My childhood was never conventional. I didn’t grow up with a mother and a father like most other children. I didn’t have dolls or toys, but then again, what is normal when my mother is an unknown shadow of my father’s past, and my father… well, where do I start with him? Powerful, ruthless, he had everything and there was nothing he wanted that he couldn’t have… well except one thing, but she was long gone…

All I know of her; the woman whose name can never be spoken, was that she was truly beautiful. An angel.

I’m told my birth was both filled with joy and great sorrow. My life began as hers faded. There was nothing they could do to help her, or so they had said. It cost them their lives anyhow. For how else could a man such as he handle such a loss?

My birth was the last time he saw me until I was twelve…

 

~*~

 

Dark storm clouds pressed in around the island and sharp waves lifted the sea onto jagged rocks. Rain pierced the night, hurtling down like pointed spears and pounded at the hard, stone walls of the castle.

I stood on the balcony’s edge on the rooftop, a blindfold wrapped tightly around my head and arms outstretched. Every stroked step I took was slow and careful. One slip and I would fall, spiralling to my death on the rocks below. But I tried to keep my mind off that, drawing my attention to the point of the exercise.

"Good, Aisha. Now slowly, slowly." My instructor Sa'lu stood by just out of arm’s reach. "Remember now, let your mind go. Picture the surface and most importantly, picture yourself doing the exercise."

I took in a deep breath, my heart threatening to break from my ribcage. Every one of my joints ached from the cold and the endless training, but still she pushed me on. Lightning flared through the night sky, so bright that for a split second I could see through my blindfold. Thunder tore up the heavens, and the earth beneath my feet shook immensely.

“Just focus,” drawing in another breath, I finally mustered the strength to lift my outstretched arms above my head, making my body shaky. The strong wind threatened to knock me right off the edge as slowly I leaned my body forward. My hands touched the slippery surface of the stone ledge, my fingers barely gripping its sides.

"Good," I heard my instructor purr. "That's the way."

Steadily, I lifted my legs and released my feet from their grip on the wall, my body forming into a perfect handstand. My arms shook under the pressure of my weight and the weight of the howling wind. Rain pierced my skin and drenched my leotard. My cheeks were burning hot though I was immensely cold. Coiling my arms, I leaned my body over into a backbend, now exposing my stomach to the storm. Then finally with what remaining strength I had, I pulled myself upright, only to flip over and over again, becoming quicker as I went along the wall. I had to count my steps, one false move and I would simply….

"Stop!"

I halted immediately, one leg hanging out in mid-air. I gulped down the urge to tear off my blindfold while I attempted to put my leg down in front of me, but there was nothing there. I felt the approach of my master as she reached up and ripped off my blindfold anyway, and immediately I had to fight combined dizziness and the urge to panic as I glimpsed the crashing ocean below me. One more step and I would have been down there.

 "Aisha, how many times do I have to tell you?” Sa’lu drawled. “Trace your steps! It does matter how fast this exercise is done, but it is also important to pace yourself.” Sa’lu signalled to the ocean below. “Otherwise you end up swimming with the fishes."

I heaved a sigh, running my hands through my drenched, waist-long hair. "I'm sorry, it's just that I can't bring my mind into focus. It's too cold."

"If you can't bring your mind to do this, then you're good for nothing in my eyes,” said Sa'lu. “Now, let's do this again, and we're not stopping until you get it right."

 

~*~

 

I let my body sink into the cool embrace of freshly pressed bed sheets, welcoming the rest that would distract me from my sore joints and bruises that welted painfully from such intense training. Sa’lu was a hard taskmaster.

My bedchamber was cold and silent. The chambermaid had long retired for the night, so not even the warm crackle of the fireplace had been here to greet me when I’d come in. Instead, I had to make do with settling into layers of blankets that I pulled up over my head and used to hide from the fact that the chill and stone of my chamber better resembled a tomb. Rain tapped lightly at my window and the thunder continued to gently roll on through the night. Somehow, the storm seemed so much calmer now that I was inside.

I settled deeper into my nest of blankets and closed my eyes, allowing my thoughts to drift away into the storm...

“Merrow!” The loud howl yanked my mind back to the present and I jolted awake, my eyes snapping open in the darkness. An insistent scratching at the door echoed through my bedchamber.

I groggily felt around for the lamp on my bedside and twisted the knob so that it re-ignited, squinting under candlelight until my eyes adjusted. The howl sounded again, high pitched and impatient. He waited for nobody.

Heaving a moan, I slid from my bed and painfully padded across an icy floor. I opened my chamber door just enough to allow entry to a tanned Smilodon who barely registered me as he passed me by. Belonging to the Saber-toothed cat family, the feline’s stride was dignified as he worked his way across the room. He made a graceful leap onto my bed and patted at my pillow, only then making his demand for my attention.

"Ko'rah," I dropped onto the bed just next to him.

A spotted pattern decked a coat of coarse fur and paws bigger than my own hands rested on my legs. His hefty build took up most of the bed space. Most notable, though, were his razor sharp canines located on either side of his top jaw. Twice the width of his jaw, they protruded downward in a curved arc and had the potential to gut even a mammoth.

He was not my cat however. He belonged to Sa’lu. Everything belonged to her. The head of this island, and also a master of Shadow Arts, she had retired and come to live in this place where she’d since taken on another form of mastery. A member of the elite in the ‘Shadow World’, it was here that people like my father would bring a child of theirs to be educated; children meant for bigger and greater things than mere ‘Caretaking’. I’d spent twelve years in this place at the foot of this woman. She told me that on my twelfth birthday, everything would change and that I would have to be prepared. My twelfth birthday would be tomorrow...

The cat jolted up next to me, snapping me from my thoughts. I watched on as, suddenly alerted, he shot off my bed and bounded for the door.

"Ko'rah, what is it?" I asked.

“Merrow!” a giant paw battered at the chamber door.

“You want to leave?”

It wasn't normal for Ko'rah to do this. Usually the Smilodon spent his nights sleeping at the foot of my bed, unconcerned as to what went on in the outside world. I slid from my bed and quickly wrapped myself in a dressing gown that was said to have once belonged to my mother. Then pulling the door open, I tried not to let it creak on its hinges and watched as Ko'rah curiously dashed from the room and down the long hallway.

"Ko'rah!" I hissed, following the cat on his little quest, ordering him back but it was to no avail.

The Smilodon approached another wooden door slightly ajar and pushed his way into the room. I paused. This door was to Sa'lu's office, the one room of the castle with which my entry was forbidden. I glared angrily at Ko'rah through the crack he’d left behind. He had since taken up residence by the fireplace. I could hear voices in the room, low and sinister. My name was mentioned and immediately I knew who was there. I watched through the crack in the door as Sa’lu paced in front of the fireplace, unconcerned by Ko’rah’s intrusion.

"I have trained her to the best of my ability within the timeframe I’ve been given but…" she paused, biting her bottom lip.

"But what?" the large man asked coldly.

"It's not enough.”

"What do you mean it’s not enough?” he almost leapt from his chair. “I've given you more than enough! More than I originally proposed." He headed over toward Sa'lu and circled her. Even through the door I could feel his presence and high authority. 

Sa'lu glimpsed her empty glass and placed it down on the table. "You don't understand, Darius. She is too… independent. She has her mother’s spirit. It will take longer to curb this.”

The man’s mouth snapped shut. As if lost for an argument he backed down, his tone becoming calm. “No. That won’t be necessary.” 

Sa'lu sighed, "Then I fear this sentiment you still have toward your late wife will become your undoing. I've done everything to the best of my ability, Darius. There is nothing else I can do, Aisha is yours."

The man named Darius seemed suddenly taken aback, as though the thought of bringing me under his wing had only just struck him.

"Alright," he said after a moment of uneasy hesitation, "I'll take her, we'll leave tomorrow."

Sa'lu seemed happy, though she chose not to answer him. She simply turned her back to him and faced the fire place.

"Very well. I'll get my attendant to show you to your sleeping quarters. I’ll have her ready for you first thing in the morning."

Before they had the chance to leave the office and see me, I quickly backtracked down the hall. I felt my heart both pounding and sinking into my stomach. My mind was reeling with the man’s words. I was leaving. I had never seen beyond this island. This castle and Sa’lu’s instruction were all I knew. What was the world out there like? Was I even ready? Sa’lu didn’t seem to think so.

I hurried for a chamber door and knocked lightly though I knew he would be sleeping.

“Cyrus?” I opened the door a crack and slipped into his chamber.

Like my own bedchamber, cold and darkness engulfed me here. The thunderstorm had moved on and a timid moon now peeked through a gap in the curtains. A single, white moonbeam pointed at a boy who slept soundly in his bed.

As usual there was a book on the floor beside him. It had probably slipped from his grasp when sleep had overtaken him. The lamp on his bedside had run out of fuel, Sa’lu would have his head for him letting it happen again, she was often complaining of his wastefulness.

Tiptoeing across the room, I made sure to avoid small piles of books and papers that lay strewn about the floor and made his chamber look more like a library that had had a windstorm blow through it. My toe nicked an automatic contraption that came to life for a few seconds and I cursed a word that Sa’lu would’ve whipped me for. The boy in the bed barely stirred. He was a fairly sound sleeper... unless someone touched him. Reaching his bed, I pulled at the covers and in one smooth motion slipped under the blankets beside him. I felt his body, which was muggy and warm, wake with a start.

“Aisha?” he muttered under a croaky breath and I hugged him tight as I’d done so many times before. “You’re freezing!”

He did nothing to recoil from my grasp however, he merely hugged me back and stroked my hair.

“What is it?” he asked. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m scared,” I admitted.

“Of leaving?”

“How did you know?” the confusion in my voice was evident.

“Sa’lu has been training you for this moment for the past twelve years. Have you forgotten?” his tone sounded condescending though I knew he didn’t mean it in that way.

I fell silent for a moment and allowed myself to gather my thoughts and calm my fears. Cyrus always seemed to have that effect on me. His calmness made me calm.

“I don’t want to go. I want to stay here with you.”

The boy snorted. “And endure more of Sa’lu’s nagging? Do this, do that! Jump kick, flip off that wall...” 

I had to laugh at his drawl, even if only to help alleviate the pit that had formed in my belly. Unlike me, Cyrus was not the fighting sort. His field of training had been vastly different to mine. He was learned in economics, trade, and the sciences, whereas I had learned to fight, to fend for myself and to survive.

I realised where my thought process was going and he offered me a knowing smile and a kiss on my forehead. “See, you understand. This is what you’ve been training for your whole life, Aisha.”

His blue-eyed intensity watched me in this darkness. He was barely the age of fifteen but I could clearly see the changes in him that came with the onset of puberty. Locks of dark brown that badly needed trimming hung over a wide set jaw and flat cheekbones made his hooked nose look bigger than it was.

He was normally calm and confident in many things, but this evening there was a sadness that seemed to come over him. Pulling an arm out of our embrace, he carefully reached over top of me and found something in the drawer of his bedside table. He brought back an old pocket watch that I knew he’d been working on restoring since he found it washed up on the beach.

“I want you to have this,” he said quietly, as though he was in the process of committing the ultimate evil. “Sentiment isn’t valued in our world, but since we are family, I suppose there’s no harm in giving it to you... to remember me.”

I took the watch into my hands and let my fingers trace over the pattern that I’d since remembered by heart. “But you love this thing.”

“And I’ll expect it back when we meet again in a few years.”

All at once those nerves and worries that I’d only just managed to push away came rushing back. My eyes started to water and before I knew it I’d burst into tears. I was not accustomed to crying... in fact the last time I’d done so I was still an infant. Cyrus gave an uncomfortable murmur, clearly disturbed by my reaction.

“Stop it,” placing two hands on my cheeks, he berated me firmly. “Don’t let anyone see you like this.” 

My tears felt hot on my face and rolled freely over Cyrus’ fingers. I forced myself to stop; it took every ounce of my will to do so. I pulled out of his grasp and sat up, letting the sheets fall into my lap and exposing my nightdress to the cool of the evening. It was strangely comforting.

Cyrus sat up with me and watched me use my sleeve to wipe my eyes.

“But I’m afraid,” I hiccupped.

There was an angry expression on his face, not at me though. I was never really sure what he got so angry about sometimes.

“Fear is a useless emotion. I suggest you rid yourself of it before you allow it to paralyse you.” He took my hand and forced me back into his gaze. “You are still so ignorant. You need to learn. The unknown is not to be feared. Learn from it, and then learn to control it.”

He pulled the covers up to my neck and directed me back into the warmth, where there he embraced me until I fell asleep.

 

~*~

 

The training directed by this man was vastly different to what I had experienced under the order of Sa'lu. And I wasn't sure I liked it either.

I knew this man was my father, but that didn't seem to make his mystery any less confusing. For starters, in the days I’d been under his care, I had not even seen him let alone spoken to him. Was this really what my family was all about? Did I have any other relatives? I had no clue, and something told me that in time I would be none the wiser.

So far I’d been transported from one 'fortress' to another. The place he brought me to was a grand building in a sleepless city of polished brass and copper. Steam engines carrying cargo huffed and puffed along metal railways extending as far as the eye could see. Androids with their clicking and whirring limbs carried packages or ran errands for the people who were numerous in number.

But most spectacular were the Thunder-lizards of various shapes and sizes, though not the big ones like what you saw in the country, because they would never be allowed to walk the city streets. No, these were smaller; the tallest ones standing barely the height of a man. Microceratops, Raptors, Nemicolopterus. I had never before seen so much in one place.   

Corestann City. I’d read about it, seen pictures of it in Cyrus’ books on economics. This was the capital of trade. Sitting on a great port that looked out to sea, people from all over the world came here to make a name for themselves in the business world.

I figured my father was a business man, that was a given. He surrounded himself with wealth and luxury, even in the expensive coats and suits he wore. I had been measured and given a new wardrobe containing dresses and corsets, so many layers that I had to learn new ways of walking and sitting. Though it didn’t take me long to realise how much I could hide in these layers, meaning that Cyrus’ watch never left my person.

On the sixth day after my twelfth birthday, I was taken to a training arena of sorts. My father was dressed differently to his usual attire, wearing nothing more than training trousers. He was in a boxing ring with another person who I could only figure was someone under his employ. The two men circled one another dangerously before the other man took a swing with a bandaged fist. My father evaded with ease and managed to land a few punches that knocked the other man to the ground. A bell rang and the two men stopped fighting as my presence was announced.

“Aisha, come in,” my father said while wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

My dress and high boots barely allowed me the movement of entering the ring, so I did so with great difficulty. I watched as my father was handed a towel and it was only then that I saw the fitness in his sweat beaded chest. The man was obviously an athlete - a fighter, like how I had been trained. Did he want me to be like him?

His features were hard and square, as though he had been chiselled out of stone. His head supported a neatly cropped crown of dark brown hair which was the same shade as mine, as were his eyes. There were features in him I recognised in myself, and others of mine that I did not see in him at all.

“Welcome to my place of training,” he said as he stood over me."This is where your ultimate destiny will begin. I have much planned for you and this organization, but first you must know what it is to be a Caretaker."

"Caretaker?" I asked. "A Caretaker of what?"

My father smirked; an expression I recognized in my mirror, "A Caretaker of a Thunder-lizard.”

I hadn’t even heard the creature come in, I turned and then suddenly it was standing there. At least several heads taller than even my father himself, the dinosaur wore the colours of fire and had eyes that glowed a menacing yellow. A long snout supported jaws of sharp teeth. It stood on its two, massive hind legs while it’s front ones were smaller and tucked away close to its chest. But most notable were the long, razor sharp claws it possessed; one on each foot.

Fighting the urge to gasp and run away, I stood my ground and faced it head on like I had learned in my training. Don’t let them see your fear. 

“Very good,” my father grinned at me widely. “You are as brave as I had hoped.”

He signalled me to the creature and gave it a pat on the back of its brightly, feathered neck. It remained obediently still.

“This is a Utahraptor. Many members of my organisation have one as a partner for security purposes. They must care for it and treat it as if it were a member of their own family.”

I didn’t know how he expected me to care for something that could shred me in a single kick. The thing was more than twice my size!

My father noted my expression and chuckled. “This one is not yours. This one belongs to me. She has been engineered to be the best, just as yours will have been.”

I glanced around to see where my so-called ‘care’ would be but the only thing that entered the training room was a man in a white lab coat holding a glass container. In the container sat a large, oval shaped rock. My father helped me from the boxing ring before greeting the man and accepting the container from him. It was then that I realised it was actually an egg.

“Aisha, this is yours. As you can see it hasn’t even hatched yet, but when it does, make sure yours is the first face that it sees. It will be your companion throughout your advancement.”

He carefully handed me the container which felt heavy and warm, and I frowned. "What if I don't like the Thunder-lizard I’ve been given?"

"That is too bad, you will have to grow to like it. Until you demonstrate that you have complete control over that little thing, you have no choice.” My father’s face took on a dangerous expression. “Be warned, Aisha, my daughter you may be, I do not take to idlers very kindly. Do as you are told, and I assure you the rewards will be many."
 

~*~

 

I wasn't sure I liked this new life I’d been given. It seemed I’d exchanged twelve years of dictatorship for another twelve in its place. This place confused me and seemed just as mysterious as the castle I’d left.

I glimpsed the setting sun outside my window, my eyes falling across the city that lay just beyond that glass. Its metal structures shimmered and illuminated red and gold in the sunset, setting the endless cityscape ablaze.

I hugged my knees and sat at the foot of my bed. My new quarters seemed empty and smelled of dust. It was obvious no one had lived here in a while. The tallest building in the city belonged to my father, which had been built to feel like a city in itself. Everything I needed was here – kitchens, training rooms, spas, tailors... to name a few. I would have no need to leave this place. The top storeys had been built to house my father and his family – which, for the moment seemed to consist of only him and me. Unlike the castle, this place was bright with many windows where the sunlight could stream in. The carpet was deep crimson and soft to touch as were my bedding and the sofa that had been placed in the corner of my room. In the other corner by the window, there was an empty writing desk and chair, both of which were gold plated. And then finally, a walk-in dressing room and bathroom. It was so much more than I ever had at the castle, but even so, I missed my home, Sa'lu and Cyrus. Sa'lu had told me this would be my hardest challenge yet. Her words were already proving to be so.

The egg sat on the bed beside me, still safely tucked away in its container. It had been there since I’d come back to my chamber which was a couple of hours ago already. I took a moment to study it and tapped on the glass to make sure it was safe. It still looked like a rock to me... an egg shaped rock roughly the height of my head. It was the colour of clay and wasn’t all that impressive. Not as impressive as Cyrus’ watch with its spherical patterns and a strange clock that ticked backwards.

“Well, if you’re going to be my companion,” I diverted my mind back to the egg. I don’t know why I spoke to myself so often. “And my father wants me to see you when you hatch, I suppose I better keep you on my person.”

I searched my petticoats for a place I could hide it. I figured anything of this size would ultimately look suspicious. Eventually I found a pocket of fabric that ruffled out and hung out over top of my backside; a perfect hiding spot for a dinosaur egg.

No sooner had I pulled the egg from its jar and carefully lodged it into its new home than suddenly a loud alarm sounded throughout the building, making me jump upright. Moments later, I heard the thunder of footsteps past my doorway and the shouts of men.

What was happening?

I clambered from my bed and tore from my room. Scaling stairs two at a time, I made it to the grand entrance hall just in time to witness the madness. My father stood at an overlooking balcony, barking out orders to his men below where a mass of uniformed troopers advanced. I stood motionless… mortified as the troopers with their metal androids fought with my father's men and their Utahraptors. My father’s men were heavily outnumbered. This would be a short fight, cut even shorter as I heard the tinker of a canister landing only feet from where his men stood.

Then, BOOM! The blast was so intense it knocked me right off my feet. A great, green cloud covered the entrance hall, seeping like some kind of ghost into every corner and crevice of the room. There was no escape… nowhere to go. I choked on the gas, my eyes stinging, and backed into something large and cold. I glanced up into the face of a metal man… My mind hazy and my lungs filling with the toxic poison, I was out before I even hit the ground…
 

~*~

 

A hazy dream filled my sleep, one that seemed to meet reality but never gave me consciousness. I was aware that I was in a bed… in a place that smelled of cleanliness. Two people stood over me - a man and a woman.  

"What are we going to do with her? She's obviously the heir but we can't let her go back. It's too risky."

"Then we make sure she does not exist."

And so… I forgot… 

2: Chapter 1 -Kair Harker

 

Chapter 1 -Kair Harker

Six years later:

Summertime: the season of sunshine, blue skies and opportunity. And no other day seemed to echo it more than this day. A crystal blue sky reflected a just as clear, lazy ocean. The sunshine bore down on those that greeted it, but its heat was made redundant as the light breeze buzzed around the cliff face.   

The metal automobile tore its way down the winding road, heading away from the girl's orphanage; escaping the prison. With the leather roof unhinged, I took in a salty breath, letting my long, dyed blue hair wave about in the breeze and reminisced on the headmistress’ words from earlier that day.

"You’re at an age where you are able to care for yourself now, and it is evident that your spirit no longer lies with us. You are impatient and restless. Therefore, we feel it is time to let you go...”

The fools! They had been waiting for this day for as long as I. I grinned and spun the automobile to a stop at a lookout, its steam engine belching loudly in protest. It belonged to the headmistress herself.

Artemus, my juvenile Utahraptor ran up behind me after I’d lost him at the orphanage gates. Not that he cared, he relished the opportunity to stretch his legs. A mere six years old, the dinosaur was already taller than the average grown man yet had the temperament of a bratty child.

The ocean was quiet today, but as I looked over at its never ending greatness, it instilled a feeling of power in me. I stared out over the world before me - a world of opportunity and chance. My name was Kair Harker, and this was going to be my world.

~*~
 

Zirthest was a dirty city. It hadn’t always been this way. They say it was once so beautiful that it rivalled its sister cities Corestann and Ametrine on the other side of the divide. It was the mines located in the valley bordering the city that once drew travellers from far and wide in search of fortune. It was this search that kept the city aloft. Now though, the mines were empty and the city slowly going bankrupt. It no longer drew the masses, and as a result jobs vanished by the day while family fortunes were syphoned dry. Entire buildings were left empty only to rot into decay and fill with new tenants of the homeless kind.

Grey stone and iron gave the place a dreary look, even in spite of the weather. The streets were dirty and polluted with rubbish and packed up sewage. The stench alone was enough to kill flies – the summer heat seemed to make it worse than usual.

The handkerchief I used to cover my face was fast becoming useless as the city’s stench made its way into the very fibres of the material. My eyes watered and I found myself in a constant struggle to fight the wretch that slowly made its way up my oesophagus. Artemus next to me fared no better. The normally confident Utahraptor struggled against the stench by snorting air from his nose. As fierce as he looked with his dagger teeth and gut slicing claws, if we were to get mugged right then, we would be slaughtered.     

Soon enough, a dull thud began to permeate up from the cobblestone road and we instinctively stepped aside for the Amurosaurus and its rider that came thundering up from behind. The streets were wide to accommodate for the bigger beasts that traditionally would’ve brought carts up from the mines. Nowadays, they were the primary means of transport for the local police force. More than twice the height of a human, the flat billed-dinosaur moved about on its rear legs. Although its front limbs were still long enough for it to get down on all fours if it needed to. A plant eater, they were generally docile by nature unless provoked, and judging by the way it sized up my Utahraptor companion, it didn’t much appreciate the idea of being viewed as lunch. Though given the state we were in, the idea of food couldn’t have been further from our minds.

“Thought I’d find you roamin’ around these parts,” a strong woman’s voice bellowed from the back of her beast.

I resisted the urge to uncover my face and glanced up at the source of the utterance. A middle aged woman stared down at me, her grin wide and somewhat lacking teeth. She wore the colours of law enforcement with pride.

“Good to see you too... Sabe.” I gave her the raise of an eyebrow, the genuineness lacking from my voice.

The woman chuckled, which more-or-less, sounded like a growl from the back of her throat. “Get yourself to the station, little Miss. We’ll have a chat there.” And with that she and her dinosaur thundered off.

I wasn’t normally one to take orders. It was this trait that had always gotten me into trouble in the first place, but Sabe was a woman I had long learnt not to mess with. I never really knew her real name. Sabe was short for Saber-tooth because she had the temperament of such. Or was it more the Saber-tooth look she possessed since having her two front teeth knocked out in a riot years before I came onto the scene? Regardless, Sabe was my case officer. I’d been assigned one since punishment for my juvenile antics started to involve more than time out and a good caning. She made regular visits to the orphanage. Often on a weekly basis.

We followed the officer and her companion to a brick building in the centre of town. Like the rest of the city that surrounded it, it was in a state of disrepair. Sabe dismounted and dismissed her Thunder-lizard, and it obediently trudged down a side alleyway that joined the community building with the stables.

I ordered Artemus to wait in the foyer (because to ask him to wait outside in the stench would be too cruel) and followed Sabe up several flights of stairs. The floor boards creaked as we walked the building, and my presence didn’t fail to grab the notice of Sabe’s colleagues who stopped to see what sort of trouble I was in this time. The station was unusually quiet.

Sabe directed me into her office and dropped into a seat that moaned under the weight of her frame. She wasn’t a small woman, but she wasn’t overweight either. No, she was a frame of pure muscle and determination. The sort of woman I found I had to admire underneath all the layers of juvenile resentment I’d developed toward her over the years. I was sure things would be different now that I was an adult.

“So which one of your antics finally drove the headmistress to kick you out?” Sabe bore me another of her famous, toothless grins.

“I’m eighteen now,” I pointed as-a-matter-of-factly.

The woman could only chortle, as though I’d made some sort of a joke. “So you are.”

She made to look for something on her desk, “It’s about time you stopped wasting government funds and got yourself a real job.”

“What government?” this time it was my turn to chortle.

The woman had to acknowledge my point. With the exception of some standard social systems, the ‘government’ had been virtually dead since the Oracle Queen Anthea’s disappearance. Money was the new government now.

Sabe became more serious. “With only a basic education, your chances of landing yourself some real work are not looking good, Kair.”

“I can read and write, which is more than I can say for most of the kids at the orphanage.”

“That you can,” Sabe’s face seemed to take on a solemn look. “Really though, in the city your only options are the workhouse or working for a wealthy family... neither of which would allow you to bring your pet, mind you.”

For some reason I wasn’t as concerned as I probably should have been. I was just glad to be free and looked forward to be taken seriously for once.

“I only need to earn enough to get me out of this place. Where I go from here...” I shrugged. “I don’t care.”

“Well if it’s only something temporary you’re looking for, a new company has moved into the city and bought out the mines. The owner is moving into the old Ravensdale estate and I hear they’re hiring staff to help get the place ready. Get yourself over there before half the city turns up.” Sabe seemed to suddenly remember what she was looking for and flipped several piles of paperwork until she found a folder with my name on it. “This is yours. In case you ever wanted to start finding out who you are. It’s not much but it’s a start.”

I took the folder which was thick and virtually creaked when I opened it. The first several pages were police reports on my many indiscretions. Some of which were as petty as beheading the roses in the headmistress’ garden, and others as serious as theft. I had to cringe at my latest felony which was still only hours old. Would the headmistress file charges over her missing automobile? I had dumped it not far from the orphanage. Now that I was an adult, I could be held responsible for my actions. 

“Thanks Sabe,” I said sullenly... sincerely.

For a split second I thought the woman was holding back tears but maybe it was just the way the sun came through the window behind her.

“Good luck kiddo. And for goodness sake, don’t mess things up.”

 

~*~

 

It was sunset by the time I located the estate. It sat atop a cliff that overlooked the mines in the valley below. The area had been set aside for a more affluent line of families. Great houses and estates lined the cliff face and sucked in as much of the valley view as they could. Most of them were abandoned now. Giant fences and gates covered in overgrown shrubbery blocked views of beautiful houses that had been thrown into utter disarray. The Ravensdale estate was no exception.  

Sabe’s expectations were right, half the city was here it seemed. Crowds lined the road leading up to two massive iron gates which had since been secured shut. A man was yelling into a megaphone, though I could hardly hear him over the murmur of the mob. I heard boos and cries of annoyance.

“I’ve been here all day!” said someone.

“I have qualifications and experience!” said someone else.

Large metal androids were deployed and made a point of herding the disgruntled audience to prevent any riot. The estate had already found the people they needed, we were too late.

I stole a glance with Artemus. He grumbled uncomfortably while finding himself pushed around by the departing mob. My eyes fell across the smelly city we had left behind, the idea of going back did not appeal. The air was clear here, hot yes but breathable at least.

I needed to get into that estate.

Using the crowds for cover, I directed Artemus to follow me back down the hilly street until we reached the neighbouring estate that shared a fence with the Ravensdale. This too was hidden behind an iron fence buried under wild shrubs that had suffered years of neglect. I figured the main gates would be well locked up and jumping the fence was far too obvious. But surely there would be something along the lines of a servant gate. Even the orphanage had one of those, for deliveries mostly.

“Aha,” I grabbed my Utahraptor’s attention and silently signalled him to my find. 

Underneath the overgrowth was the rusted padlock of a gate. Upon closer examination, I confirmed that that it was still very much intact. The hinges, on the other hand, had faced a fuller brunt of the shrub’s punishment and were already showing signs of decay.

“Artemus, cover me.”

Obediently the Thunder-lizard took up the space between the gate and the departing crowds. His body blocked the view of me while I went to work at jimmying the pins. They were more difficult than I had expected and I gave a grunt in protest. Flakes of rust fell from the gate like dead leaves and I did my best not to inhale. Eventually the hinges gave up their fight, and one by one, the three pins came out. Several shoves later and the shrub gave way, allowing for a ‘me sized’ gap for me to slip through. Artemus would just have to wait a little longer.

I struggled my way through overgrowth a metre thick before I finally stumbled onto the abandoned estate. Like every other living plant in this place, the grass was overgrown and riddled with weeds, some as tall as my head. Daylight was fading by the minute, I needed to be quick if I hoped to find my way to the Ravensdale’s wall.

Taking off at a steady pace, I headed in what I hoped was the right direction. There was a rustling in the bushes that surrounded me but I took it as nothing more than the breeze until I realised it was following my every movement. I slowed to a careful tread, suddenly aware that I wasn’t alone. This probably wasn’t a good idea after all.

 I kept moving in the hopes to ignore it, and at the same time attempted to put aside the fact that the hairs on the back of my neck were bristling. The rustling gave up being discrete and gradually expanded to the grass that surrounded me. I couldn’t help but notice, even in the dimming daylight, flashes of colour and feathers.

“Balls,” I cursed.

They were all around me now, creatures in the grass, quietly chirping amongst themselves and getting closer. A hunting party of perhaps twelve or so. My mind immediately reeled through the possibilities. What hunted like this? Artemus, he hunted like this... sneaking up on his prey until the last minute...

Velociraptors!

I didn’t think twice on the fact, I turned and bolted for a tree.

A screech and a flash of colour came from my peripherals and I immediately scooted a second from hitting the tree. The little raptor wasn’t as lucky. Its gut-tearing claw missed its target and hit the tree, imbedding into the soft bark. I didn’t stop. I kept running straight for the massive building in the centre of this wretched jungle.

Standing on average a half a metre tall, the little raptor’s friends were already on my hide, licking at my heels. I took on a zig-zag pattern in the grass in some sort of an attempt to evade them, but only ended up exhausting myself. This was a game for them. Sport before supper.

Oh Guardians, this was not how I wanted to go, I was only eighteen!

A tangle of weeds was all it took to stumble me. I teetered off balance, my arms windmilling madly as I ran in this insane dance. One of the little beasts landed on my back and I fell head first into the grass. I felt its claws digging at my bodice and I struggled and rolled in an attempt to get it off me. They were all around me now, tooth lined jaws snapping at my fingers and face, and gut slicing claws fighting to defrock and gut me alive.

“Arhh!” I yowled, fighting with all my might to get up, to run but they had me pinned.

The ear piercing screech practically shattered my eardrums and suddenly sent my attackers into a panicked frenzy. A dinosaur near identical but more than twice their size came bursting through the jungle. There was a loud crunch as his massive jaws latched onto one of the pack and never let it go. And in a moment, the Velociraptors had all fled.

I could hardly breathe, I just lay there in the grass while Artemus chowed down on the bloody mess that was once one of my attackers.

“Cannibal.”