A Tear in The Fabric, Barry P Chantler

Prologue

He floated through the vast endless tracts of space.

Hunting - searching

For victims.

Victims to feed his insatiable lust for destruction, for murder, for savagery.

How many worlds destroyed? How much life erased from existence?

He lost count millennia ago.

His dark malevolence needed sustenance, as did those who travelled with him. They lived inside his huge frame, talked through his mouths, saw with his eyes and sucked massive rushes of ecstasy from his triumphs.

So, he floated in, past small frozen outer planets, past hulking gas giants, heading for a small world; a world inhabited with life, guarded by an entity, and as usual, a screen of protection.

He drifted past the four outer moons orbiting this world and entering the outer atmosphere came up against the protective barrier.

Then began the testing, the probing; the search for some weakness to exploit.

His patience was infinite. No protection was complete. Always he found a way in.

The voices in his head screamed with elation when he found it, an area where the membrane was thinner. It was small, but it was a start.

He worked at it, played with it - secretly, as to not alert the entity of this world to his presence.

Not yet anyway.

After much careful stretching and pinching it finally gave way - a tear in the fabric.

Keeping as secretive as he could, he began creeping in.

Section 1: Briony

1

Of all the times of the year, the Season of Regression was Briony's favourite. This season, the dying season, was when everything around her started to wind down towards the long period of snow and ice that dominated most of their year.

 As daylight shortened and shadows grew longer, she would often run down the path skirting the forest kicking out at the fallen leaves that covered the ancient trackway. At other times, while the townsfolk slumbered, she would stalk down empty streets marvelling at the frosty play of sunrise as it glinted on dew etched blades of grass, sparkled off cobble stones, or traced the delicate outlines of an intricate web.

On this particular morning the valley lay steeped in a mist that cloaked the town in a settled stillness that she knew would last until nightfall. With a bucket in hand she headed up away from the town towards the well. As she climbed the hill the mist started to clear. The chill air nipped at her nose and ears - she pulled her cloak further round and nestled into the fur-lined collar. Soon the track met the great forest, the edge of which blazed with the red and yellows of late season decay.

No one entered the forest, not if they ever wanted to come out again. The forest was home to Wraiffs - pack hunting animals, huge and deadly. Also, an evil race of people known as the Amulii - a race both hated and feared by her own people, the peace loving Garulii. She tried not to dwell on such things, neither race had been seen for many years and it was too nice a morning to fret.

On her other side, away from the forest was the rolling agricultural landscape of the Garulii Plain - a patchwork of green and golden fields interlaced with hedge-lines. Eight legged Langues grazed in the meadows, their long ears flapping at late-biting marsh flies. Far, far away on the horizon a milk-white smudge indicated the far distant Deeping Mountains. No one had ever been as far as the mountains due to the savage tracts of desert and marsh that lay before them.

An ancient hedgerow separated her from the meadows and she entered a stretch where this grew so tall as to hide the landscape beyond. The air became cooler; the shade deeper, giving the impression that she'd entered the forest itself.

Briony hated this section of the track, expecting something to be lurking in the deep shadows within the forest. There had not been an attack by the Wraiffs in living memory, but at one time only those able to afford an armed escort would ever dare to travel here. Even though it was now considered safe, their spiritual leaders, the Priests of Unforgiving, never missed a chance to reiterate the danger from both Wraiff and Amulii.

The thought of these dangers made her nervous and she eyed the deep woodland shadows, trying to ignore imagined flickers of movement.

When the figure stepped out of the forest she shrieked and leapt back.

A boy, tall and fair of face, stood looking at her.

‘Hello,’ he said smiling. His accent was almost as strange as his dress. His clothes were Garulii, but so old fashioned as to almost be laughable. Also, he wore a green bandanna wrapped round his head, and no one ever did that!

His face, however, was kind and she fought to control her shaking.

‘You scared me.’ she hissed.

He opened his arms. ‘I'm sorry to have frightened you.’ (His way of speaking was certainly odd). Then he became excited ‘So have you just come from your town?’

Briony frowned ‘Who are you? What are you doing here?’

The boy stared at the ground. ‘I'm sorry I haven't introduced myself. I am...a visitor from the Garulii coast, er...my name is (he fumbled a second - it was enough to give him away)...er, Bronsco.’

Briony took a cautious step backwards.  The strange boy scared her.

‘It’s so obvious you are lying,’ she said. She tried a lie of her own ‘I am being followed by my father and he will not take kindly to your deceit. He will hand you over to the Priests.’

The boy chewed his lower lip and shuffled on his feet. ‘You don't believe me?’

‘No, I think you are very strange - probably a criminal on the run. That you have no right to be here, so far from your own town.’

‘This is ridiculous,’ he said. ‘I couldn't fool anyone even if I tried.’

He reached up and removed his bandanna. In the centre of his forehead flickered a large green jewel, not stuck onto his forehead but embedded deep within it.

Briony's eyes nearly popped out of her skull and a cold shiver of fear shot through her. She dropped the bucket and her hand flew to her mouth. She stepped back in horror.

The boy smiled. ‘Bet you've never seen an Amulii before?’

Briony continued stepping backwards. The she spun round to run.

‘Wait!’ the boy cried. ‘Please I mean no harm. I just want to talk to you.’

She stopped and turned back. ‘It doesn't matter if I run; you hold a gemstone that has incredible power. You could use it to kill me in an instant.’

The boy’s face crinkled in despair. He shook his head. ‘No, you don't understand. I would never hurt you, or anyone else for that matter. I cannot, my vows forbid me to harm any living thing.’

Despite her fear, Briony stood her ground. ‘The Amulii are our sworn enemy. You have done so many terrible things to my people.’

The boy shook his head. ‘I do not expect you to believe me, but nothing you’ve been told about us is true.’

Briony became angry ‘The priests would never lie to us! You're the one who's lying!’

The boy stood perplexed. ‘I promise I won’t hurt you. From a very young age I have always wanted to meet and talk with a Garulii.’

Keeping his own eyes on hers he rebound his forehead with the green bandanna.

‘This piece of cloth is enough to stop me using my jewel. I promise that, if you just agree to talk, I won’t remove it.’

She did not move and just kept staring at him.

He dropped his arms. ‘Please.’ It was all he had left that he could say.

Keeping their eyes locked Briony stooped down to pick up the bucket. The bucket was made from stout timber and iron collars. She tested its weight and swung it back and forth showing him that she, at least, had a weapon.

‘You promise not to hurt me?’

The boy nodded.

‘You just want to talk?’

He nodded again ‘I want to know more about the Garulii, that is all.’

‘If anyone finds out I've spoken to you, the priests would kill me.’

‘No one will find out, I promise.’

‘You promise much,’ Briony said, but deep within her curiosity began to overcome fear. The Amulii was the other race of people on their planet; the powers held within their stones, and their fabled city was known only to the Garulii from legends and the Books of Unforgiving. As far as she knew no one from her town had seen one for generations.

As she stared at him her curiosity grew. With his fine features and pale skin he had handsomeness about him that couldn't be denied; and softness to his dark eyes that belied any sense of evil.

‘Right,’ she decided. ‘You can escort me to the well and you can ask me questions. Then you can leave.’

His face cracked into such a beaming smile that she could not help but smile back.

Briony knew that at this hour she was sure they wouldn’t meet anyone else, but the possibility of being caught talking with this strange Amulii leant a nervous excitement that she somehow found exhilarating. As they walked she told him about her town and about the people who lived there. He listened to what she told him, interrupting only to ask questions on certain points.

If any other Garulii was about that morning they would most likely be at the well. Her mother's cottage lay at the far edge of town and very few townsfolk used this well, preferring the main water supply within the town's central courtyard. Still, she couldn’t chance being caught.

They reached a point of the track where it turned a corner. She stopped and turned to him.

‘Alright, Amulii, I have kept my side of the bargain, but now is the time for you to leave.’

His face fell, and he shook his head. ‘But so soon...’

Her anger rose ‘But, what did you expect. You are our sworn enemy.’ She looked round. ‘This is so wrong,’ she hissed expecting fellow Garulii to suddenly appear round every turn. She pointed at his dress. ‘Do you really think you will get away wearing that ridiculous outfit?’

He looked down at himself. ‘You are right. It is rather undignified. Next time I will come in an Amulii robe, and then you can see how well we dress.’

She looked at him in surprise ‘What are you talking about. There will be no next time. We are done, finished!’

He kept trying ‘At least tell me your name.’

She could see no harm in that ‘I am called Briony.’

He smiled in a way that showed he liked the name. ‘Well, Briony of the Garulii, my name is Beryllium Emerald holder, of the Amulii.’ He gave a short bow, chuckling at her raised eyebrow. Then his smile faded. ‘My people are not what you have been led to think, Briony. I would love to meet you again and return the compliment by telling you more of my people and of our city.’

‘The City of the Darkened Lake?’ she said. ‘That is a dark and evil place of torture and things too horrible to comprehend; why should I want to hear about that?’

‘By the Goddess, is that that what they tell you.’ His shock looked so genuine that for the first time she felt a small pang of doubt.

His voice came back with a slight tremor and she knew she’d hurt him. ‘Listen, at least let me tell you my side. In all that is fair you should allow me to do that.’

She tilted her head to look at him. ‘I'm sorry, it's too dangerous.’

‘Just once, Briony, I promise.’

‘There you go, promising again. I'll tell you what, I'll think about it.’

He became exited. ‘I know where your well is; meet me there tomorrow at daybreak.’

‘I said I'll think about it.’

He realised that that was the most he could expect and nodded.

‘Thanks for letting me talk to you Briony. I really appreciate it. We’re not as bad as you've been told, and my city is a most beautiful place. I would love to tell you about it. After that maybe you can make up your own mind.’ With that he gave another small bow and melted back into the forest.

Briony stood watching the place where he'd pushed between two shrubs. To her the forest was a dark and dangerous place and it seemed almost incredible that anyone would choose to enter it. Then hadn't this whole morning had taken an odd turn. Realising she was still shaking she continued on towards the well.

When Briony returned home she found she wasn't the only one with concerns. Her mother stood at the front gate looking perplexed. A thin wiry woman, Aurora stood a good deal shorter than Briony and had features more akin to rustic Garulii, though no less attractive for that. Briony not only stood taller but was fairer both in skin and hair, traits considered unusual amongst her people.

As soon as they saw each other Aurora shouted out ‘Briony, have you seen your sister?’

Briony shook her head.

Her mother tutted and moved aside to allow Briony through the gate. By this time the bucket of water she carried had become heavy. The ache in her arms prevented her from going any further and she put the bucket down with a crash, water slapping out over the sides. She stood back up and stretched.

‘Your sister has been gone since dawn,’ Aurora muttered. ‘Lately, I've no idea where that girl has been getting to.’

‘Mother, you worry far too much about Melody, I'm sure she's safe enough, probably off playing in the town.’

A dark scowl crossed Aurora's face ‘Perhaps, but there's been days when no one has reported seeing her, at least to me anyway. And you know she isn't well.’

Aurora referred to the black outs that Melody started having from the age of four. A rare condition the doctor had called it - but she suspected the doctor had no idea. Her mother chewed at her bottom lip. ‘What if she has a black out when no else is around, what will become of her then?’

‘You want me to go look for her?’

Aurora shook her head.

Sighing at her sister's selfishness, Briony hauled up the bucket of water and continued into the house. She poured some of the water into a big stone sink that sat beneath a small square window. Then, grabbing some soap and washing began to clean clothes.

A hiss from the window made her shriek dropping a jacket into the sink. She looked up to see Melody's face at the window. A younger version of Aurora, Melody was known for her dark eyes. Melody smiled at her.

‘What are you grinning at, you little minx,’ Briony hissed back. ‘Mother's worried sick, where, by Science have you been?’

Melody continued smiling - she'd been acting a little odd of late. Briony became angry ‘You don't care, do you. Well, you will when mother catches you, she's not happy.’

Still Melody didn't answer, but continued to grin. With a splash Briony flicked some soapy water at her. Melody flinched back and shook her head looked at her as if in shock.

‘Hello Bri,’ Melody said.

‘Where have you been?’ Briony repeated.

Melody looked at her in some surprise. She thought for a moment then said ‘away, in the forest.’

Briony went cold in shock ‘In the forest? What? You went inside - are you mad?’

Again Melody looked puzzled. ‘I don't know Bri; somehow it seems as if the trees are calling to me.’ Her face fell, ‘When I feel so sad.’

Briony knew that this sadness were a precursor to Melody's attacks. She became worried for her sister. ‘Melody,’ she whispered (the last thing she wanted was for her Mother to find out) ‘if you had one of your attacks, while in the forest... well, there's so much danger in there.’

A shout from behind interrupted their conversation. On seeing her mother Melody's head disappeared. Then a brief chase ended in cuffs, cries and curses as an angry Aurora admonished her daughter. Briony sighed and continued to scrub at the jacket while worrying at the day’s events.

A Tear in the Fabric is my first book and is now available on Amazon Kindle here . You can now also buy it in paperback from Lulu here.