The Story

Just a question before I begin the next section - do either of you have a clear picture of the conclave - i.e. how many and how they might appear? Just thought I'd ask before I go off on some random tangent!

Not at all sure if I have done right by the Conclave, but here you go:

Raisa craned her neck to look at the ship. She had never before seen anything so magnificent. There was certainly nothing to compare with this vessel on Sastre. She wavered for a moment, temporarily forgetting her anger in the wake of such majesty. Tegraine also seemed completely transfixed. There was so much anticipation for the conclave, with the rows of soldiers, all standing to attention. So where were they? All this waiting was infuriating! She was still cold and the blanket she held around her was hardly fitting for a being of her status. Just as Raisa was about to repeat her demands to the General, she saw movement at the top of the pathway. The conclave had begun to descend. Raisa stood in awe as a form, more liquid than solid started to flow down the vine ramp. It was so bright that all who did not have the face shields worn by the soldiers, had to raise their hands to shade their eyes. The flowing forms continued their pathway slowly down the ramp like molten gold, beaming enough light to illuminate everything for a mile in each direction. As the form reached the bottom of the ramp, it began to change, separating into four distinct elements. The elements became humanoid in shape but distinguished by their gold skin, which had now dulled to a shine fit for the eye to observe without being blinded. They stood tall, like men, their arms and legs slightly elongated and although their features were not distinct enough to call handsome, they radiated beauty. The figure in the middle began to speak:

“Apologies for the lateness of our arrival. We hope our appearance does not startle you. This is not our usual form but we trust that it is one that will be acceptable for our communication.” Tegraine, Raisa, Dulin and Stacius, who had arrived at the librarian’s side, lowered their hands now that the conclave’s brightness had diminished. “We are the conclave of Khula. We apologise for the poor start to your mission and we wish to make reparation for your pains. There are some here on Khula who do not share our values and we fear that you have already met them. We wish to help you. Speak your desires.”

Tegraine opened his mouth to address the four shining figures but Raisa was faster. Stepping in front of him, she nodded in a brusque acknowledgement of their status and began to speak.

“I am so glad that there are finally some here who know what they are doing.” Raisa glared up at Tegraine and the General. “I am Raisa DuChamp of Sastre. I have been brought here against my will and I demand clothing! I require something befitting the status of a cultural ambassador.”

“Regent cultural ambassador,” Tegraine cut in, his patience with Raisa finally wearing thin. He was starting to question the wisdom of bringing her out of the Book of Goth to aid him. Her skills were valuable but her temperament – in his haste, he had rather overlooked that aspect of the haughty pixie. Raisa’s whole body flashed purple in fury at Tegraine’s attempt to undermine her. She was about to give him the curt response he deserved when the conclave spoke.

“Naturally, Ambassador,” and they gave a small bow in deference to Raisa. This had an immediate calming effect on the pixie, who reverted back to her more usual skin shade of vampire pale. The conclave continued. “You shall be given not only clothing befitting your status but tools that will help you all on your important mission.” The conclave looked at the mismatched assortment of creatures before them, their words flowing like cool water, calming and reassuring. “Come. The Calamita will take you. Please. Step on board.”

beautifully vibrant section. I loved the descriptions and that the pixie can change colour is amazing. The realationship between her and tegraine is loads of fun. And the conclave is mind-blowing - I had little in the way of ideas for them and I think what you have written works really well.

Stacius swallowed hard, he felt like being sick. This was intolerable, when he found out who was doing this to him there would be a price! For now he contented himself with staying absolutely still and trying to ignore the feelings of vertigo that were threatening to overcome him. This is foolish, he chided himself, I have ridden the Mica chasm lift without a tremble, now I'm shaking like an old drill going through granite.

As the great ship loomed above him his fears were forgotten. The technology that he saw above him was something he could appreciate. Just a shame it was in the air and not somewhere sensible, like deep underground.

He could see that the hull was perfectly smooth, but the colours varied from burnished silver to absolutely translucent. He assumed they were viewing ports. As he rose he saw the tangle of rigging above him come into view. He had assumed that the function was purely decorative but then he saw the tiny figures climbing along the spars and masts; his stomach spasmed again and his vertigo returned in a rush.

The deck came into view. There were more columns of soldiers waiting for them. He saw Tegraine land just ahead of him with a small step to keep his balance. Raisa landed elegantly only a slight darkening of her skin betrayed any discomfort. Dunlin stepped as she landed disguising the jolt. Stacius landed hard on his knee but sprang up awkwardly readying his axe, dropping the book he carried as he attempted to cover his embarrassment. He covered his eyes as the golden figures of the conclave formed on the deck.

“This is the Calamita. She is the pride of our fleet. Welcome on board. The journey is short but the take off might be disturbing. Please, relax.” As the conclave finished speaking, four chairs rose up beneath the passengers and golden ropes similar to those that had descended from the ship’s deck curled around their waists, locking them firmly in place. All except Tegraine began to struggle but none so much as Raisa, who took it as a personal affront to her status.

“What is the meaning of this? Are you imprisoning us?” she shouted to the conclave. Tegraine tried to quieten her with his hand but realised that his bonds prevented him from leaning towards her.

“Do not be alarmed,” the conclave spoke, “the restraints are merely for your safety when we take off. You will see.” Raisa’s anger began to dissipate along with the colour of her skin. The golden ropes were soft like skeins of silk and despite their tightness, surprisingly comfortable. “Just remain calm. The process is short. We will speak again after take off. In the meantime, we must also prepare ourselves.” At that moment, two soldiers stepped through the cabin’s entrance hatch and walked to either side of the four conclave members, who immediately dissolved into a golden liquid. One of the soldiers held a large, thick glass bottle, which he laid on the floor. Once four speaking humanoids, the golden liquid was now flowing across the floor and into the bottle like water. The four passengers watched in utter fascination as the last of the liquid entered the bottle and the other soldier capped it with a glass stopper before carefully standing it upright. Immediately, the same golden ropes that held fast the passengers descended from the ceiling and twirled around the bottle containing the conclave, holding it firmly in place.

“In all my centuries,” said Tegraine with barely a whisper, “I have never seen anything quite as astonishing as that.” Raisa, who could usually find something to say on any subject, was silent. Stacius and Dulin also stared at the golden bottle, transfixed. The ship started to move.

At first it was no more than a judder, like a washing machine starting its spin cycle, but then the vibrations increased, pulsing through each of their bodies like a thousand speakers. Suddenly, the cabin darkened, the only light coming from a panel of wildly pulsating controls on the wall before them. Raisa felt a cold fear rise up to her throat. She hated not being in control and right now, she had never felt more powerless in her life. In her mind, she cursed Tegraine for risking her life, bringing her into such danger. When her parents found out, they would be so angry, they would surely order his death. Raisa started to think about how she had arrived on Khula. Exactly how had Tegraine brought her here? He said he had used great magic, which had now depleted him. What was this magic and why had he not first sought her permission? Raisa’s thoughts of indignation helped to distract her from the terrifying situation in which she now found herself. She felt a strange sensation, as if she were being subjected to a centrifugal force, pushing her skin against her frame, pushing her body deeper into the golden seat. Just when she thought that she could bear it no longer, the pressure began to ease and slowly, her body began to relax. The lights in the cabin faded up and the switchboard in front of them began to pulse in a more regular fashion.

Tegraine looked at the golden liquid that was the conclave. It was motionless now. He wondered how it would feel to be liquid on a flight such as this. Would the vibrations be felt more keenly or was it the perfect form to be when subject to such forces? As the conclave and the Calamita seemed to indicate, Khula was an advanced civilization so Tegraine assumed the latter. He looked about him. The cabin, like their seats, was a shining gold. Tegraine became aware of the seat beneath him shifting and changing to fit his posture. It was the most comfortable seat in which he had ever sat and it seemed to be responding to his every movement. Khula really were a very advanced race indeed! As he took in his surroundings, the walls, the floor, the ceiling, everything about him became completely translucent. It was as if they were flying in mid air without a ship! The view around them was breath taking.

He was so distracted by the landscape of this strange planet and the bizarre sensation of being in mid air with only a seat to hold him, he had not noticed the conclave reform into four figures. They appeared to be standing in mid air.

“We apologise for the velocity of the take off, it is something on which we are still working, but now that we are airborne, you may walk freely about the ship. Although the floor is transparent here in the cabin, it is quite safe, as you can see. The view is magnificent, is it not? Come! There is so much on board that we wish to show you.” The golden bonds which had held the four passengers unwrapped themselves from their bodies and retracted to the ceiling. All were now free to stand but all were reluctant. Feeling that it was his duty, Tegraine took the lead and slowly, he levered himself out of the comfortable chair to place his feet on what appeared to be thin air.

“It’s fine,” he reassured the others, “you can stand up. Look!”

“Please. Come with us,” said the conclave. “Meet the Calamita.”

Exactly the sort of thing I was thinking of for the next part! It would be good to see how you view the ship (transparent floors and all) although I was thinking that this would only be in the cabin for the visitors, but who knows? I think some answers from the conclave would be very welcome for our intrepid travellers!

Great! The ship is getting increasingly amazing. It will be interesting to see what James does with the Tegraine and conclave conversation in his next piece.