet as the pain stabbed through his legs. The pain was
excruciating. He managed to hang on as they just passed over the fifth outside wall.
The Jartaballs firing had now ceased, as Jedda and Fredas were too low over the walls
for them to hit.
Lower and lower, down they came at quite a pace. They both hit the black soil
with an almighty thump, rolling a few feet before finally coming to a standstill. The
black dust was flying around them as they lay there waiting for their disorientation to
subside and leave them. Jedda dragged himself to Fredas and shook him. Fredas
moaned that his strength was just about exhausted. Jedda could hear the Garsian gates
beginning to open; this took some time as the gates were very large and extremely
heavy. Jedda could do nothing but wait for the Garsian’s to come and take them both
back to face Chanta, only this time Jedda feared Chanta would not be so lenient on
them. Fredas had already been badly beaten by the Garsian’s and probably couldn’t
take any more.
Jedda heard the second gate begin to open. It had been a valiant attempt to
escape and it was so close. He lay there with no feeling in his legs. He felt deflated,
troubled and sad. He sincerely hoped that this would not urge Chanta to move forward
into Willdamor. Hopefully Chanta would still use his position over Willdamor as a
threat.
“Nice landing there, friend of Rhinspar.”
Jedda looked up and saw his huge, red leathery friend towering over him. He
couldn’t tell if Radar was smiling or not, he had so many teeth! Jedda was
overwhelmed with different feelings and emotions.
“A little practice wouldn’t go amiss, would it?”
“I can’t walk either, nor can Fredas, and they’re starting to open the third gat –
any suggestions?” Jedda said, looking at Radar with a hopeful face.
Radar started to dig; he threw back mounds of earth in seconds. The dust flew.
He turned and put Fredas in the hole then Jedda. Radar grabbed some dead judphur
shoots, which were very tall plants with hollow stems.
12
“Use these to breathe,” I said. Quickly, he jumped in the hole and started to
cover them all with the black dusty soil until they were totally hidden and
undetectable to the eye.
They heard the fifth gate open and the Garsian’s came flooding out with the
hope that the fugitives had not gotten too far, especially with the knowledge that
Jedda had been hit by the Jartaballs. They searched and searched, they moaned and
groaned with disappointment and disgust at the fact that their quarry must have
escaped. They searched for six hours until nightfall and then returned to the city.
Chanta sat in his throne room awaiting the news, which he already knew. He
sensed that Jedda was free. He could no longer feel Jedda’s anxiety or the pain that
Fredas felt; they were both too far away now. One of Chanta’s generals came into
Chanta’s chamber and walked up to him and knelt, not out of respect but because he
had to or he would die.
“Well?”
“No news, Your Lordship, we think they may be dead.” A force shot out from
Chanta, which grabbed the general by the ankle and lifted him up. The general was
being swung around upside down around the room. Chanta turned on the visiscreens
around the city to show what would be done to failures like the general.
“Do I look like a fool to you? Do you think you can lie to me, TO ME!?”
“No… no, Your Greatness, it was just a feeling I had.” The general was being
swung from side to side of the room.
“You’re not here to have feelings! You’re here to do exactly what I command,
but if you’re incapable of that, you are useless to me!”
The general came towards Chanta, still hanging by what appeared to be
nothing. He dangled the general one inch from his own face and whispered: “Are
you?”
The general hesitated, not knowing what to say. Chanta just stared at him
awaiting his answer. The general didn’t dare disagree with Chanta, so he stammered
the answer: “N N No, My Lordship.”
Chanta held up his hand to the general’s face and with that, the general went
soaring towards the double doors that were not open. He slammed into the doors and
went hurtling through them, leaving a trail of blood.
He sat on his throne, smiling at the death he had just caused. He then flicked
off the visisceens around the city, and his facial expression altered from smiling to a
gaunt, disturbed, angry one instead.
Radar was the first one out. He shook himself down and then helped out
Fredas and Jedda. The pain had now left Jedda’s legs but they were still numb. Fredas
was still unconscious.
Radar opened his small pack. “Here, take this, it will remove the sensation of
numbness in about half an hour.”
It was a green bitter fluid, which tasted revolting. Radar then took out a yellow
tablet and popped it into a beaker and added one drop of water; with a blink of an eye
the tablet turned into a beaker of water. He proceeded to help Fredas drink the water.
“He has been beaten bad, yes?”
“Yes,” said Jedda as he looked at Fredas. “We need to reach the forest for
cover and find a hubli to take us to Willdamor.”
“What about my army and the spell? Surely we will need them to fight
Chanta; without them we stand no chance.”
13
“Perhaps we do stand a chance without them. But for now, there is nothing we
can do. Perhaps Fredas will know how to break the spell when his health improves.”
“How is he doing? We must move soon.”
“He will be ok.” Radar knew that Jedda was coming up with a plan and that
only time would reveal it. For now, he must be patient.
“How are your legs?”
“Much better, they just feel rather heavy now. You’re a good friend, Radar, to
risk coming here; not many would do such a thing.”
“For you and Fredas, I would do anything.”
“I know you would and I likewise, my friend. Hopefully this trouble will be
behind us soon.”
Jedda nodded at Radar and started the long walk to the forest. Radar helped
Fredas up and walked with him, saying nothing along the way, for he knew that Jedda
needed time to think without distraction.
14
Chapter four
In a hurry
Chanta was on the move to Willdamor. He knew that Jedda would be there
waiting for him to make a move, especially now that there was no such thing as peace
or peace talks. Chanta was very weary and knew that word had spread throughout the
rest of the kingdoms. Therefore, an ambush could be on the horizon. Chanta was not
afraid of an ambush causing him any pain or death, for he was too powerful for that,
or so he thought. He was more concerned about causing a scene and attracting
attention. He wanted to gather his troops and assemble them without anyone knowing,
to bring about a complete and utter surprise attack. He was planning on walking
through Willdamor, crushing everything in his way, hoping that the destruction would
bring Jedda to his knees, causing him to beg for mercy.
He travelled on a hoverpad the size of the room he’d killed the general in. It
floated a few feet off of the ground. At the front was a forcefield that destroyed
anything that touched it by turning it immediately into ash. The forcefield was the
width of the hoverpad and it left a snaking trail of grey-black ash. Soldiers walked
behind the hoverpad, covered with ash themselves. Ash fell from the large trees; in
fact, it continually rained ash. The top of the hoverpad was covered by a simple
forcefield, which functioned to keep the traveller clean; it was basically just an
invisible umbrella.
Chanta paced the hoverpad longing for the Sphere, unaware of the damage it
would do to him. Power had crazed him. More power, that was all he wanted, just like
his leader Reas. But he could not see the dangers. The thought of being all-powerful
blocked every rational thought he had. Even the death of Reas did not deter him. He
was on a deadly, evil, self-satisfying quest of his own making and he would not stop.
Jedda and Radar reached the forest. They needed to find a hubli and fast, for
transport to Willdamor. They split up and searched for an hour. Hubli were not hard to
spot. They were extremely large, powerful, muscular animals with long limbs. Their
hands and feet were similarly long and narrow. When they sat, they assumed a
human-type position, being seated on their bottom. When they stood, they stood on all
fours like a horse. Their arms were long, so their backs were straight, making them
easy to ride. Their heads were long and very round at the back, with two dragging
ears. Their skin was dark green and rough to the touch. By nature they were
characteristically very lethargic and lazy, which made them easy to break and train.
An unsuspecting hubli was going to provide the transport back to Willdamor.
Radar froze when he spotted the hubli. It looked a good size, not too old and
quite fit, well… as fit as a hubli could get anyway. Radar called to Jedda with a loud
broken-up grunt that Jedda would recognise. Jedda got to Radar as quickly as his
heavy legs would allow, then they both stood there and watched the hubli.
“So who’s going to jump on and break him?” asked Jedda, knowing all the
time it was going to be him anyway. He never liked to just volunteer; there might
always be another fool. Only this time he knew that Radar was no mug.
Jedda and Radar looked at each other. Then they looked back at the hubli.
“I’m too big,” replied Radar, still looking at the hubli.
“My legs are too heavy,” said Jedda.
They turned and looked at each other again, then glanced back at the hubli.
Radar put down his arm and gave Jedda a gentle push towards the hubli.
“Well, here goes nothing,” said Jedda, “enjoy the show.”
15
He crept towards the hubli, which was still sitting there eating leaves. As
Jedda came closer, the hubli spotted him and stood on all four feet, inspecting Jedda
as he gently strolled toward it. The hubli simply watched; it didn’t want to run
because it might not be necessary. Jedda approached the side of the hubli slowly and
then very quickly grabbed the hubli’s ear, which was hanging down by its side. The
hubli swung his head from side to side, in an attempt to throw off the intruder, but
with no success. It then began to run around, dragging Jedda alongside. Radar could
hear Jedda making the noise one would make when humming on a bumpy ride. Radar
chuckled to himself; this really was quite a show!
Jedda knew that he had to get on the hubli’s back and just sit it out until the
hubli wore itself out. The hubli swung its head again and at that precise moment Jedda
jumped with all his might, landing on the hubli’s back on his stomach with a grunt
winding him. Radar also felt the pain and grunted at the same time.
“Rather Jedda than me,” he said, under his breath.
It wasn’t long before the hubli was out of breath and becoming controllable.
Jedda pulled on the left ear, and eventually the creature went left and vice versa. They
steered the hubli back to where they had left Fredas and stared to load up. They made
Fredas as comfortable as possible and commenced the journey to Willdamor. Fredas
and Jedda rode on the back of the hubli whilst Radar walked alongside.
Chapter five
Caught out
16
Chanta had reached his destination: Willdamor. He leapt off the hoverpad,
striding straight in to his personal vaultstation, where he was going to dish out his
orders. The vaultstation was a blue, electrical, translucent covering for generals and
himself only, which functioned as protective covering from almost everything. Chanta
had his throne brought in and he sat down looking at his generals.
“Is the city completely surrounded?”
“Yes, your Lordship.”
“Good, good. Then, at my command, we attack, sparing nothing. This will
bring Jedda to his knees, begging for mercy! Ah, at last the Sphere shall be with me,
we will be one… and I shall rule all Four Kingdoms, with no interference from Jedda
and those pathetic beings he calls friends!”
Chanta gave the order to raise the visiscreens. With that, four huge visiscreens
rose up around the city. These were located in such a way to ensure that they were
clearly visible to the city’s entire population. Chanta knew that Jedda was somewhere;
he had a faint feeling that he was observing events. Chanta’s face appeared on the
visiscreen for all to see and he started his address: “Species of Willdamor, I mean you
no harm. You are my friends. After all, our lands are neighbouring provinces. What
motive could I possibly have to inflict harm upon you?” The tone of Chanta’s voice
was sly and un-meaningful.
“Unfortunately you have something I require. If you donate this troublesome
article to me I will leave in peace, just as I have arrived. The ultimate decision is
yours, species of Willdamor.” Following this statement, in an intensely unpleasant
tone, Chanta announced, “Hand Jedda over to me and live. You have exactly one hour
to comply, do not let me down!” The visiscreens immediately went blank.
Chanta sat back in his large throne and started to count down. He turned to his
generals and said, “We attack in one hour, whether we have Jedda or not. These
pathetic, worthless beings do not deserve to live anyway!”
He smiled, leaned back and closed his eyes. The generals grinned, revelling in
the thought of the death and destruction to come. The hour could not pass quickly
enough for them.
Jedda, Fredas and Radar had seen the performance Chanta had just given on
the visiscreens from the outside of the city. Jedda could hear and feel Chanta calling,
enticing, drawing him by trying to weaken his mind. Fredas was now feeling in better
health after their four-day and four-night journey to Willdamor. Fredas looked at
Jedda with a face that said nothing.
“I may let you down, Fredas. What with the city surrounded and Radar’s army
under Chanta’s spell, I’m fast running out of alternative options. Rhinspar is too far
away to summon help, the only way is…” Jedda was going to say, “give myself up.”
But before Jedda could finish the sentence, Fredas finished it for him: “Is to let
Chanta’s army attack Willdamor.”
“I don’t think so, Fredas, I will not sacrifice all for myself, no way.”
“There is no one down there, Jedda, well, apart from Chanta and his army.”
Radar pressed Fredas for an explanation. “Speak to us Fredas, explain what you mean
by ‘no one there’.”
Fredas explained: “When we were travelling, I feared the worst. I knew
Chanta was travelling to Willdamor whilst we ourselves made that very same journey.
I am fully aware that Chanta also does not spare life for any reason. I, therefore,
17
contacted Roodoo, second to me in line of leadership. I apprised him of the situation,

informing him of the urgent need to evacuate the city.”
“Evacuate to where? They are surrounded by a hostile army of Garsians, with
no way out.”
Fredas pointed down with all six arms.
“No way out horizontally, but there is a way out vertically. We have five
secret underground tunnels. A direct result of the early underground rivers, which
have long flowed out via another route. An action plan was devised to use them as
escape tunnels if ever needed. They lead down for approximately one mile. At the end
on each tunnel we have a vaultstation that activates once inside, totally surrounding
and protecting our people. We have essential supplies to last for at least three years
down there.”
Jedda and Radar looked at each other in total amazement. Fredas surely was as
wise and intelligent as they had thought!
“Why didn’t you think of that, Jedda?” said Radar. Radar awaited a reply, but
all Jedda could do was run his hands through his hair whilst sighing with relief.
Jedda turned to Fredas and Radar. He put his arms around their shoulders and
said, “You know, guys, we have really got to work on our communication skills, don’t
you think?”
Fredas and Radar obviously didn’t understand Jedda’s joking comment; all
Radar said was: “What do we do next then?”
Jedda stood up, half smiling, saying, “I have a plan, and I hope it comes
together. Fredas, can you disguise this Jartaballs to look like the Sphere and double
the power in it to almost kill but not quite?”
“Why yes, of course I can,” Fredas took the Jartaballs and started to
camouflage it, his six arms and hands all engaged in the procedure.
“Where in Four Kingdoms did you get that?” asked Radar.
“I found it after we landed outside of the city, it was on the ground. It
obviously hadn’t been turned on properly before it was fired, so I figured it might
come in handy, and it certainly has.”
“You never cease to amaze me, Jedda, most would have left it behind.”
“Luck or fortune Radar, I don’t know,” replied Jedda, shrugging his shoulders.
Fredas held up the Jartaballs. “How’s that, not bad ah?”

“Excellent! Is the on/off switch nice and free? Our lives depend on it.”
“As free as a craele in water,” replied Fredas, very pleased with himself. He
threw the Jartaballs to Jedda.
“Nice, very nice. Ok, Radar, let’s go.”
Time was up. Chanta stood and gave a slow, satisfied nod to his generals. Five
of them marched over to the troops awaiting the go-ahead for battle. The five generals
then gave a simultaneous squeal. The troops began their advancement into Willdamor,
slowly vanishing into the city. The remaining fifteen stood around Chanta.
“Not yet!” said Jedda, “not yet! Wait for it! Give them a few minutes to
depart.”
Jedda and Radar were about fifty feet away from Chanta and his generals,
hiding in some trees. They looked nervous and worn-out. This did not deter them
from their mission or the completion of a victorious plan, but would it work?
18
Chanta could feel that Jedda was nearby, he believed his troops had probably
captured him and were going to bring him out at any moment. Chanta was now
becoming overly confident.
Jedda slapped Radar on the back in a friendly gesture. “Good luck, my friend,”
he whispered.
This was Radar’s queue to create a big distraction. “You too, Jedda. You’re
going to need it more than me.”
This did not comfort Jedda at all. He gulped hard, in an attempt to cover his
nervousness. Radar, without hesitation, shot out of the trees in the direction of the
vaultstation where Chanta and his generals were assembled. They were viewing a
visiscreen in order to assess the movement and progress of their troops’ invasion of
Willdamor. They could see on the visiscreen that the troops had come across not one
Rytan.
“Push on, push on!” yelled Chanta irritably. “The people must be hiding in the
centre of the city!” His facial skin beginning to tighten.
Radar stopped at the vaultstation and shouted into it, “I will give you Jedda if
you release my army and leave Kufa in peace!”
Chanta’s generals turned, drawing back the strings on their Jarapaults, ready to
release the Jartaballs.
“Fire on me and I tell you nothing!”
Chanta, meanwhile, was still watching the visiscreen. “Lower your
Jarapaults.” And he turned slowly to face Radar. “So, Radar, you would betray your
friend?”
“For my Kufas, yes. Do you not agree?” There was silence for a moment.
Jedda looked out from the trees and urged, “Come on, come on!”
Chanta smiled and said to Radar. “Hand me Jedda and your Kufas are free.”
Radar gave a deafening roar: “You lie!” This took even Chanta by surprise.
Radar span around towards the woods and ran, ducking and diving as the
Jartaballs flew past him; he was a very nifty mover. Chanta screamed at his generals
to retrieve Radar. The vaultstation was turned off and all fifteen generals ran out into
the wood to find Radar.
Jedda knew that the generals would be searching for a long time. He was sure
that they wouldn’t want to return empty-handed to face Chanta.
Meanwhile, Chanta’s attention returned to the visiscreen. So, with the
vaultstation still out of operation, Jedda began his tactical move. Chanta’s throne was
facing the visiscreen from the opposite side of the vaultstation. Chanta still observed
the visiscreen in disbelief, as the Garsian’s found no one.
“There must be someone there. An entire city cannot simply vanish. Look
again! Look again! He is here, I know it, I can feel it.”
Jedda had reached his place. The right place to confront Chanta. “I am closer
than you imagine or sense.”
Chanta swung round rather fast. In fact, so rapidly he almost tripped and fell.
He hissed, seething with hatred. There was Jedda, seated in his own throne, his legs
crossed, facing the visiscreen.
“You will find no one in Willdamor, you’re wasting your time, Chanta.”
“Where have they gone?”
19
“I could tell you, but I choose not to.”

Chanta’s face was so tight from being outsmarted that Jedda thought his skin
would tear, and what an awful mess that would make over Chanta’s beautiful, not to
mention expensive cloak!
“No matter, I have you now, don’t I? My long-lost prize.”
“I thought that this was your long lost prize, hmm confusing….” Jedda held
aloft the Sphere that wasn’t. Chanta’s eyes practically popped out of his head! He
looked at the Sphere with a new-found longing. An overwhelming desire seized him,
he almost drooled.
“This is what you want, isn’t it? This small, insignificant, unattractive little
ball?”
Chanta snapped back: “It is not insignificant – you narrow-mindedly just
choose to make it that way! Hiding it for years like it means nothing. It needs to be
used to its full potential, by someone who can appreciate its beauty and power. This is
not a toy, to be played with like your father did. Making it your legacy, along with
some pathetic, trivial little magic tricks. This is something that needs to be honed and
perfected BY ME, now pass it to me before I kill you, which incidentally I might do
anyway!”
“Does the name Reas mean anything to you, Chanta?”
“Reas was a fool. He did not know how to harness the power like I do. Now I
will tell you only one more time, give it to me!”
“Well if you want it you can have it!”
Jedda tossed the disguised Jartaballs in the air towards Chanta, and at the same
time released the switch. The disguise that Fredas had made for it stopped the
Jartaballs glowing green; it just looked like the Sphere was flying towards Chanta,
almost in slow motion. Chanta held up his hand and seized the ball. A swirl of blue
electricity curled around him. He squealed in pain as his legs numbed and the power
of the Jasont winded him and shocked him. Chanta’s legs crumpled from under him
and he fell to the floor, hissing as he descended. His eyes transfixed on Jedda with a
glazed-over look. Chanta and his spells were broken.
Jedda stood and walked to the outside of the vaultstation. The vaultstation re-
powered, turning back on, surrounding Chanta with a translucent blue field. Chanta
dragged his way slowly, with painful movements, to the controls of the vaultstation
and tried to turn it off but unsuccessfully. Fredas now had control of the vaultstation
from the outside and there was no way it was going to be turned off. Not for a very
long time anyway.
Jedda walked up to the vaultstation that Chanta was in he hit the button on the
outside to place the visiscreens into operation around the city. He announced that
Chanta was now prisoner to himself and that the Kufas were on their way to take
control of the Garsian city. Jedda knew that the Garsian’s would disperse and flee
back to Garsia now they had no leader. They would await another tyrant to rear his
head and take control.
But he didn’t want to think about that right now or maybe never.
Jedda looked back at Chanta; he lay there on the floor, looking helpless. Jedda
walked to the edge of the vaultstation and squatted down looking at Chanta and
whispered, “All with a little magic, passed down from my father.”
Jedda heard a voice “It worked then.”
20
Jedda turned around to see Radar facing him, with five of the fifteen generals
bound and gagged. He smiled and thought for a moment about the power of Radar.
“Release them, Radar, it is over. Well for now anyway.”
Radar looked rather disappointed but did not argue and carried out the
requested.
Time passed by and normality in the Four Kingdoms returned. The Sphere
remained hidden. Chanta was kept as a captive in Willdamor. He was moved from the
vaultstation to a more secure spot and remains there to this day. I often visited
Willdamor to look at Chanta, ever hopeful to see a change, but it saddens me to say he
remains as malicious as ever.
Jedda sat with Fredas one day, talking about nothing much, when all out of
nowhere he said the strangest thing: “If your memories haunt you, there is a way you
can leave the Four Kingdoms and go to another place, unknown to most of us.”
Jedda looked at Fredas with surprise. “Fredas, how could one possibly leave
the Four Kingdoms, come on!”
Fredas stood. “Follow.”
Jedda found himself standing and following Fredas to a place in the forest
where it was dark and misty. Fredas could hear a humming in the distance. His heart
rate quickened, Jedda was intrigued as he followed. When they finally reached their
destination Jedda looked on in amazement. He had never seen anything like it before
in the Four Kingdoms. All the colours he could ever imagine were swishing around
before his very eyes.
“What is it?” asked Jedda.
“It’s a door.”
“It’s a very fancy door, but to where?”
“No idea. We threw in that Sisscott (a sisscott is a small animal known in
Willdamor) and his hologram just remains there. He looks happy though.”
“How long has it been there, the Sisscott?”
“About a year now.”
“Fredas, how do you know that this is a door? If it is indeed a door, how do
you know I would be safe if I went through it?”
“I know things and of this I am sure: it will bring you happiness.”
Jedda sighed. He stood and pondered: “What about Rhinspar? I can’t just
leave them; they need a leader.”
“Radar and I will take care of Rhinspar like they are our own. Don’t worry.
Anyway, I feel you will find what you need through that door.”
Ok said Jedda “I may be mad, but let’s do it!”
Later that day, with Radar and Fredas there to say goodbye and watch, I,
Jedda, stepped through that door.
Part 2
Chapter Six
21
Getting back to no good
“And here I am, I have been here about ten years now. That’s exactly what
happened and it now appears that Radar has found a way to contact me through
Eithen.”
All three of them, Mum, Eithen and Demi sat there in the car motionless, their
mouths hanging wide open. Pops awaited a response.
“Well?” he said, as they sat there and stared at him.
Eventually Mum said something: “Well, you’ve finally gone bonkers, how on
earth do you expect us to believe a story like that!”
“I believe Pops,” said Eithen.
“You be quiet, you’re not feeling well.”
“Actually, I feel fine. Look, Mum these dreams weren’t dreams, if you know
what I mean.”
Demi piped up: “I don’t know what you mean…”
Eithen gave a tut, and then gave her a look that told her to shut up. “I was
there. These dreams… well, they were real. I don’t know how to explain it, but they
were definitely real.”
“This is absurd, how can they be real, how can this story be real?” Replied
Mum
“I can prove it,” said Pops.
“How?”
“Well, we will have to go home. I’ve got something to show you all.”
“Great, two hours wasted, and now you want to show us something; this can’t
be happening!” Mum mumbled
Pops started the car, turned round and started the two-hour journey home.
Silence ruled the car, all the way home. Each of them was lost in their own thoughts.
Mum just kept thinking that her husband had finally flipped. Eithen was anxious and
wanted to know what Pops was going to show them, and Demi was thinking about a
dress she had seen in New Look store a couple of days ago. Pops was concerned about
Radar and the Four Kingdoms. He knew that he must return as soon as possible.
The car pulled up outside the house and the four doors flew open. Mum went
to the boot to get her cases.
“Leave that,” said Pops, “we have more important things to do.”
Mum just rolled her eyes and played along with what she considered to be her
deluded husband’s game.
Eithen stayed close to Pops as they all followed him upstairs into the main
bedroom. Pops firmly closed the door. He motioned towards the hook on the door.
“Well, there is the proof that I am not mad and that this is all real. There it is.”
“I don’t believe this. I’m calling the doctor yet again!”
“No, wait Mum, I think I might know what it is. There is something there. It’s
invisible, no one can see it or feel apart from the one carrying it, or the one or thing
which is struck by it. It’s the inviblade!” Eithen turned and looked at Pops. Pops stood
there smiling back.
“You’ve got it Eithen, you’ve got it!” Pops walked over to the hook, took the
inviblade and strapped it to Eithen’s leg. It looked as if he were miming the whole
thing!
“Try it,” said Pops.
“Wow, it’s heavy.” Eithen could now see it. There it was, strapped to his leg.
Eithen took the inviblade out of its sheaf and waved it around a few times.
22
“Woo, careful,” said Pops. He took one of Mum’s shoes and held it in front of
him. “Ok Eithen, cut the shoe in half.”
Eithen lined up the shoe, raised his arms, and before you could say
“inviblade”, the shoe was in half, and lay on the floor.
Pops picked up the shoe, walked over to Mum and, handing her the two
halves, knelt down in front of her and held her hand.
“I must return to the Four Kingdoms, they’re in trouble, Radar needs me.”
Mum looked at the shoe in disbelief.
“That was one of my favourites, you know.”
Pops smiled, in a sort of sorry way.
She sat and thought for a minute, then looked up at him. “Well, Jedda, if you
go, we go with you,” she said in a stern voice expecting an argument.
There was no argument.
“Good, I was hoping you would say that. I want to show you my home city.”
“Are we all in agreement then?” said Pops.
“Absolutely,” replied Eithen, still waving the inviblade around.
“What’s the fashion like there?” questioned Demi.
“Oh it’s-it’s great, you’ll love it!”
“Ok then,” she said, now smiling in approval.
“There is just one minor problem though: we may have to get wet. Who likes
scuba diving?”
They all stared at Pops like he was a complete nut case.
“I will explain on the way, come on! Oh, and Eithen, I’ll take that inviblade
now,” said Pops.
Pops turned off the engine of the boat after lowering the anchor. He walked to
the back of the boat and scouted around for his identification marks.
“Yep, this is the exact spot. This is where I first arrived ten years ago, I just
hope the door is still there. Let’s get rigged up.”
They all put on their scuba gear and then sat at the edge of the boat.
“Ok, on three we all go in together. Don’t forget we must all hold hands before
we enter the door, otherwise you could end up anywhere.”
Mum was nervous. “How do you know we will end up back in the Four
Kingdoms?”
“It’s a two-way door. The door sent me here and the only other place I can go
is back to the Four Kingdoms. However when you first use the door you could be
thrown anywhere. That is why you must hold on to me. It has to send me back to the
four kingdoms as that is where my hologram is. If you are attached to me you have to
go with me.
When you enter into the door your hologram will remain in the door, so the
only place you’ll be permitted to go when you leave the Four Kingdoms is back here.
That’s the theory anyway. Ok, ready one, two, three…”
Hang on said Mum “theory”?
“Trust me” said Pops “it’s a good theory”
Ok, ready one, two, three…”
They all disappeared under the water. Pops gave the order to follow him and
they swam. The water was deep, cold and murky in the lake. They had to swim deep
to locate what they were looking for, but there it was, all the colours still swirling
around, only this time underwater. Some fish had swum into the door; they had
disappeared, gone to another place, and the only trace remaining was their hologram.
23
Pops turned around and looked at them. They all looked so nervous, and who
wouldn’t? He put his thumbs up then took Eithen’s hand on one side and Demi’s on
the other. Mum held Eithen and Demi’s other hands too, forming a circle. Slowly they
kicked their way into the circle. Pops was the final one in, and as soon as he was
completely in they stopped moving and became holograms.
24
Chapter seven
The other side
Pops was the first out of the door. He stepped out and turned around. He
looked back into the multi-coloured door. The hologram he had left there twelve years
ago had now gone. His hologram was now on the other side of the door, back at the
lake along with Mum, Eithen and Demi’s. Pops looked impressed. He also felt
different, and he looked down at his clothes. He was astounded that he now was
wearing the same clothes he was wearing when he left twelve years ago. Plus, he was
now the same age he was twelve years ago. In fact, he appeared to be exactly the same
physically as he had been all those years ago, when he left Fredas and Radar.
He looked up to see Mum come through the door accompanied by Demi and
Eithen. They were looking at him in a funny kind of way.
Mum walked up to Pops and smiled. “Wow, I kind of like the new you, I think
I’ll start calling you Jedda from now on it’s like having a new man!” with a twinkle in
her eye.
“This is exactly how I was when I left the Four Kingdoms ten years ago!
Obviously, the image you leave in the doorway is the image you will return to. Kind
of nice, I do feel fitter you know.” Pops, who felt like Jedda again, flexed his normal-
sized muscles as he smiled.
“Hmm…” Mum looked up and down at Jedda.
“Come on, you’re beginning to embarrass me now, Jade” (this was Mum’s
name). Jedda turned to Eithen and Demi. They just stood there staring. Jedda didn’t
bother saying anything apart from: “Come on, let’s find Fredas and introduce you.
He’ll be thrilled to meet you all.” With that, Jedda turned and started to walk towards
Willdamor. He shouted to them “come on” They looked at each other and slowly
started to follow, nervously.
As they approached Willdamor, the woods thinned, until they came to an
opening. Jedda froze in shock, and his eyes watered slightly from the sight that lay
before him. Billows of smoke rose from the smouldering remains; the whole place
had been torched and raised to the ground. Jade, Eithen and Demi stood behind Jedda
not quite knowing what to say. They felt the pain that Jedda was feeling and they too
were clinging to the same hope as Jedda, which was that Fredas was still alive. Jedda
started to run.
“Wait!” shouted Jade.
Jedda turned around, still running.
“I must see if Fredas is still alive.” He turned and kept running until he
vanished into the smoke.
Bodies lay amongst the charred debris; it sickened Jedda to the stomach. He
sprinted on until he found the home of Fredas. The once small, oval tube-shaped stone
house had been demolished along with the rest.
“What happened here?” he said out loud. “What happened?”
Then Jedda remembered the underground tunnels and vaultstations, which
Fredas had spoken about and later had shown him. He ran to one of the tunnel
entrances. It was open, the metal front melted, contorted and burnt. Jedda entered,
running down to the vaultstation, hoping desperately that some of the Rytans had
made it to safety. But there were none there, none of them had made it. And if they
had, they probably wouldn’t have survived, for the vaultstation controls were
25
wrecked, smashed and melted. He swung around, in order to take in the full extent of
the devastation. He then ran back outside, skidding to a halt. A terrorising thought
entered his mind, although he already really knew the answer. Jedda ran to the
reinforced vaultstation that held Chanta. He stood there searching for Chanta’s
remains. His thoughts were confirmed.
“Chanta is free, Fredas dead? Radar is being held captive in the red cells of
Garsia. Only a few survived this atrocity in Willdamor,” said a voice from behind
Jedda. It was Roodoo, second-in-command to Fredas. Jedda dropped to his knees in
despondency.
“I should have killed him while I had the opportunity,” he stared upwards,
“why didn’t I kill him?”
“Because you didn’t know Jedda, it’s not your fault,” said Jade. She walked to
Jedda, bent down and put her arm around his frame. “It’s not your fault.”
Jedda looked her in the eyes. “I should not have brought you, it’s too
dangerous, you and the children must leave immediately.”
“I haven’t seen your home city yet, so I’m not going anywhere!”
“If I still have a home city.”
Roodoo said some more. “Rhinspar is untouched. All the people have gone
into hiding somewhere in the mountains.”
“You can change things, Jedda. We can change things, you’ve won before,
and you can win again.” Jade looked him in the eye as she told him.
Jedda took a big, long sigh and turned to Roodoo.
“It’s good to see you, old friend… let’s get out of here”
Roodoo and Jade looked at each other and smiled. They knew it wouldn’t be
easy, but they both wanted to give Chanta a run for his money.
They all walked back to the forest to meet back up with Eithen and Demi.
Jedda hugged them both on arrival. He then viewed the landscape and pointed.
“That’s where we are heading, over there to find Kuska and the Sphere. It’s a
long walk, so let’s get cracking.”
“Walk?” said Demi. “Aren’t there any floaty, moving thingy’s to ride on?”
“Not in Willdamor,” replied Jedda.
Roodoo thought for a moment. “There may be something, follow me.”
They all followed Roodoo to the place where Chanta had last been captured
over twelve years ago. It brought memories flooding back for Jedda.
“Look,” Roodoo was gesturing to the old hoverpad Chanta had used the last
time he came to Willdamor. It was covered with moss, leaves and twigs.
Jedda jumped on and turned on the power. It hummed and blinked for a
second or two and then died out.
“Come on…” Jedda turned off the forcefield on the front and top to direct
some power into the hoverpad base. He tried again. It turned on and hummed like a
beauty.
“All aboard then.”
They all jumped on and Jedda moved the controls. Up it went. It hovered. He
then took the control stick and pushed it forward and they were moving.
Roodoo took the controls and Jedda went and sat with his family. “I’m pleased
you’re here,” he said.
“We are pleased to be here too, Pops,” said Eithen.
They all sat together, quietly watching as the scenery passed by.
26
Chapter Eight
Not a very nice eye
Dajara stood next to it, staring at it, admiring it.

“You’re so clever, Master.” Said Dajara “Who but you could have thought of
such a thing?”
Chanta revelled in the glory and praise from his right hand man, not wanting it
to stop.
“Yes, only someone with my power and knowledge could envisage such a
thing.” He looked across at Dajara from his new throne. “Not even you, Dajara, could
think of such a thing. That’s why I am the supreme leader and you’re my assistant.”
His voice turned malicious and threatening. “Isn’t that right, Dajara?”
“Oh yes, My Lord, I am not worthy.” He gazed at Chanta’s fist and smiled in
an assistant kind of way.
Chanta clenched his fist tighter than it already was, enjoying the sensation that
he received from it. He rose and strolled over to a small visiscreen that was linked to
something.
Chanta hissed as he spoke “Thanks to Fredas, who I knew would serve a
useful purpose, we now know everything that Jedda does.”
“And possibly a little more, Master?”
Chanta smiled, looking at the visiscreen, and then said in a very abrupt voice,
“Let me see it again.”
“Oh yes, Master, let’s!” Dajara fiddled with some controls and an electrical
current started to flow from each corner of the brain, which hovered in the middle of
four poles. The electrical current went from the brain and struck each pole. The poles
were connected to the visiscreen, which showed the life of Fredas, everything he had
achieved throughout his life and everything he knew. Chanta walked over to the brain
and held his clenched fist over it.
“It was so nice of Fredas to donate his brain. He is such a generous Rytan.”
Chanta laughed.
Dajara looked at him and started to laugh with him; the laughing seemed to
echo through the city, echoing more and more as it carried itself in the thick stale air.
The hoverpad finally reached its destination. It was quiet, too quiet. Jade,
Eithen and Demi awoke when Roodoo turned off the hoverpad, it sank to the floor.
Jedda was already at the cave entrance, looking in curiously. Something was wrong;
normally Kuska would be there to meet and welcome visitors. This time, however, the
atmosphere was quiet and untrusting. Jade, Demi and Eithen remained on board the
hoverpad while Roodoo went and stood beside Jedda.
“Something wrong, Jedda?”
“Hmm… Kuska would usually be here welcoming me by now. Inviting me in
for a drink of furrock juice and home-made tana juice.”
Jedda decided to shout into the cave before entering. “Kuska, Kuska, its
Jedda!”
There was no reply, no noise, no sounds of any kind. Something was
dreadfully wrong.
Jedda shouted “Hello!” into the cave in Furrock language in the hope that this
would work and that maybe any furrock would answer the call. “Courier, courier!”
27
Nothing.
Jedda looked disappointed that Kuska was not here to meet him. He had
missed his big-handed, big-footed old friend.
Jedda suspected that something was wrong and was reluctant to enter the cave.
But at the same time, something was drawing him to go in.
“I have to go in and find something, Roodoo.”
“I will come with you.”
“No, no, you stay here and watch Jade, Demi and Eithen. Give me twenty
minutes. I’ll be Ok, There’s just something I must check.” Jedda turned and walked
into the cave.
Jade looked worried and stood up. She was just about to go to the cave when
Eithen tugged her clothes and whispered to her. “Don’t worry, Mum, he has just gone
to see if the Sphere is still safe; remember, this is where it was hidden.”
“Yes, oh yes, it’s just that it feels as though… oh, it doesn’t matter.” Jade sat
back down and kept her eyes fixed on the cave entrance.
Time passed, which seemed like an eternity.
Jedda walked slowly into the cave. The flame lights were on; this surely
indicated that someone must be around. Jedda continued, venturing down to Kuska’s
living quarters. Jedda was surprised to see someone had definitely been living here,
and it must have been a furrock – there was furrock food on the carved ledges in the
rock. The centre fire was still burning. Jedda continued to scout around. The two big
wooden doors leading to other rooms were shut. He could see light shining from
behind the door on the right; he edged towards it. He stood close to the door, ready to
open it. He looked down and took a breath.
He stopped. He fell to his knees, touching the floor with his fingers. Furrock
blood! Jedda rubbed it between his fingers; he knew it was furrock blood because it
was much lighter in colour than human blood. He stood up and could see that the
blood trail went towards and under the closed door.
Jedda stood at the side of the door and flung it open. He then turned and faced
into the room. This was a furrock bathing room, with a simple small underground
stream running through it, with some carved seats made from rock situated next to the
stream. The blood trail led to the stream. Jedda took a step forward.
Then Jedda found himself falling backwards with shock. Kuska dropped from
the top of the room, which must have been thirty feet high, and landed directly in
front of him. He was roaring and snarling in a territorial way. He beat his chest with
his large hands and did not stop roaring or beating.
Jedda’s heart was racing, and he backed away into the main living quarters
and watched for a second or two. He had never seen Kuska like this before. He saw
the blood dripping from Kuska’s arm. The gouge was deep. He was covered in cuts
and grazes where his velvet fur had been torn off. He also had ring marks around his
ankles; the wounds were severe. He had obviously been hung upside down and
possibly tortured.
Jedda stood and put his arms out in front of him with his hands up in
surrender.
“It’s all right, Kuska, it’s me, Jedda.”
The noise continued from Kuska.
“Kuska, it’s me, Jedda, your friend, you remember, we drank tana juice
together, Kuska and Jedda… remember?”
Kuska snarled, showing all his teeth.
28
Jedda backed off a little further, not knowing what Kuska might do in his
present condition. He would try something else. He knew that he was the only one to
speak Furrock. Kuska had taught him when they were both young. It was a dying
language, even amongst the furrock species; most of them spoke the universal
language of the Four Kingdoms now. But Kuska enjoyed the old language, taking
pride in his heritage, and tried to keep it alive.
Jedda struggled but attempted to speak in the Furrock tongue, mixed with a bit
of the Four Kingdoms.
“Courier, its Niasver, seejaser?” (Hello, its Jedda, remember?)
Kuska stopped beating his chest and roaring but still snarled, bearing his teeth.
“Seejaser, the, the bagrue digee Kuska?” (Remember the good times, Kuska?)
Jedda took a couple of steps towards Kuska as he calmed down a little. It was
coming back to Kuska now. Yes, he could remember Jedda. The Furrock language
had helped Kuska remember. Kuska spoke something.
“Niasver ticeeroa.”
“Yes, that’s right, Jedda is Kuska’s friend. You are hurt, may I see?” replied
Jedda.
“Jedda is friend of Kuska, yes.” Kuska dropped to his knees, then onto his side
on the floor, with not an ounce of energy left in him. He was afraid and battered.
Jedda ran straight to him and held Kuska’s head, stroking his fur.
“I have help, Kuska, it’s alright now. I have help.”
Jedda had forgotten all about the Sphere. His main concern right now was
finding Kuska some medicine and getting him back into condition. He made Kuska as
comfortable as he could by putting blankets under his head.
“I will be back in a moment Kuska, hang in there, buddy.”
Jedda ran as fast as he could back through the cave and outside. He burst out
into the open and shouted: “I need medicine and bandages fast!”
Roodoo threw Jedda his two side pouches and said, “Let’s go.”
They all followed through the cave back to Kuska. Jedda knelt down next to
Kuska and patted his chest and lifted his hand.
“This may sting a bit, Kuska, so hold on. Eithen, fetch some water, it’s
through the other door. Demi, bring me a flame light.”
Jedda did this to distract them from the gruesome wounds.
“Ok, Roodoo, do your thing.”
Roodoo opened the side packs, retrieved a blue bottle and then opened it. The
smell was strong and sickening; Jade turned her head in disgust at the smell. Roodoo
poured the liquid out of the bottle onto Kuska’s deep wounds. The liquid was bright
green and it appeared to be smoking. It fell onto the wounds, beginning to hiss and
bubble; it looked foul, a mixture of bright green, and furrock blood bubbled away on
Kuska. Kuska felt the pain and squeezed Jedda’s hand. Kuska’s large hand was losing
Jedda’s hand and crushing it in the same instance. Jedda winced at the pressure but
hung in there all the same.
Three days passed and Kuska was now feeling like his old self. The wounds
were almost gone, just leaving patches where they once were. They all sat down to a
meal that Jade and Jedda had prepared using Kuska’s kitchen and food. It wasn’t quite
what they were used to: cooking on rock and no plates because furrock ate out of their
large hands. Their food was largely composed of huge insects and colourful plants.
But they made the best of it all the same. They carried their own food over, sat with
the others and began their meal; surprisingly, it did taste pretty good!
29
Kuska looked up at them as if preparing to speak. Until now he had said very
little. None of them had pushed him into talking; they had just waited until he was
ready, and now it appeared like it was going to be the time.
30
Chapter Nine
A small prison
Glowing red bars all around, the noise of jumping electricity from bar to bar,
cramped and smelly, not much light. Radar sat there looking desperate for freedom.
He hoped that Jedda had received the message through Eithen. Radar had seen his
friend Fredas killed in cold blood, totally defenceless, in Chanta’s chambers and it
angered him when he thought about Chanta’s brutality. He tried not to, but with great
difficulty. Radar sat there quietly; all you could hear was the purr of his throat and the
sound of electricity.
The cell door swung open. Chanta entered, his cloak flying behind him as he
strode. Chanta walked over to Radar and stared through the red beams. Radar just sat
and looked at the floor.
“Will you not stand in the presence of your ruler?”
Radar didn’t reply.
“Awww… you need to be free, hmm… a big animal like you, in such a small
cage…. hmm. It’s almost as if you were bait. But bait for what? Could it be your
friend Jedda? Could you be Jedda’s downfall? He is back in the Four Kingdoms as I
speak. In fact, he is probably thinking of how he can save your sorry, smelly, self
right now. I have some spies observing him. I saw his return through the door, with
his precious family. I watched him go to the furrock’s cave and I will watch him
leave, all thanks to your friend Fredas… well, his brain anyway!”
Radar could take no more of this torment; he jumped to his feet, reached
through the red bars and went to grab Chanta around the throat. Chanta stood back as
Radar missed him. Radar touched the red electric bars, which sent current surging
through his body. Radar yelped in agony and fell back down to the floor gasping for
air. Yet Radar had enough in him to speak. “This time you will die; if not by Jedda’s
hand, then by mine.”
Chanta laughed and so did his guards. “How can you threaten me? From
where I’m standing, the only thing you could kill is yourself!” Chanta bent down to
Radar’s level. “I am too wise and powerful to be killed.”
He held open his hand so that Radar could see what was in it. Radar saw the
Sphere and the pleasure that it gave Chanta.
“If Jedda or I do not kill you, then the Sphere undoubtedly will. You’re so full
of greed, just as Reas was. I can foresee the same fate.”
Chanta didn’t like to talk about Reas or his death. He saw it as only weakness.
He became angry. He held out his hand towards and through the red bars. The
electricity running through Chanta with no effect. He lifted Radar by his throat to his
knees, but without even making contact with his body. Radar gasped for air as Chanta
forced him to kneel.
“You will kneel to me one day without my help Radar, without being forced.
Even if it’s just to beg for your friends’ lives.”
Chanta stood up and turned to walk out. The door slammed behind them,
leaving Radar in the same position, on his knees and unable to move, as if he were
frozen, to contemplate his future.
Kuska began to talk. “Thank you for helping me, all of you, it means to me a
great deal. You are my true friends and that makes me happy to know. Chanta did this
to me. Somehow he knew that the Sphere was here.”
Jedda looked up with an expression of horror on his face.
31
“Was here, did you say was here? Chanta has the Sphere, this gets worse by
the second!” Jedda stood up and paced around.
“Let Kuska speak and don’t be so rude, Jedda!” Jade said as she glanced him a
very stern look. She could see the hurt on Kuska’s face and the embarrassment of
having to disclose that the Sphere had been forcibly removed, after all he had
promised to keep it safe.
Jedda sat back down, smiling at Kuska. “It’s not your fault Kuska. You did
what you could, I know that. It’s my fault for putting you in this position, I’m sorry.”
Jade looked back at Kuska; she could see that Kuska had more to tell. She
helped him along, smiling at him while patting his foot. “What’s wrong, Kuska? You
look afraid.”
“Chanta does have the Sphere and he did know its whereabouts somehow. It’s
almost as if someone had told him. He was so confident. Even after they had beaten
me, I had still not told him where it was. Nevertheless, he walked away from me and
went straight to the Sphere without even searching! They then left me for dead. I fear
now, that things may get very bad for you all because of this. But I am here to help
you. Where you go, I will go too. Who you fight, I too will fight, until we have back
what is ours.”
Kuska finished his sentence and looked down at his food; he remained as
faithful and loyal as ever, which made Jedda smile. “You did good, Kuska. You are so
trustworthy and a good friend.” Jedda looked at the small gathering; they all looked
worried and scared, so he had to keep their spirits up somehow. “We must get the
Sphere back from Chanta. It is also important that we find Radar as quickly as
possible, while he is still alive. We must into Garsia, unnoticed and unseen. Has
anyone any suggestions?”
Jedda looked on, awaiting response. They all sat there with raised eyebrows,
trying to formulate options, but they really didn’t have a clue.
Jedda smiled and began to nod. “Trade Day, of course, that’s the answer!”
Kuska and Roodoo also nodded, while Jade, Demi and Eithen looked puzzled.
“What’s Trade Day?” enquired Jade.
“Because the Garsian’s turned so evil and became motivated by greed, they
destroyed everything along the way, with the exception, naturally, of themselves!
Basically, there is nothing in Garsia to eat or drink and what remains is toxic poison.
So, once a week out of necessity they have a Trade Day. Five gates are opened. This
allows entry by rogue traders, who travel in from the other kingdoms to sell food and
drink, and sometimes slaves. These rogue traders originate from one of the kingdoms,
but no longer live there; instead, they live in the mountains. They are rough and ready.
It is illegal to sell like this, but these traders are willing to take the risk. Trade may
take place anywhere in the city, commonly occurring within the five walls or the main
courtyards. All we need is some disguises, to ensure we are not recognised.”
Jedda sat there, thinking and mumbling to himself, “Disguises… where we can
get disguises from? Think, think!”
Roodoo sat forward, ready to speak. “I have two hologram-cloaking devices,
they would work.”
The hologram-cloaking device was a small item that clipped to a belt. When
activated, it would cloak the individual with an image of their choice. It could cloak
you into a table, fruit, or even a Kufa, anything that was contained in the program.
“Brilliant,” said Jedda. “Kuska, you go in as a rogue trader, wanting to sell
slaves. I’ll be cloaked as a small young Kufa and Roodoo as a Rhinsparian, perfect!
We will work our way into the main courtyard, then enter inside. Once inside we must
32
find our way down to the red cells. I believe that’s where Radar will be and then…
well, then we face Chanta. But we’ll worry about that at the time.”
“Worry about that at the time” remarked Jade in a condescending way. Jedda
ignored her.
Jedda was pleased with his plan and was fully aware that he had neglected to
mention Jade, Demi or Eithen. He was waiting for Jade to comment on the fact that
she didn’t have a part to play and it didn’t take long.
“Well, that’s all very well, Jedda, but what are we supposed to do in the
meantime?”
“Nothing,” was Jedda’s reply.
“Oh, no, no way am I going to sit here worried sick about you guys. Not
knowing even if you’re going to return. No way. The kids stay, here I come!”
Both Eithen and Demi looked shocked at the thought of staying in this strange
place alone but thought it was probably better than facing Chanta. They looked at
each other and agreed that it was fine by them. They would prefer it if their Mum
went along, instead of looking worried and acting all weird while waiting for news of
any kind.
It was agreed then, that the four of them, Jedda, Jade, Roodoo and Kuska
would leave in the morning and begin the journey to Garsia, entering the city on
Trade Day.
33
Chapter Ten
Team work
“I hate Jartaballs, once bitten twice shy most definitely.”

Roodoo and Kuska put down their inzooms and looked at Jedda. Inzooms
were like binoculars but more technical and powerful.
“Yep, that’s the spot where they got Fredas and me. Geeez that brings back
painful memories. Lots of guards down there guys, it’s going to be tough.”
“Guys and Gal,” replied Jade as she took Jedda’s inzooms rather abruptly.
Why are all the people living down there, outside the city walls? There’s hundreds of
them.”
Jedda turned away from the city and looked into the forest. “That’s them.
Those are the rogue traders; it’s taken them days to get here. The first ones to arrive
get the best trading spots, so they travel early and camp outside, sometimes for weeks.
There they stay until the gates open, which could be any day.”
Jade looked surprised. “Any day? Isn’t it the same day every week?”
“No. It’s whichever day the Garsians choose. They like to make the traders
suffer, by keeping them waiting. It’s a game to the Garsians, even though they’re
doing the buying and depend upon them.”
“Why don’t the traders leave?”
Jedda smiled. “It’s all big money down there. One plate of food could cost a
Garsian a week’s wage. They have even been known to kill over a cabbage! Even the
trader will kill sometimes, just to secure the best spot. But that’s Garsia for you.”
Jade looked through the inzooms, amazed at the hustle and bustle of bodies, all
waiting for their moment.
“Shouldn’t we go down and mingle?”
“They do not like newcomers. It would be too risky and attract unwanted
attention. We stay here until the gates open and then make our move.”
Kuska stood up and stretched. “I’m hungry, anyone want some food? There’s
a kcras nest in the woods.”
They all looked at Kuska with horror. The thought of eating kcras was not
very appetising, even though they were all pretty hungry. Kuska walked off in search
of his kcras while the others just sat there quietly, contemplating their move into
Garsia. They knew that it would not be easy by any means, but it was something that
must be done.
Roodoo fiddled with the hologram-cloaking device, flicking through the
programs. As he did so, he kept changing from Rytan, to human, to a plate of beans
on a table, to a hubli. It was quite entertaining to watch. Roodoo was very quiet; he
wasn’t used to making decisions, or all this mayhem. That was generally Fredas’s job.
Roodoo missed Fredas. He had learned a lot from him and had hoped to learn so much
more, but now he was on his own, just himself and a handful of Rytans that had
survived. He turned off the hologram device and stared at the floor for a second and
then spoke: “I miss Fredas dreadfully.” He looked at Jedda for some comforting
words.
Jedda was drawing marks in the soil with a stick. He looked up and sighed. He
didn’t know quite how to respond, so he simply nodded to Roodoo in agreement and
smiled sadly.
Jade sat there pondering the mission ahead.
34
“How can we possibly defeat Chanta if he has the Sphere? Obviously he is

wiser and more powerful, plus, he has guards and weapons. What I mean is, has this
mission got any sort of hope, or is it just plain suicide?”
“There is always hope. Look at me: I was left for dead, but I am alive. I was
alone, but my friends came and found me. There is always hope, otherwise life would
end.” replied Kuska.
Jade swung around and saw that Kuska had returned with his arms full of
kcras. He snapped off the stings and into his mouth they went. “Mmmm. Anyone
want one?”
“If that’s all there is to eat, there definitely isn’t any hope!” said Jade as she
wrenched at the thought of eating one.
Kuska smiled as kcras juice ran down the side of his mouth. Roodoo and Jedda
chuckled, and for a while they all forgot about the problems that lay ahead.
35
Chapter Eleven
Playing it dirty
Dajara marched down the cave, following the path of the flame lights. His face
was evidently full of discontent, jealousy and anger. He saw how Chanta revelled in
the possession of the Sphere and how his knowledge and strength grew daily. Dajara
wanted a piece of the Sphere, just to hold it for a few moments, just to feel the power
flowing out, enabling him to become as strong as Chanta. His temper was short and
his mind was becoming twisted. One of the guards stepped too close to him and, with
a short sharp sweep of his hand, the guard was put out of action permanently. The
guard fell into a heap on the floor, ignored by Dajara and the other guards as they
continued on their way; not so much as a blink of an eyelid was given. Dajara was
plotting. The growth on his head was increasing in size, a sign of leadership. The
thought pleased him greatly. Becoming the ruler of Garsia would be enough for now;
the other kingdoms would follow in time. But how to impede and incapacitate Chanta
without his knowledge was the question on Dajara’s mind. Chanta could read Dajara’s
mind at close quarters, so he had to exercise extreme caution.
Dajara put his thoughts behind him, for the moment anyway, and started
concentrating on his duties ahead. His pace picked up, for his prizes awaited him.
Eithen lay on the stone table in the main room of Kuska’s home, staring up
towards the ceiling. He was watching a very large spider, which appeared to have
been crossed with a scorpion, climbing on the ceiling. Demi was cleaning and tiding
things away. She didn’t know whether she was supposed to, but she thought it looked
a lot better.
“You could help me, Eithen. I’m sure Kuska will like the cleanliness,” Demi
stopped and looked at him, awaiting a response.
“I wish Kuska had a PlayStation,” was all Eithen said.
“You’re hopeless. Life isn’t just about fantasy and games you know!”
“I’m hopeless… at least I don’t waste my life cleaning everything. There is
more to life than that, you know, not everything has to sparkle and be in its right
place!”
Demi stood there looking beyond Eithen, she pointed towards the door, which
was now open. She tried to speak but nothing came out.
“Anyway, I don’t see the point in…. stop pointing at me… you look very pale,
Demi, are you…” Eithen slowly turned around.
There at the entrance stood Dajara with his guards, looking in at both of them.
Eithen jumped off the table and ran over to Demi, his heart pounding. He grabbed the
nearest object, waving it in the air. “You… you, stay back or else!”
“Hmmm, a feisty little fellow, just like your father! I am not here to hurt you,
I’m here to invite you to meet a friend of mine.” Dajara winced when he said the word
“friend”. But it had to be done. “He is very much wanting to meet you. He has heard
so much about you and feels it right that you and he are properly introduced.”
“You stay back, Chanta. We know who you are. You’re sick, that’s what you
are… now get out or I will shout for Jedda and Kuska!”
Dajara looked flattered, at being mistakenly called Chanta. He laughed out
loud, making Eithen and Demi jump.
36
“I am not Chanta, but I do serve him – for now at least” Dajara walked over to
both of them in an unbelievably fast movement, almost as if he were gliding, and took
Eithen’s weapon.
“I do not think anyone is here apart from us. And it’s interesting to know that
Kuska is still alive. But we must ask ourselves for how long… hmmm. Now you two
come with me and cause me no trouble, and I won’t have to put you in sacks and carry
you.” Dajara’s voice changed into a very threatening one. “Will I –”
Eithen and Demi stood right under Dajara. He was extremely tall, at least nine
feet tall, and gaunt. He did have some hair, unlike Chanta, but it was wispy and thin,
his skin looked almost dirty and his clothes looked old but shiny. Demi and Eithen
knew that they had no choice but to go with Dajara and they would rather go on their
own two feet than be hurtled into some old sack and carried. Before they could agree
to anything Dajara had already said,” Good, let’s go then, shall we?”
Dajara swung round and started his march back to the hoverpad and left his
guards to escort Eithen and Demi. They walked through the cave back up to the
entrance, passing the dead guard along the way until they reached the hoverpad.
Dajara got on, along with Eithen and Demi. The hoverpad rose up and they started on
their way to Garsia, the guards following behind. Demi and Eithen sat next to each
other holding hands. All they could do was hope that Jedda, Jade, Kuska and Roodoo
were well on their way in dealing with Chanta. Hopefully this would be over soon.
There was a loud banging and clanging and then a winding and grinding. |The
first gate was being opened. All the traders were packing and getting ready to enter
the city. Jade felt a knot in her stomach. Her nerves were certainly kicking in now.
She looked at Jedda. He seemed so calm and together; surely he was nervous too, but
she could see no sign of it. They all stood up and looked at each other.
“Well, this is it, guys. The moment has arrived. Roodoo, turn on the hologram-
cloaking devices, and let’s move.”
Roodoo flicked on the holograms, set them to the correct programs, and
clipped Jedda’s on his belt. The hologram covered Jedda and turned him into a young
Kufa.
Roodoo set his hologram cloaking device and he became a Rhinsparian. The
holograms flickered for a few seconds and Jedda and Roodoo kept appearing and
disappearing until the hologram-cloaking devices had warmed up a little.
“So how do we look then?” Jedda smiled although it was his Kufa hologram
that really smiled. Every move Jedda and Roodoo made, the hologram made to cover
them; they were a very clever gadget made by the Rytans.
“You look like a Kufa,” said Kuska.
“And I actually think it’s an improvement,” replied Jade.
“Ok, Kuska lead the way, make it look good now.”
Kuska led the way down the black dusty slope. The air turned thick and sour
as they made their way to the city. As they walked they could hear the rest of the gates
open one at a time until at last they were all open. The traders started their pushing
and shoving, trying to make their way to the courtyard and the best spot for trade. A
couple of fights had already broken out. A Kufa and Rhinsparian were fighting; the
Kufa picked up the Rhinsparian and threw him up the city wall. The Kufa took the
Rhinsparian’s trading materials and walked inside, with not a care.
The crowds had now thinned as Kuska and rest of them approached the city’s
first gate. They entered through, looking left and right down the alleys between the
37
walls where traders were settling in and beginning their selling. There were doors in
the walls, homes of the Garsians. They made it past the second and third gate while
being stared at by the Garsian guards. Jedda, Roodoo and Jade were all looking down
as they approach the fourth gate. There were three guards ahead and they were
whispering something. Kuska approached, looking very innocent.
“Halt. Who are you, and why are you here?” said one of the guards as the
other two surrounded them, looking up and down at them.
“I am Furrock with slaves for sale, new today. First time I sell, and make good
money.” He smiled and at the same time tugged very hard on the chains that held
Jedda, Roodoo and Jade together. Kuska had tugged so hard that Jade fell face down
in the dirt. The guards were amused at this and the fact that Kuska had no respect for
the slaves. Jade stood up, still looking to the floor. One of the guards walked up to
her, put his hands on her chin and lifted her face.
“I like the look of you, perhaps I’ll buy you right now. Release her. How much
do you want?” the guard looked at Kuska, still holding Jade’s chin. The guard’s
breath stank and she was doing all she could not to be sick.
Panic struck Kuska as he thought of what to do this was all new to him.
“Well… err… now, you know the rules – she must go up for bidding. The
highest bidder takes her home… you know that.”
Kuska raised his eyebrows at the guard and hoped he had said the right thing.
The guard looked back at Jade with a look of disgust and let go of her chin.
“Perhaps I’ll see you later then.” The guard turned and waved them on.
“Your bid will be most welcome,” said Kuska as he gave another tug on the
chains.
“Most welcome.”
Jedda and Roodoo looked at each other with relief at the way Kuska had
handled the situation. Jedda whispered to Kuska: “How did you know about the
bidding, Kuska?”
“I didn’t; it was a lucky guess.” He yanked the chains again. “Be quiet, slave,
and come on.” He said as they passed the final gate.
They all looked around, trying to see where the main courtyard was. It was
quite a way across the other side. They could hear that the bidding had already started.
Jedda looked up. At the back of the courtyard were the main towers of the city. Jedda
had been before and he knew that was where Chanta would be: in the Kingdom’s
leadership palace. He also knew that the red cells were directly below. At the bottom
of the palace there were five doors, the middle one being the largest. Jedda had to
choose one of the four remaining doors and hope that it was the right one to take them
down to Radar. Kuska led the way through the crowds; they were all being knocked
and pushed as they went, and quite often along the way Jade would be stared at. The
slaves sold here were never that good-looking, so she was attracting quite a bit of
attention. Finally they made it to the doors. They hung around for a while, looking
inconspicuous, weighing up the doors, which were now behind them.
“Which door?” said Roodoo.
“We will find out in a minute or two,” Jedda replied, looking out for some
kind of trouble to brew. And it didn’t take long either: this time it was between a
Garsian and a Rytan arguing over the price of vegetables of some sort. The arguing
turned into shouting and the shouting turned into punching.
While the commotion was happening Kuska removed the chains from all three
of them very carefully so not to be seen.
38
The Garsian was now on top of the Rytan and about to give the final punch.
There was a loud whooshing noise and a big flash. The dust cleared. The Rytan
pushed the dead Garsian off of himself and stood up holding what looked like a home-
made weapon of some sort. He quickly threw it down and started to run. He made it
about fifty feet when he was grabbed by a Garsian guard. The Rytan struggled
because he knew what was coming. Another six guards came, arrested the Rytan and
tied his six hands.
“No weapons allowed in Garsia, you know the rules,” said one of the guards.
“He was going to kill me, are you listening to me, he was going to kill me, I
am innocent, I tell you. Let me go!” The Rytan was screaming now at the guards,
pleading with them, begging them to let him go, he would do anything to be released,
anything than become a victim of the Garsians.
“You must answer to our leader, he will decide what to do with you, until then
it’s the red cells.”
“No, please! No, NO!”
The Garsians carried the Rytan towards the four doors. Jedda was watching;
this was the moment. The Garsian guards carried the Rytan past the four of them.
They stopped to unlock one of the doors and disappeared inside.
“Guess that’s the door then,” said Roodoo.
“Yep, that’s the one all right.” Jedda walked over to the door and stood in
front of the latch. He tried the door to see if they had locked it; it opened and Jedda
slid inside. Jade followed and then Roodoo, leaving Kuska outside.
Kuska whispered inside to Roodoo: “Give me a hologram-cloaking device. I
will stay at the door and stop any more Garsians coming in while you get to Radar.”
“Give him mine.” Jedda took off his cloaking device and turned back to
looking his usual self again.
“Nice of you to join us,” said Jade with a smile.
“The pleasures all mine,” replied Jedda. “Follow me.”
Kuska turned on the hologram-cloaking device and turned into a Garsian
guard, rather a large Garsian guard at that. He stood in front of the door, refusing
entry to anyone, telling them that the red cells were now full and to take prisoners to
the in-built wall cells. No one argued with Kuska. Probably because he was the largest
Garsian guard there.
Jedda, Jade and Roodoo followed the steps downward. It was very dark and
the smell was worse than the Garsian’s breath. They came to the end of the steps and
faced a wooden door with bars in it. They could hear some Garsians the other side, at
least two. They could also see the red glow from the red cells.
“Ok, we need a distraction. Jade… go and talk to them.”
“What, are you insane? They’re disgusting. No way!”
“Look, just distract them, you’ll be safe, I personally guarantee that. Just make
them face the other way so I can shoot them.”
“Shoot them, what with your finger?”
Even Roodoo looked surprised at Jedda because they had come into the city
with nothing. Jedda took out a gun.
“Nice hey. I don’t know what it does, but I’m sure I’ll find out.”
“Where in Garsia did you get that?” said Jade.
“I swiped it off one of the guards as he walked by; he didn’t even know.”
Jade was impressed with Jedda: he sure was a dark horse and she wondered
how many more tricks he had up his sleeve. Roodoo looked at Jedda and nodded
towards the door. The Garsians were heading their way and fast. Before Jade could do
39
or say anything, Jedda pushed her into the door so that it opened a bit. She now had
no choice but to go through and distract the guards. One guard took out his Jartaballs
and the other a stun gun. Jade almost fainted at the sight of them but just managed to
keep it together.
“Hello… boys.”
She slid along the wall towards them. The two guards lowered their weapons
and looked at each other, then back at Jade. She continued sliding looking attractive
and desirable until she passed them and they had turned around.
“I have a surprise for you both.”
The guards smiled and started to walk towards her. She stepped back and said
it again, this time a bit louder and more forceful: “I HAVE A SURPRISE FOR
YOU.”
Jedda knocked the gun in his hand a time or two and then looked at Jade to see
how she was doing.
“She’s in trouble, Jedda, you need to shoot now.”
“I know, I know it’s this Garsian junk, it won’t work.”
“Jedda, you’d better think of something, right now.”
One of the Garsians was reaching out to Jade. He was just about to grab her
when Roodoo burst through the door. He stood there, amazed that he had done such a
thing. The two guards swung around and raised their weapons.
“Surprise,” said Roodoo with a wobble in his voice. He closed his eyes
waiting for something to happen. Jedda jumped to his feet and fired two shots. Two
red circles flew through the air towards the Garsians and before they knew it, the red
circles had wrapped around their faces and stunned them. They tumbled to the floor in
a heap.
“Hmm, well, that didn’t quite go to plan, but it worked.” Jedda looked at the
stun gun he was carrying, then put it in his trousers, still with raised eyebrows.
Roodoo and Jade still had not moved as Jedda walked up to the two Garsians
and took their weapons. He walked up to Roodoo and gave him the Jartaballs, and
then he walked to Jade, grabbed her hand and thrust the stun gun into it.
“Guaranteed,” he said. And then walked off rather quickly.
Roodoo walked up to Jade, patted her on the shoulder with one of his six
hands and then continued to follow Jedda.
The cells were full of Rytans, Rhinsparians and Garsians. Some of them had
been in there for a very long time by the look of the growth of hair. The red cells’
glow was bright. Jedda ran down the corridor, whispering out Radar’s name as he
went.
“Radar, Radar, are you here, Radar?”
Jedda ran to the last red cell and looked in. There was Radar, still kneeling,
just the way Chanta had left him.
“Radar, are you all right… hold on.”
Jedda took out his gun and shot at the red cell to try and break the electrical
current. Sparks flew. It didn’t work. He ran over to the controls, which were glowing,
in different colours. Jedda knew it was coded in a colour order but to stand here and
try all the different options would take forever. He took out his inviblade and thrust it
into the controls. For a second or two you could see the inviblade as the electricity
made it flicker. The red cell beams faded and the humming noise stopped. Jedda stood
in front of Radar, face almost to face even though Radar was kneeling.
“Can you get up?” asked Jedda. Radar shook his head very slightly. “Chanta
has put a hex on me and frozen me in this position.”
40
“Not anymore, my friend. As Jedda had his hand on Radar he broke the hex
put on by Chanta. “You are now officially free from that position.”
Jedda had broken Chanta’s curse. Radar started to move even though he was
very stiff. Very slowly he stood. He stretched his aching limbs and then turned to
Jedda. He thrust his arms around Jedda and hugged him. “I knew you would come…
look, about Fredas…”
“I know about Fredas, and that Chanta has the Sphere. And I know that Chanta
must be stopped. And we will stop him, guaranteed.” Jedda looked at Jade.
Radar hugged Jedda again. Jade and Roodoo walked up to Jedda.
“Radar, you know Roodoo. But you do not know this lady here. This Radar is
my brave wife Jade.”
Jedda took Jade’s hand and introduced them both.
“I have heard much about you Radar. And I’m am very pleased to finally meet
you, although maybe not under these conditions.” Jade said to Radar.
Radar smiled and then hugged Jade as well.
“Likewise, Jade.”
“Well guys, I hate to break all this up, but we have to move. Chanta now
knows I’m here; as soon as I broke his spell, Chanta knew, He has a lot of power and
that power also works on sensing.
Let’s make our way back to Kuska.”
“Kuska is here too?” asked Radar.
“Oh yeah, we have a small army, come on, let’s go.”
They all ran back down the corridor and started up the stairs. Radar was a little
slow but he kept moving. They reached the door that Kuska had been guarding.
Jedda pushed it open slightly and whispered: “Kuska, is it clear to come out?”
He waited for a second or two and then asked again: “Kuska, is it clear?”
41
Chapter Twelve
Bait
Eithen and Demi sat in Chanta’s palace, looking around at the grim décor.
Dajara had delivered them in one piece to Chanta and Chanta was extremely pleased
with his two little prizes. Chanta sat on his throne looking at them. He knew that it
was only a matter of time before he would come face to face with Jedda once again.
This time, favour would be on Chanta’s side, or so he thought. He sat there
remembering the humiliation that Jedda had caused him the last time they met. He
remembered being held prisoner in that vaultstation for so long and having to look out
at those pathetic Rytans. His time of victory was soon to become reality. He stood to
his feet with an abrupt movement. Chanta’s leathery clothes making a sudden
movement and noise, which made Demi and Eithen jump. Chanta could feel their
nervousness and was enjoying showing off his power to them both.
“Your father is a fool to come here,” he whispered to them without opening
his mouth. Eithen and Demi looked at each other.
“Tell me, why is your father so foolish?” Chanta looked at them both and
laughed.
“Our father is braver than you will ever be, you just use people to do your
dirty work for you, you’re vile.”
Demi kicked Eithen; she didn’t want him to make Chanta angry, she was
already frightened enough.
“Well, let me tell you something, young Eithen: I will soon be doing my own
dirty work as soon as your father arrives. Then you can decide for yourselves which
one of us is the strongest and most powerful.”
Chanta still had his fist clenched tight, and Eithen had noticed; he knew that
Chanta was holding the Sphere and that it was making him more powerful by the day,
but he was unable to do anything.
“That’s right, young Eithen, the Sphere is all mine,” Chanta whispered into
Eithen’s mind as he turned and walked over to the brain of Fredas, which was covered
with a silk-like material.
Chanta waited patiently. He knew he was in control at this very moment and
that it was only a matter of time before he would eradicate Jedda and maybe his
family too. He continued to stare at the brain of Fredas, just waiting for the arrival of
Jedda.
Chanta was also very concerned with Dajara; he knew that Dajara’s desire for
the Sphere was strong and getting stronger, that Dajara would do anything to get his
hands on it. Just like Chanta did. Dajara had now become too much of a threat to
Chanta, and Chanta had also noticed the growth getting bigger on Dajara’s head. Once
Dajara delivered Jedda his usefulness would be complete. “Yes, yes. Complete.”
Demi and Eithen watched Chanta talking to himself, they could see the evil in
him being released constantly. They wished for their father to be there and take them
out of this evil place.
Jedda turned back and faced Roodoo.

“Something is not right, Kuska is not answering – and listen.”
They listened for a moment, all of them, but there was no noise.
“What are we listening for?” asked Roodoo.
42
“There is no noise out there, no hustle and bustle, no talking, and no fighting.
Nothing, something is wrong.”
Jedda pushed the door open a little and took out the stun gun.
“Yes, Jedda please do come out, and bring all of your friends with you. We
have you surrounded, there is no escape.” Dajara stood outside with at least a hundred
men. Jedda looked back at Roodoo annoyed that he had been out smarted.
“What do we do now?” said Radar softly.
“Run back that way, perhaps we can make it back to the other exit.”
They were just about to turn and run when they heard footsteps coming in the other
direction. At least twenty guards were heading towards them from the direction they
had come from.
“Looks like we will have to fight our way out then,” said Jade.
Jedda looked back at the door and shook his head. He threw his stun gun out of the
crack in the door.
“What are you doing? We still have a chance.” Jade looked at them all. “Don’t
we?” She waited for a response from at least one of them. Jedda took a step towards
her and put his hands on her shoulders. She looked at him with hope in her eyes.
“Chanta has Eithen and Demi.”
Jades face dropped and tears filled her eyes. “I thought you said they were
safe, how… how did you know they were here?”
“I sense things; I know is that Chanta has them, and Chanta has also told me”
Replied Jedda.
“Told you” said Jade. Jedda raised an eye brow and squeezed jades shoulders.
“Well we have to surrender, for now.”
Chanta had told Jedda by talking into Jedda’s mind: “Surrender and see your children,
or they die.”
That’s what Jedda had heard. He had no choice but to fall into Chanta’s
demands for now. He pushed the door open, the light blinding him for a second. He
then looked and saw the guards, with Dajara standing in front of them. The courtyard
had been cleared of traders. It was quiet.
Jedda looked surprised to see another figure instead of Chanta. He put two and
two together and could now see how Chanta had escaped the vaultstation in
Willdamor: he had an accomplice.
Jedda walked out, followed by Roodoo, Radar and finally Jade. The guards
came up the corridor and came out behind them, making them totally surrounded.
Jedda took a step forward. “So your Chanta’s little helper are you? You’re the
one who helped him escape and caused so much death in Willdamor. You must be
very pleased with yourself. But let me guess: you’re only doing it so you can
eventually get your hands on the Sphere too?”
“Now, now Jedda, please save some of that anger for Chanta, I’m sure he will
want to see you in distress.”
“He will kill you, all he will do is use you, and kill you. Just like all the others
before him. Can you not see that?”
“You talk nonsense.” Replied Dajara.
Dajara raised his hand and gave the command to bring them. Kuska was
pushed towards them until he had joined them. And then they started to walk under
duress.
It was quiet; no one spoke as they walked through the courtyard and into the
palace. Dajara led the way, almost gliding as he walked. They walked past some
43
statues of Reas the old ruler and then past some statues of Chanta. The palace
corridors were cold and dull and filled with the noise of footsteps from all the feet
marching towards Chanta’s chamber. They eventually reached the chamber. The
doors flew open and in they walked. Dajara first, followed by Jedda, Jade, Radar,
Roodoo and Kuska.
“I have what you asked for, Master.”

Jade spotted Eithen and Demi and ran straight to them, throwing her arms
around them.
“Are you both all right, has he hurt you at all?”
“No, we’re both fine, we’re glad you’re here though.”
Jade stayed with Demi and Eithen.
Dajara threw Jedda in front of Chanta. Chanta turned away from the covered
brain of Fredas and faced Jedda. He was surprised that Jedda was still looking as
young as he was ten years ago. He didn’t realise that the image left in the Door was
the image you returned to.
“You look young and strong, Jedda.”
“You look old, ugly and very annoying, Chanta.”
Chanta smiled at Jedda and admired the way he answered. Fearlessly. “I have
been waiting for ten years for this very moment, Jedda. I have been dreaming of it,
playing it over and over in my mind. And now it’s a dream come true. And not are
you the only one here you also bring your friends as well to this lovely reunion.
Perhaps we should bring Fredas out to join in the fun as well.”
Jedda turned and looked at Radar, who looked back and shrugged his
shoulders.
“Fredas has been dying to meet you, Jedda. Now he might not say much, so be
prepared.”
Chanta walked back to the material covering Fredas’s brain and pulled it off,
revealing the brain to them all. There was shock as all of them gasped with disbelief.
Jedda was angered at this disgusting cruel act that Chanta had performed. Jedda
started to walk towards Chanta rather quickly when Chanta raised his hand. Jedda
walked straight into an invisible forcefield that Chanta had just placed there to stop
him in his tracks. Jedda banged into it and almost fell over.
“Fredas was so helpful. All that useful information tucked away in that head of
his. Thanks to him I know as much as you Jedda. I know about the door that you used
to leave the Four Kingdoms and return. I found out where you hid the Sphere. I know
the kingdoms’ weaknesses and strengths. I now know everything and more. Which
puts me in a very respectable position. And now the only two things stopping me from
moving forward are yourself and Dajara.”
Dajara looked at Chanta with distaste at the comment. He started to walk over
to Chanta.
Chanta continued “And these two remaining problems must be taken out of
the equation.”
Chanta looked directly at Dajara, who was still walking towards him to try and
kill him. Chanta raised his hand and something struck Dajara. It was Chanta using a
force to strike Dajara. Dajara flew across the room, sliding on his bottom with blood
racing down his face. Jade covered Demi and Eithen’s faces as Dajara stood up.
Another blow hit him on the face again. Dajara staggered backwards into the wall.
44
Chanta stood with his hand still raised. Dajara began to choke, his face turning blue.
Chanta released him and he fell to the floor. As quick as that!
“You could never rule over me, Dajara, and you were a fool to even think so.
Your time has just run out.”
Chanta held his hand up again and picked Dajara up by the throat without
touching him. Chanta’s hand squeezed and at the same time so did the neck of Dajara
until it snapped. Dajara’s body went limp and lifeless and Chanta let go. The body
fell to the floor in a lifeless heap.
Jedda looked at Dajara and felt sorry for him. He then turned back to Chanta.
He knew that Chanta was holding the Sphere and that he had to get it away from
Chanta somehow.
“Let my family go, Chanta, it’s me you want, they have done nothing to you.”
“They may carry your powers, Jedda, especially that young Eithen; he looks
like trouble to me.”
Jade was wondering what powers Chanta was talking about; she had not seen
Jedda use any magical powers of any kind. That is because Jedda didn’t like to use
them. But this was a time of life and death; he would have to use some power now to
stop this maniac in his mission of destruction.
“You cannot keep the Sphere, Chanta, you know that.”
“Well, excuse me Jedda, but who is going to take it? You’re not going to be
here.”
Chanta looked at Jedda and, with flick of his hand, a shot of small single
flames came hurtling towards Jedda. Jedda did not move a muscle and just stood
there. The flames hit a force field and fell to the floor in front of him.
“Surely you can do better than that, Chanta. I’ve been performing that one
since I was a child,”
Chanta became a little angry and stood up. Roodoo, Radar and Kuska had now
moved well out of the way behind some pillars. Jedda was preparing for the worst. He
must get that Sphere away from Chanta somehow.
Chanta flicked his fist again and out came some thin blue streams of light.
They shot towards Jedda and span around him tightly, lifting him off the floor. Chanta
started to walk towards Jedda.
Roodoo fired his Jartaballs at Chanta to try and stop him – but Chanta just
stopped the little glowing green balls in mid-air and sent it back to Roodoo at twice
the speed. The Jartaballs hit Roodoo, numbed his legs and he fell to the floor, using
his six arms and hands to move.
Jedda couldn’t move; the blue streams of light had tightened even more,
almost preventing him from breathing. Chanta was laughing, thinking it was all too
easy. Jedda closed his eyes and took a very deep breath. The thin blue streams of light
exploded off of him and disintegrated into the air. Jedda fell hard to the floor,
breaking his arm. He ran over to Eithen and gave him something and whispered.
“You know what to do, Eithen.”
Jedda stood up ready to take the next bout.
“You cannot win Chanta, I will not let you win,” he winced in pain as his arm
dangled.
“You will die Jedda, you and your family.”
Chanta lifted his hand and threw a force of some kind into Jedda’s face,
knocking him to the floor. Jedda sat up and spat out the blood in his mouth. “Is that all
you have Chanta” Jedda stood up again ready to take the next piece of punishment.
45
Jedda knew exactly what he was doing. He was a distraction. He could fight
back but he wanted Chanta to think it was all too easy. To give a false sense of
security. It was working.
“The end is nigh Jedda.”
Chanta raised his hand and closed his eyes, ready to give Jedda the final blow,
when Eithen rose to his feet and ran towards Chanta. Jade tried to grab him, but he
was too quick. He ran to Chanta, carrying the inviblade that Jedda had passed to him a
few moments ago, Ethan swiped the inviblade across Chanta’s clenched fist.
Chanta squealed in the most high pitch voice ever heard, as his hand tumbled
to the floor. It was a clean cut. The hand hit the floor and opened, revealing the
Sphere, which rolled across the floor to Jedda. He looked at it for a moment and then
picked it up and held it tight. Jedda looked at Chanta, who had grabbed Eithen in the
mayhem. Chanta was distraught and the thought of not having the sphere was as
painful as no hand. Jade was screaming. Jedda stood up and held up the Sphere
between his finger and thumb.
“Give me the sphere,” demanded Chanta.
Meanwhile Radar had moved around the chambers and was now behind
Chanta. Jedda watched. Chanta screamed at Jedda with desperation: “I said, give it to
me!” He held Eithen out as a threat to Jedda.
Radar made a sudden move and grabbed Chanta’s chin from behind and, in
one smooth movement, spun his face around. The bones snapped from the pure
strength of Radar and Chanta’s neck was instantly broken. Chanta fell to his knees
with his hand still on Eithen. His hand then fell off Eithen as he fell face down on the
floor. It went quiet. What seemed like an eternity was over so quickly. It was over.
Radar looked down at Chanta. “I told you that Jedda or I would kill you,” he
said with no remorse. He then walked over to Jedda. “Are you all right?”
“I’ll survive. Thanks, buddy.”
“You’re welcome.” Radar walked to Kuska and they both walked out of the
main doors to sort out the guards and tell them that their leader was dead. Jedda
looked at Roodoo, who was propped up one of the pillars. Roodoo signalled that he
was ok and that Jedda should go to his family. He then walked over to Eithen and
knelt down in front of him. “That was a brave thing you did, Eithen; in fact, I do
believe you have some of my powers. Ethan smiled and replied. I knew I was
different somehow. Funny how we communicate without actually speaking”
Jedda smiled and said to Ethan “Best not tell your mother just yet though.”
Jedda took Eithen and hugged him with one arm. They both then walked over
to Jade and Demi. They all stood together and all hugged one another.
“It’s all over… it’s all over.”
“Pops, what about the Sphere?” said Demi.
“Well, I know exactly what I’m going to do with that, and I’ll show you
tomorrow.”
46
Chapter Thirteen
A new beginning
Jedda stood in front of the door, looking into it with mixed feelings. There it
was glowing and humming before his very eyes. Jade, Demi and Eithen stood behind
him, watching and waiting. Alongside were Radar, Kuska and Roodoo, waiting with
the same anticipation as the others. Jedda looked down into his hand: there it was. The
little thing that had caused so much trouble in the Four Kingdoms, the little thing that
held so much knowledge and power, somehow. A gift that turned out to be more
trouble than blessing. Perhaps that was why it was sent here to the Four Kingdoms.
Perhaps that was how the door got here. The king who had sent this sphere wanted to
get rid of it for the same reasons that Jedda did. Perhaps the king had opened this door
somehow as a means of travel. Jedda stood there and thought about what he was
going to do. If only he had done it sooner, then perhaps Fredas would be alive and
standing with him.
Jedda clenched his fist, raised his arm and threw the sphere into the door. As
soon as the sphere entered the coloured door, it turned into a hologram and froze,
floating in mid-air, along with the other holograms. There they were, the Sisscott,
which Fredas had thrown in, Jade, Demi and Eithen’s holograms floating alongside
the sphere.
Jedda turned around and faced his friends and family. “Not before time, hey?”
Jade smiled at Jedda in a way that said, “It’ll be all right now.” And she
walked to Jedda and gave him a hug.
“Well,” said Jedda, “all we have to do now is decide whether we stay in the
Four Kingdoms or whether we return to… to… our other home.”
Radar looked disappointed at the thought of Jedda and his new friends leaving.
He wanted them to stay so that he could get to know them better and have some fun
with them.
Jedda saw Radar’s face turn and felt guilty at the thought of leaving him.
“Well, we have been thinking about that, and even though our arrival here was a tad
more stressful than the hospital back home… well…”
Jade turned and looked at Demi and Eithen. “You tell him,” she said.
Demi and Eithen walked up to Jedda and looked at him. “Yeah, we have
decided that we like it here,” said Demi.
“Yeah, we like it here… and… we couldn’t possibly leave Radar, Kuska and
Roodoo here with all the mess to sort out,” argued Eithen with hopeful eyes.
Jade turned back to Jedda and fluttered her eyelids.
“What they are trying to say is… that we have decided to stay.”
Jedda frowned. “Oh you’ve decided to stay have you?” he said in an angry
voice. “Well, what about what I want, what about if I want to go back. Do I get no say
in this? Well this time I am going to have a say, it’s no good fluttering your eyelids at
me because…”
Jedda stopped and they all looked at him, expecting the worst. The silence
tormented them as they waited for his answer. “Because… I think… that is the best
news I have heard since I came back.” Jedda smiled and opened his free arm, his
broken arm still in a sling.
Jade, Demi and Eithen threw themselves into them and they all nearly fell over
with happiness. Jedda looked over his family’s heads at Radar, Kuska and Roodoo
and smiled they smiled back, giving their approval.
47
Time passed in the Four Kingdoms.

It had been hard work, but the fruit of their labour had been well worth it. The
people of Rhinspar had returned from the mountains. They had helped along with the
Kufas to rebuild Roodoo’s home city of Willdamor. It had taken a long time, but it
was worth the wait. There weren’t many Rytans left after the invasion of Chanta’s
army, but the population was growing slowly. A memorial had been placed in the
centre of the city to remember those that had been killed, with Fredas’s name at the
top. Roodoo was overjoyed with the progress and he was becoming a fine young
ruler, with all the qualities of Fredas shining through.
The Kufas remained underground, but they did come out and mix a lot more
often. They had very few problems, which had always been the case. Radar continued
to rule but was more often in Rhinspar at Jedda’s home playing and teaching the ways
of the Kufa to Eithen and Demi. They loved Radar to bits, sometimes spending more
time with him than with Jedda or Jade. Radar would take them into the woods for
days and show them things they had never seen. Radar was good for them, and Jedda
and Jade just let them be.
Garsia was a hard task, taking years of patience. Jedda set up a council in
Garsia from all the Four Kingdoms. Teaching programmes were put in place to teach
good ways and how they would be more beneficial than the evil ways they had known
for so long, which were first introduced by Reas. Plants were planted everywhere
around the city and in the city to try and clean the air. It worked eventually. The new
clean water was diverted by the Kufas to go to the Garsian City. Things were looking
up. The air was better, plants were beginning to flourish, and animals and creatures
were moving back to the surrounding area. The Garsian people began to turn from
hatred to kindness. And they started to look once more like their old selves. Their
tired, gaunt skins were now looking full and refreshed.
Jedda rarely entered the city of Garsia, even under invitation. Maybe he would
in time, when all the memories had faded. He oversaw all the plans from his home
place and was happy at that.
Kuska went home to his cave in the mountains. His fleshly scars and his
mental scars remained, but he did well to cover the pain of the mental scars. Jedda had
offered him a new home closer by, but Kuska was happy where he was. And while he
was still fit he would remain there. Jedda often paid him a visit; they sat drinking
homemade tana juice and spoke in as much Furrock language as Jedda could.
The Sphere remained as a hologram in the colourful door that led to who
knows where. Jedda often wondered where it had gone. He hoped that it was at the
bottom of an ocean somewhere, where nobody would find it. He didn’t want it to
cause the trouble it had caused him and the Four Kingdoms.
But who could possibly know, apart from the one who tells the story…
48
I have fought the good fight,

I have finished the race,
I have kept the faith.
The End.
49

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“What have you got to tell us then?”

He sat up in bed, looking pale and panicked.

“Yeah, who’s Radar?” said Demi.

Radar had to make a decision. He decided to leave Kufa, go to Garsia and

contacted Roodoo, second to me in line of leadership. I apprised him of the situation,

Fredas held up the Jartaballs. “How’s that, not bad ah?”

“I could tell you, but I choose not to.”

Jedda heard a voice “It worked then.”

Getting back to no good

Dajara stood next to it, staring at it, admiring it.

“I hate Jartaballs, once bitten twice shy most definitely.”

“How can we possibly defeat Chanta if he has the Sphere? Obviously he is

Jedda turned back and faced Roodoo.

“I have what you asked for, Master.”

Time passed in the Four Kingdoms.

I have fought the good fight,

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