Triangle of Alliance

J Mukoyogo

Description

If someone told you, you were destined to save the Universe, could you rise to the challenge? Teenagers Seth, Con and Zelda must do just that. Brought together by the seer, X, a man with his own cross to bear, they are The Triangle of Alliance. And it falls to them to prevent the takeover of the Universe by arch nemesis the Insidious Force.

Sujets

• Fantasy (canción de Mariah Carey)
• Fantasy

Informations

• Publié par: Andrews UK
• Date de parution: 13 février 2012
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781906873523
• Langue: English

Extrait

Title Page
TRIANGLE OF ALLIANCE








by
J.A. Mukoyogo




Publisher Information
Published in 2009 by HandE Publishers Ltd
Epping Film Studios
Brickfield Business Centre
Thornwood High Road
Epping
CM16 6TH
www.handepublishers.co.uk

Digital Edition converted and distributed in 2012 by
Andrews UK Limited
www.andrewsuk.com

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any other form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise without the prior permission of the copyright owners.
All the characters and events in this book are fictitious and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Copyright © Text J.A. Mukoyogo 2009
Cover design by Ruth Mahoney and Trevor Reaveley
Edited by Natalie-Jane Revell, Kayleigh Hart and Sarah Cheeseman




Dedication











For Seth and Con,
miniature heroes.
And most of all for Bryn.



Part One
Prologue
The twenty-seven members of Custodis, an order of elders, gathered together. The new beginning was prophesied to occur in their lifetime. The time was nigh. They had obtained information on every multiple birth known to be happening in the vicinity in the not too distant future. They were looking for twins, a boy and a girl, whose stories had already been scripted. The six elders from level three would oversee the upbringing of these children, nurturing the gifts that only they would possess. They did not yet know the identities of these children. They would know them when they found them.

The heralded ones


A multiple birth occurred resulting in triplets. Only two babies were expected: a boy and a girl. The boy was to be called Xander, which means ‘defender of men’, and the girl Yandra, meaning ‘protector of mankind’. However, a third baby arrived as though an afterthought. This child was a boy. At birth he was much smaller than his siblings, who doctors said had siphoned all the nutrients in the womb. He was given the name Zev, meaning wolf. For the cunning he would display, it came to be fitting.
The longed-for boy and girl were gifted. The strapping boy was a seer and the girl a leveller. As predicted, these gifts became apparent in the first few years of life. The ‘runt child’, as he was nicknamed, showed no early signs of being gifted.
Although he would eventually catch up in stature, the runt child grew up with the sense that the dregs were his lot in life. The hurts he experienced whilst his siblings were revered fuelled an inner rage, which he was in danger of turning upon himself. However, the accidental discovery that he was a hybrid – part seer and part leveller – during his teenage years, changed the course of his life. It gave him hope that he may be able to rise above his beginnings.
Chapter One


Zev overheard their mother chastising Yandra. She wasn’t wearing her key, again. Lately, she was becoming increasingly careless. The key was one of two she and Xander wore round their necks as both a symbol and a reminder of their responsibilities.
The identical keys unlocked the practice room where they undertook instruction. Xander and Yandra had been taking instruction since the age of seven. It was given by Custodis, the order of elders, whose purpose was to guide seers and levellers in the development and honing of these skills. Though they could neither go between nor see into the levels, intimate knowledge of the sacred texts and the laws of the Universe enabled the elders to nurture these skills in those who possessed them.
The practice room was always locked unless occupied. Unauthorised persons, that is those other than Xander, Yandra or
their teachers, were not permitted.
“So, where is it?” their mother asked of the key. “Do you even know where it is?”
“Yes, mother. I’m not a complete idiot,” Yandra replied. It was at the bottom of her satchel. Fed up of being different and set apart, she had stopped wearing it during school hours. She had forgotten to put it back on after school.
“One day it will fall into the wrong hands,” their mother continued.
Yandra rolled her eyes.
“You have to take this more seriously… why can’t you be more like your brother?”
“Which one?” Yandra said, glaring at her mother. She knew full well which one. She was always being compared to Xander. When would parents, teachers, everyone realise that talk like this does nothing for sibling relations? She and Xander had always been close. But lately the comments and comparisons were causing resentment.
As Yandra walked away from their mother, Zev, her other brother, smiled. A chasm was forming between Xander and Yandra. He wondered if he might be able to wedge it wider.
“Why can’t everyone just leave me alone?” Yandra said aloud, in the sanctuary of her bedroom. She had been taking instruction and wearing the ‘stupid key’ for six years. She had never been as into it as Xander. Her interest came in waves, but she had persevered for her brother’s sake. She didn’t want to let him down. Now, at thirteen, the novelty was wearing thin and the pressure was mounting. She wished she could just be a normal girl like the classmates in her normal life. She dreamed of choosing her own path instead of it being pre-determined.
In anger over her mother’s comments, she emptied the contents of her satchel onto her bed and flung the key across the room. It hit the door and fell to the floor. Zev was lurking outside her room. He knocked on the door.
“What?” came Yandra’s angry reply.
“It’s me. I just wanted to make sure you were okay…” No answer. He continued.
“I thought Mum was a bit harsh. Anyway, I’ll leave you to it.” He pretended to walk away.
“No, wait,” Yandra said, picking up the key and opening the door to him. She welcomed the chance to rant about how unfair life was. If anyone could understand it would be Zev. She let him in and closed the door. They sat down and started talking. Or rather she did. Zev nodded agreement in all the right places, feigning support. By the end of their conversation, Yandra was convinced she had an ally. As for Zev, his sister’s self-indulgence angered him. But he would put up with it for as long as it took.



Chapter Two


Zev left the key cutters on a high. He paused to finger the sharp edges of the freshly cut metal in his pocket. After three weeks he finally had what he wanted. Now all he had to do was get the original back to Yandra and no one would be any the wiser. It had been easy to steal her key. She always removed it from around her neck, on her way to school, as soon as she was out of view from the house. This was just one piece of information Zev had managed to elicit during their talks. It astounded him how foolish she was. He knew, by now, that you couldn’t trust anyone.
That morning Zev had bumped into his sister, accidentally on purpose, outside the school. She dropped her satchel, spilling its contents all over the pavement. He helped her scoop everything up, everything except the key. The bell rang. She thanked him and ran into the school. She could do without another late mark.

***

As soon as Zev walked through the door, Yandra cornered him. She grabbed his hand and led him back outside. She looked panicked. Zev’s heart skipped a beat.
What if she’s found out I took the key, what if she’s told someone…?
There would be hell to pay.
“I’ve lost my key, what am I going to do?” she whispered loudly. She looked around nervously to make sure no one else had heard.
Result! She doesn’t suspect a thing!
“What do you mean you’ve lost it?” Zev asked, doing his best to act surprised.
“I don’t know, it was in my bag and now it’s gone.” Her voice was high-pitched. She was near hysterical. Zev relished her discomfort, but of course he did not let on.
“Calm down, Yandra. Now think, when did you last see it?” “Um… this morning. I took it off. But it was in my bag. What
if someone’s stolen it? Mum and Dad will kill me!”
Chance would be a fine thing!
Zev kept his cool.
“Why would anyone steal a random key when they have no idea what it’s for? How about I retrace your steps back to the school and have a good look around?”
“I’ll come with you.”
“No! I mean… haven’t you got instruction later? Mum and
Dad will get suss if you’re not home on time.”
“I suppose. But what if you don’t find it before then?”
“Relax, I’ll find it,” Zev said, placing a reassuring hand on his sister’s shoulder. He started walking towards the school.
“Zev,” Yandra called out after him. He turned round.
“Thanks.”
“Don’t mention it,” he said. Then he turned back and continued walking. He smiled. It’s not every day one gets to play both perpetrator and hero.

***



In the dead of night, confident he would not be rumbled after a week of studying his family’s night-time routine, Zev accessed the practice room for the first time.
So this is it.
He shone his torch around. The room was huge. Zev remembered it being built when he, Xander and Yandra were five years old, in anticipation of Xander and Yandra beginning formal instruction at seven. Intrigued, Zev would ask questions about the plans, but he was always shooed away. He remembered hearing about the skylight, the single window in the room, set into the high ceiling to keep out prying eyes; his eyes. Minutes spent listening outside the door, whilst his siblings took inst