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  “You’re late. That will cost you another breakfast voucher,” he had hissed at her across the table.

  “I couldn’t help it. I slipped on a ladder in the cave,” she had lied to him.

  That’s when she had relayed the rest of the day’s remarkable events through her open thoughts to him, secure in the knowledge that none of the other Tandroans near her were interested in accessing her mind ramblings.

  She had hoped Rinzal would wait for her after supper, so they could take the fruit and figs over to their elephants together, but he had made a quick exit from the table without waiting for her.

  Well your loss Rinzal! It’s not my fault I was taken to a different lagoon.

  She thought now, already wondering whether it had been a mistake to relay all the findings of her day with Jovil - and the secret lagoon.

  “You never learn!” she reprimanded herself, kicking some pebbles in her path as she walked, not caring that doing so caused bursts of dusty mist to obscure her vision.

  But the second she saw Namnum, in the far corner of the field, she hurried over to the food buckets. They were full to the brim with bananas and figs. Selecting the nearest one, she then ran at full speed towards her elephant.

  “I’m so glad to see you!” she called out to Namnum. The elephant shuddered as Tiegal neared her.

  “Oh, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you. It’s been quite a day. I have so much to tell you.” She buried her face into Namnum’s grey, rubbery skin, keen to inhale her comforting scent.

  “You know something. I think I should have been born an elephant… like you,” she whispered into Namnum’s giant ear, glancing over her shoulders to check that none of the other members of her group had heard her. They hadn’t. They were all were busy tending their own elephants.

  Namnum waved her trunk from side to side, a clear tell that she was getting impatient.

  “You must be ready for food hey!” Tiegal reached down to her bucket and rolled a fig in a pile of salt at the bottom before holding it out to her snout. Namnum didn’t hesitate, flicking it around in a circular motion so that she could cradle the fig securely on its journey towards her mouth. The morsel disappeared within seconds.

  Intuitively, Tiegal collected a couple of bananas and some bamboo from the bucket and quickly fed the hungry elephant some more nourishment.

  “So…I finally know why I’m so different. I’m full of too much energy!” She breathed out slowly. “And you know what Namnum? It feels good! Knowledge is power. At least now I can find some acceptance with who I am. And It’s reassuring that it’s not my fault too!”

  As if to justify her comment, she pinched both her thumb and index fingers together and blew out a gush of her pent-up breath in Namnum’s direction:

  “Now I can just breathe and accept!”

  The elephant reacted by pointing her ears forward.

  “Oh, I’m sorry Namnum! I’m supposed to be feeding you, not breathing over you like that!”

  Her smile quickly turned into a frown at the sight of Namnum’s tail, now standing out, erect: a clear sign of distress.

  “Hey, what are you afraid of?”

  As if on cue, the air became heavier and dank. Out of stillness came an unexpected breeze. It billowed her cotton trousers and lifted her dark hair above her ears, followed by a sudden rush of wind that surrounded her in a vortex of dust and carried with it a strong scent of eucalyptus and mint. The dust instantly filled her nostrils causing her to sneeze in five rapid convulsions.

  Before she had time to check for the source of this sudden elemental change, a rich, deep, female voice commanded her attention from behind her:

  “You are an abundance of energy Tiegal Eureka!”

  Tiegal froze at the sound of this unfamiliar voice, unsure whether to turn around to face it. There was something disarming about hearing her full name spoken from an uninvited source. It was also highly irritating. Feeding Namnum was her favourite moment of the day; her quiet, peaceful time, that had now been disrupted.

  “You do not need to fear me. Please, turn around. I think you will be pleasantly surprised,” the voice urged.

  Unable to prolong the inevitable, she gave Namnum a reassuring stroke on her cheek and then swivelled around on her heel in one determined move.

  “How do you know my name?” she demanded.

  Out of habit, she raised her right knee, ready to stamp it into the ground, but then quickly changed her mind, registering the features of the figure in front of her: a young female whose face suggested she was of a similar age, and one, who despite wearing the standard Tandroan uniform – thin, cotton jumpsuit off-set with a long flowing cape – had an entirely non-uniform face.

  “Your eyes? H…h…h…how are you flickering them like that?”

  The female responded with a broad, confident smile.

  “What do you find so surprising? I have the same eyes as you do, as all we all do.”

  Namnum let out a low-frequency rumble behind her, another indicator of distress. Tiegal reached her hand behind her and stroked the elephant’s back. Normally, she would have been furious with anyone who upset her favourite animal, but for some unfathomable reason, she could not stop staring at the eyes in front of her.

  “Yes, but your eye-light is magnificent! It’s like looking into a hall of mirrors! How are you doing that?”

  Namnum let out another rumble. The unusual, nervous sound sent shivers down Tiegal’s back, but still, she ignored the animals’ warning. Instead, she tiptoed towards the female, determined to get closer so she could see how she was achieving such a scintillating reflection from her pupils; her initial curiosity of how she knew her name already forgotten.

  “Wow!” Tiegal gasped, as her own eyes adapted to the brilliant light before her.

  “I have never seen this before. It’s almost like it’s leading you to a portal of infinity! That’s quite magical!” she enthused, wiping the sweaty palms of her hands down the side of her trousers. The light was beckoning her closer, drawing her in. The female leaned her upper body towards her, so that their faces were only a few inches apart.

  “That’s right Tiegal. But, what can you see when you look deep into my light?”

  A myriad of possible ideas passed through her mind as her own eyes adapted to the light.

  Who is she? Why does she feel so powerful? And what is this magical secret appearing from inside her light?

  As her eyes gained a clearer focus, an enchanting display of feathery threads of golden light dispersed from the mysterious female’s eyes.

  Fireworks!

  Tiegal thought, at first. But, then, as she watched more closely, she noticed how the golden fibres radiated from the centre of the light, and then curved in a sway, as though they hung from an animal of great strength, and power.

  “Oh, there it is!” She jumped backwards, unable to hide her excitement. “Wow! Your diamond light has a horse-tail inclusion inside it! I can see it clearly now.”

  The female moved her head up and down slowly, as though playing with time.

  “That’s right Tiegal. I knew you would see what others cannot. That, like you, I absorbed more magic during my creation. That I have hidden secrets inside me - as you do. Magic, and …dreams!” She hissed the last words out at her and then laughed.

  Tiegal shivered at the sound, unsure how to place this strange female’s laughter.

  “Who are you? What do you know about my dreams? I know I’m not good at hiding my deeper thoughts, but it’s rude to try and extract them from someone,” she protested, all at once aware of how vulnerable she was under the seduction of this powerful female.

  And yet, even as she launched her defence, a flurry of thoughts rushed to the forefront of her mind before she could hide them. They flashed through her in bursts:

  I dream about him all the time!

  But I’m always in this energy bubble that hovers over a river and I can never quite reach him…

  When I was
submerged in the lagoon, I saw him again…

  It was like a vision from the diamond light that glowed around me…

  And he was there in front of me… like magic!

  The female made a satisfied purring noise as her golden threads of eye-light dispersed, hypnotising Tiegal with their repetitive sway. A chanting, lulling voice, filled her head:

  Release it Tiegal! Release it! Release it!

  Really focus on what you feel. On what you want. How you long for his touch. Let your desires out. Release them Tiegal. That is what you are meant to do! It is your power, your magic.

  An eerie silence followed the mysterious female’s silent words, shortly accompanied by a gust of wind that surrounded Tiegal in another exclusive vortex. The whirlwind lasted no more than five seconds, but it was enough time to obscure her view and for the female to leave the elephant field before Tiegal could call her back.

  “Who are you?” she shouted out.

  Namnum released another rumble at the side of her.

  “I know, I know!” she acknowledged, returning to her elephant’s side once more.

  “You tried to warn me there was something powerful heading my way. The problem is though Namnum…I have no idea who she is. Or, why I feel we are connected in some way!”

  As Parador strode away from the swirl of dust, she popped a handful of fresh mint in her mouth, relieved that she had remembered to fill her pockets with this essential herb: the only one that could restore her senses to their optimum levels. Her nostrils felt as though they were on fire after being in such close proximity to that elephant. For, not only was the animal’s scent particularly abhorrent to her senses, just hearing the name “Namnum” had filled her mouth with a disgusting taste; one so abhorrent she couldn’t even identify it.

  Still, there were more pressing concerns she needed to deal with after that exchange.

  Tiegal is more of a threat than I feared. All this emotion inside of her! It carries great power! I could feel it manifesting. Damn that stupid lagoon master. He reunited her with the water where she was made …where WE were made… and now she is even more dangerous. The lagoon water has made her even stronger.

  As this dark thought entered her mind, it twisted its rage deep inside, conjuring bizarre images in her mind of a venomous snake that had crawled inside her and was now in battle with her internal organs.

  But she doesn’t have MY ability. Nothing could be more powerful than the control of a mind.

  A smile formed on her thick red lips at this more reassuring thought and the snake of rage calmed its attack on her insides. Her balance was already restored. She silently praised herself:

  You made an excellent choice exercising your power over Tiegal just then. She will not be able to hide her thoughts on her Release Day now. Once Atla hears what she really thinks about, how she longs for real connection with another, he will destroy her!

  Invigorated by these thoughts, she picked up her pace, navigating the small rocks on the dusty road that led to Atla’s estate, aware that she could not afford to be late for her meeting with their ruler. He had instructed her to meet with him by his favourite fountain; a good sign that she was considered a worthy member of his advisory team.

  The shell beads on her rope belt banged against her hips and her hair bounced on her cheeks, now flush with excitement. The more she thought about her plan, and the characters who she would manipulate to play their parts - Atla, Tiegal and the other two – the more certain she was that her true destiny would soon be realised.

  Pushing open the wooden gate to the rose gardens of Atla’s estate, she hesitated before she carried on, feeling the need to have a quiet word with herself.

  Go careful! Don’t get carried away with your ambition. It’s hungry, but it needs to be controlled. You need to think this through carefully. What do you want Atla to do? What needs to happen now?

  The sight of Atla’s long purple jacket, gleaming against the light of the glass fountain in the gardens ahead, made her smile. There was no doubt in her mind now. She knew what she needed to get him to do, where she needed him to be – and, at exactly the right time too.

  All she had to do now was use her power, to play with his mind.

  “Atla!” she called out to her ruler, careful to make a graceful approach as she negotiated the maze of rose beds that led to the fountain where he was waiting.

  “I have some news!”

  6. The Pyramid

  “I am not scared anymore. I can do this!” Tiegal mumbled her words into the material of her black cape, which she had wrapped around her mouth to guard from the tropical winds blowing across the island. The sand had risen from the banks to join the harsh breeze, which now threatened to land on her tongue and settle in her teeth.

  “Did you say something Tiegal?” Zeno asked.

  “I’m just talking to myself again; trying to get prepared,” she answered

  Tiegal nodded at her friend. They still had five minutes to wait outside the Erasmati Pyramid before the doors would open. Her body shivered next to Zeno, so calm and poised in comparison.

  “So! This is it then Zeno. Our Release Day. How many nights have we spent together talking about this? Little kimberling Tiegal and little kimberling Zeno, sneaking out of the sleep tents to stare at the stars. Do you remember how we used to ask the sky if she could tell us the colour of our energy?” she mused.

  Zeno nodded, amusement registering on her face. She pulled down the hood of her cape, allowing her hair to sway freely and then rest on her shoulders in that perfectly angled bob they all wore. Tiegal mirrored Zeno’s actions. Her own bob settled too, just not quite so squarely.

  “I don’t want to mess up, that’s all Zeno. You always know the right thing to say and do and I’m really nervous about this. I still can’t believe I was given a place at this ceremony. I assumed I would be at the Estate Hall with Rinzal and the others from my camp, not this pyramid with all these superiors. I’m way out of my depth here,” she argued.

  “Yes, you are! But you are still better off being here. I have no idea how your energy will behave when you release it. You just need to demonstrate that all the extra power you have is positive. And Atla is going to be here too, which should help.” Zeno put her hand on Tiegal’s shoulder, willing her to stop shaking.

  “Is it a good thing though? Atla might think I’m dangerous! And then what will happen?”

  Tiegal thought she was going to cry – or be sick. Zeno sat down on the marble steps that led up to the imposing doors to the pyramid.

  “I think you should sit with me and just breathe slowly for a bit. Get yourself in a settled state. It’s my first time too so I don’t know what is going to happen either, but I do know that it gets highly charged in there.” Zeno raised her eyebrows at Tiegal. This made them both laugh. Their time together as kimberlings had provided plenty of opportunities for Tiegal to show how reactive her hidden energy was.

  “Do you remember that time when we were supposed to be learning how to polish diamonds and you made one of them glow blue just by touching it?”

  Zeno reached her hands out to encourage Tiegal to join her on the cold steps. Tiegal groaned at the memory as she sunk down beside her.

  “I still don’t understand why that diamond did that. It made the teacher so angry with me. I just touched it.”

  “I know why it happened Tiegal. It’s just you…your energy. It’s obviously very powerful. That diamond must have had some other, hidden, element trapped inside it which reacted to your touch. I think you have a unique energy source inside you.” Zeno suggested.

  Tiegal dropped her head in between her knees. Her chocolate brown bob swung forward, blending in with her cape as one dark coloured swirl. She did know why the diamond reacted that way. She had seen how they fluoresced in the secret lagoon when she swam near them, as though they had been waiting for her to return; the one who possessed the power to unlock their hidden light.

  Still, she didn’t feel like
discussing that today – her unusual beginnings - even if she suspected Zeno could hear what she was thinking.

  “How do you think this male, my match today, will react to my energy then?” Tiegal whispered.

  Zeno nudged her, a gentle reassurance.

  “I have no idea, but I guess we will soon find out!”

  He was so clear in my dream last night. It was like I had dreamed him into life. And those eyes! They were just like animal eyes. The colour in them, a circle of emerald green with a black dot in the middle. He must exist in another world…and I want to meet him…

  Tiegal jumped at the sound of Zeno’s hissing in her ear:

  “Tiegal! Why are you thinking about your dreams of aliens right now? You need to concentrate. Get yourself in the zone!”

  “Well don’t access my thoughts then.” Tiegal snapped.

  “Well learn to hide them then!”

  Tiegal shook her head from side to side, determined to banish the fair-haired male in her dreams from her mind, despite how a lingering voice inside her head kept urging her to think of him even more! She reached out to touch Zeno’s arm.

  “I’m so glad you’re here Zeno. I feel so out of place. These people…they are so important, so elite. I just wish Rinzal were here too.” Tiegal whispered, mindful of the need to keep a low profile. No one around her seemed to be conversing.

  Zeno smiled at her and then beckoned her to follow to the centre of the pyramid, where a crowd of Tandroans were gathered around a large circular pool. Tiegal stood up high on her tip-toes to get a better view of the two figures in the pool who stood facing each other: a young male and a young female, both knee-deep in water, their black capes floating around them on the surface of the water.

  Tiegal frowned and turned back to whisper to Zeno.

  “Why are they standing in water?” she asked.

  “Shh…you must keep your voice down. We are not supposed to talk.”