Chapter 1: https://markcheverton.com/the-algae-voices-of-azule-chapter-1/ 

Chapter 2: https://markcheverton.com/the-algae-voices-of-azule-chapter-2/

Chapter 3: https://markcheverton.com/the-algae-voices-of-azule-chapter-3/

Chapter 4: https://markcheverton.com/the-algae-voices-of-azule-chapter-4/

Chapter 5: https://markcheverton.com/the-algae-voices-of-azule-chapter-5/

Chapter 6: https://markcheverton.com/the-algae-voices-of-azule-chapter-6/

Chapter 7: https://markcheverton.com/the-algae-voices-of-azule-chapter-7/

Chapter 8: https://markcheverton.com/the-algae-voices-of-azule-chapter-8/

Chapter 9: https://markcheverton.com/the-algae-voices-of-azule-chapter-9/

Chapter 10: https://markcheverton.com/the-algae-voices-of-azule-chapter-10/

Chapter 11: https://markcheverton.com/the-algae-voices-of-azule-chapter-11/

The Algae Voices of Azule

Chapter 12

“WAIT!” Ali yelled. “I have another idea.”

She stood up and ignored the approaching spiders. Stepping back away from the attacking horde, she pulled Billy and her father toward the back of the ravine, closer to the burning vines and shrubs.

“Billy, form a ball of air, like we did when we blew up the Inquisitor’s ground speeder,” Ali commanded. “You remember.”

“Yeah, but what will that do?”

“Just do it!”

Billy formed a ball of hardened air and held it in his outstretched hand. Ali then moved her mouth close to it and blew. Spores of blue algae filled the ball of air, making it glow as if lit from within, shading them all an eerie cobalt blue.

“Now, throw the ball and release it when it hits the ground.”

Billy threw it with all his might. He could feel it fly through the air, his Gift still wrapped around the ball of air. When it landed on the ground, he released the ball, allowing the air to expand outward like a little bomb. The ball of air shot the blue algae spores outward like shrapnel from a grenade. It infected a circle of spiders that instantly turned on their fellows, trying to defend the three in the ravine.

“Quickly, another!” Ali yelled.

Billy threw another, and then another, forming more clusters of Blue spiders.

“Throw them farther, Billy, you have to throw them farther.”

“I can’t, that’s as far as I can throw them,” Billy explained.

Charles stepped forward and sighed, hating what was to come, but knew he had to do it to save his children.

“I’ll throw them,” he said with a cold detachment. His soul was void of emotion, so that he could endure the touch of that which he hated with his entire being.

“Right,” Billy said. “Hold your hand out.”

Billy formed a ball of hardened air in his father’s hand then Ali blew the spores into it. Charles could feel a tingle of his son’s Gift as the ball of air filled his hand. It made his skin crawl; he felt as if he were going to throw up. The feel of the Gift brought back such painful memories, such loss. The touch of this power made is very soul cringe, but he knew he had to bear this abomination for his children, for their lives.

Using all his strength, Charles threw the ball of air far into the sky, glad to be rid of it, but then reached out for another ball, his face creased in a scowl as the next ball of Gift-wrapped air settled into his palm. He threw the next few balls farther then threw a group a little closer, trying to paint of line of Blue near the ravine opening, as well as near them. Two lines of Blue spiders slowly formed, as Charles dropped the algae bombs in the mass of spotted bodies. Once infected, the two lines of Blues converged onto those between, sharp teeth and pointed feet piercing shells and rending flesh, the screeches of the dying insects filled the air. Charles continued to throw balls of Blue air, sending them farther and farther into the fray. He then turned his attention to the spiders on the walls of the ravine, painting them with the lifesaving algae then struck out at the spiders on the top of the ravine. They were like a robotic manufacturing system. Billy was forming the ball of air in his father’s outstretched hand; Ali was blowing the algae spores into the ball, and then Charles would fling the ball at clusters of spiders. The three of them, working together, were stronger and more destructive than the sum of them individually.

In what seemed like forever, the tide had turned, and the wild piranha spiders were on the run, relentlessly pursued by Blue spiders. The ravine opened, as the attacking horde was scattered. Some spiders remained, lined up on each side of the ravine, but Charles and his children could see that these spiders had blue eyes, instead of the normal fiery yellow-orange. These were their sentries, their protectors. The Blue spiders were now part of the Blue algae matrix of living things. Ali could reach out with her Gift and feel the Blue algae in them, the alien presence whispering deep rumbling thoughts into their tiny brains; the Blue probing their minds for what they’d experienced and seen, drawing memories from the large insects like a parched man drinking from a cool stream.

“It’s OK,” Ali said as she sensed apprehension from her father and brother. “Look at their eyes; they’re blue. These spiders are under our command, if we choose it.”

“We do choose it!” Charles barked, glad to be finally free from his children’s Gifted touch; he shuddered at the memory, then buried the feelings deep within his soul. “Have them form a large circle around us, no two circles, one closer in and one farther out. We don’t want any more spidery surprises.”

Ali closed her eyes and sent the thoughts to the insects. The spiders quickly scurried out of the ravine, pushing past the split shells and broken legs of their fellow spiders to form a protective ring around Charles and his twins. Ali could see in the distance the pursuing blue spiders halting the chase and returning to form a protective screen farther away, their sharp pointed teeth focused away, rather than toward the three. She gave a sigh of relief; they’d survived.

“We have to move quickly!” Charles commanded. “We don’t want to be here when the government sends a satellite or a couple of hunter-killers to investigate.”

“Hunter-killers?” Billy asked.

“One man fighters with lots of weapons,” Charles explained. “They’re a bad thing to have chasing you, if you’re on foot in the open. We have to get moving. Come on! Let’s get to Haven before the first sunrise.”

By now, Gios had completely set, leaving the surrounds pitch black, something that didn’t happen very often when your planet had two suns. Some people called it double midnight while others called it starry night because the stars visible in the dark sky. Billy looked up at the sparkling sky and thought he could see to the distant ends of the universe.

‘Look up there, Ali,’ he thought to his sister. ‘You see all the stars.’

‘It’s beautiful,’ Ali replied. ‘It’s like we can see forever.’

“We can see forever,” the voices of the Blue said within Billy and Ali’s minds. “We have traveled to the farthest parts of the universe and can see all. Behold.”

Suddenly, Billy and Ali were overwhelmed with images of distant galaxies, alien worlds, and sleek alien starships. It was magnificent beyond description, images of beauty and wonder that flowed through the twin’s minds, images from the Blue. They saw a distant alien world inhabited by bright red insectoids, tall ant-like looking creatures, and a watery world filled with creatures that looked like giant walking alligators, with weapons and tools attached to leather belts, their starships streaking through space, and an even stranger creature that looked as if made from liquid metal, shiny and smooth. The visions were overwhelming. Billy and Ali could have bathed themselves in the images forever, but suddenly the flow of images stopped, and the Blue’s voice filled their minds.

“We have traveled to the stars on the skin of alien space craft, and explored the galaxy on passing asteroids. We are on millions of planets across the universe. We are one and we are many.” The Blue voices stopped for a minute, to allow Billy and Ali to take in what they had seen then continued. “We are here when you need us, for you are part of us now.”

“Come on, let’s get moving,” Charles said to the twins. “Quit staring at the stars.”

Billy looked at Ali and smiled, then punched his sister in the arm, playfully. She punched him back much harder than she’d received and laughed, then followed their father through the darkness out of the ravine and toward Haven. Ali lit a small plasma ball and made it float overhead so that they could at least see obstacles that they might trip over. Charles grumbled something, but knew that they needed some light, and acquiesced. The illumination was just enough for them to see the ring of Blue spiders around them, the distant circle of spiders lost in the darkness.

Charles drove them hard, forcing the twins to walk as fast as they could to keep up with their father’s long strides. They never saw any more spiders; the ring of Blue likely eliminated any threats before they reached the family. Checking his wrist computer as they went, Charles led them toward their destination.

“We’re almost there,” Charles said to the twins. “You should probably get rid of the piranhas. We don’t want to scare anyone by arriving with an army of blood thirsty spiders.”

“You’re probably right,” Ali agreed.

Closing her eyes, she spoke to all the spiders.

‘It is time for you to leave us,’ she thought. ‘Go, live your lives, but do no harm to mankind, they are not your enemy and they are not your food. Pass the Blue to all you encounter and deliver this message. Piranha spiders and mankind do not need to be enemies. Now go.’

The spiders all heard the message and went away, continuing to do whatever piranha spiders do, but without ever again considering an attack on a human.

Charles continued to lead the party toward their goal, Haven. He followed the coordinates on his wrist computer, until he finally came to a stop.

“It should be here, but I don’t see anything,” Charles said.

Ali released the glowing ball of plasma and allowed darkness to envelop them. She then reached out with her Gift and felt for other Gifted. She found them instantly, but oddly enough, they were under her feet.

“Do you feel them, Billy?” Ali asked.

“What are you doing?” Charles snapped.

“Yeah, I can feel them.”

“What are you doing!!”

“Father,” Ali said, hoping to explain, without incurring his wrath. “It’s underneath us, Haven.”

“Underneath us?” Charles asked. “How do you know that?”

“Do you really want me to answer that?” Ali asked.

“No, I don’t want to know.” Charles sighed, as he seemed to do more frequently when with the twins and their Gifts. “Just tell them we’re here.”

“They already know,” Ali explained.

She reached out again with her Gift, but this time she felt something familiar; a mind that she knew very well, but also had a trace of the Blue in it. It was Francis!

“Billy, he’s here,” Ali blurted.

“Who?”

“Francis, he’s here.”

“Frank, my Frank is here?” Charles asked.

“Yes, and that means that mom must also be here,” Ali explained. “Billy, help me to reach out to Francis …ahh, I mean Frank. Come on, help me.”

Ali closed her eyes and reached out toward Billy with her Gift, then focused their two Gifts deep underground, probing for the Blue algae that permeated Francis’ mind. They found him almost instantly, the Blue standing out to their Gifted vision like a glowing beacon. Once they found him, they sent a message that they were here. Almost instantly, a patch of soil and stone seemed to dissolve before them, revealing a lit stairway that led deep underground. Soldiers streamed quickly out of the passage, some with their weapons pointed to Charles and his children, while others had their weapons pointed outward, securing the area.

“Hold on, what’s going on here?” Charles asked. “What kind of welcome is this?”

Slowly, a man with the look of command stepped out of the passageway. He was a dark-skinned man with long, black hair and a heavy mustache. He held no weapon, but moved like a predatory cat, his weight always on the balls of his feet as if ready to spring into action. He wore baggy pants and an oversized shirt, but Charles could tell that he was well built, strong and lithe. This was a dangerous man, he thought.

The dark man looked about the area, making sure all was secure, then he walked around Charles and the twins, eyes scanning every inch of them like a shark inspecting its next prey. Billy and Ali both moved a little closer to their father, uncertain about this dark stranger. Ali could tell that he was Gifted and strong, much stronger than the Inquisitor that had chased them into the Outlands. He was probably the strongest Gifted Ali had ever sensed. Finishing the circle, he stopped directly in front of Charles

“I am Farzin Arash, and I run this establishment,” the commander said, a dangerous edge to his voice. “Who are you and how is it that you happen to come walking up to our little underground village here, without any vehicle, without any air transport, and especially without any spiders around?”

“Well, ahh…” Charles started to say, but was interrupted.

“Charles, I can’t believe you made it!” said a familiar voice said from afar.

Paul Dirac came running up the steps and pushed through the circle of men, brushing past the dark hair man and clasp Charles in a bone-crushing bear hug. He then grabbed each of the twins and hugged them as well.

“I can’t believe you’re alive,” Paul said. “We heard you were chased out into the Outlands, on foot—by an Inquisitor—and feared the worse. Everyone thought you’d died; only your wife and son were hopeful.”

“You know these people, Dirac,” Farzin said angrily. He always sounded angry. “You can vouch for them.”

“Yes, of course, Farzin. Macab wants these people badly, especially the two kids,” Dirac explained. “They took down an Inquisitor, and Macab wants them for questioning.”

Frazin’s eyebrow rose, as he stroked the edges of his mustache in thought.

“I’m sure he would want to talk to them. Two kids taking out one of his Inquisitors…interesting,” Farzin said. “What level was the Inquisitor?”

“Black,” replied Dirac.

“A black?…They took out a black?”

“Yep,” Billy said proudly, moving to put an arm around his sister, pride beaming on her face, as well.

“Then Macab would indeed want them,” Farzin said, still a hint of suspicion in his voice. “Let’s get inside before a satellite passes overhead. Let’s go.”

At that, Charles and the twins were hustled down the steps and into Haven. The entrance then sealed up behind them, the illusion put back into place by a group of Gifted, the keepers of the illusion.

They were taken through a maze of passageways and tunnels carved into the bowels of Azule, led by Farzin himself, his curious eyes darted frequently to the twins. The tunnels sloped downward, taking them deeper and deeper underground, the air getting cooler as they descended. Soon, the tunnel was lined with sparse living quarters carved into the walls, with multiple rooms connected by narrow doorways. Farzin led them past many rooms, each with a doorway covered by drab hanging fabrics, until he stopped next to one that had a bright orange fabric door. Instantly, they were met by a familiar smell. It was a yeasty, doughy smell that went from just a hint in the air to an overpowering, invitation that promised warm, soft, wonderfulness on its first bite. It was the smell of their mother’s fresh baked bread, an aroma that, at one time, had filled their home.

Charles parted the orange curtains and entered the living quarters, the twins followed close behind. The room was empty, with sparse furniture against the walls and stone benches carved into the walls. A glow globe hovered in the corner, filling the room with a pale yellow light the cast dark shadows behind each visitor. The room was empty, their footsteps echoing off the rough stone walls. A doorway was carved into the back wall leading to another room; the source of the wonderful smells. But suddenly Francis came out of that back room with a piece of fresh baked bread in one hand, a satisfied smile on his face.

“You two are a little late, but I managed to save you some bread,” Francis said, a huge smile on his face.

Billy and Ali ran to their older brother and enveloped him in a hug; his strong arms wrapping around each of them and squeezing them tight. He then released the hug and handed each of them a piece of bread. Ali had forgotten how hungry she felt, and gobbled down the warm slice of goodness; Billy doing the same. They then hugged Francis again, as their father clasped a thankful hand on his eldest son’s shoulder.

“Francis, we have to get ready,” said a familiar voice from the other room. “They’ll be here soon and we…”

Just then, Diane entered the room, her baking apron wrapped around her waist, flour coating her hands and forearms, white smudges on her cheek. The instant she saw her husband and children, she stopped and just stared, tears started to stream down her cheeks, carving rivulets through the floury patches. Billy and Ali let go of their older brother and ran to their mother, hugging her tight. Then Charles joined the hug then kissed his wife warmly.

Everything that had been wrong in their lives, everything that they’d lost and feared seemed to evaporate away in their warm embrace. Ali and Billy finally felt safe and secure, a feeling of unconditional love and acceptance overwhelming them. Ali took a deep breath, taking in the smell of the fresh baked bread, as well as the familiar smell of their mother’s perfume and was overcome with relief. It seemed that she’d found that thing that she’d thought lost forever. Reaching out with her Gift, she sent a thought to Billy.

‘Billy, you feel it?’

‘Feel what?’

‘Can’t you feel it? It’s back; like it was never gone. I’d thought we’d never have this back again, thought I’d lost it for the whole family because of my attacking that Inquisitor back on the street outside our bakery. But we never really lost it. We had it all along. It was within us all the time. It’s not stuff or toys or games or walls. It’s more than material things, more than just what we can see. It’s what we feel, who we are with, and how we make them feel…we’re back.’

Billy let go of the hug with his mother, causing the family to also let go, tears streaming down cheeks. He looked at his sister and gave her a questioning look.

‘What are you talking about?’ Billy thought.

‘Don’t you get it? We didn’t lose it, we made it back’.

‘Are you insane? What are you rambling on about? Made it back where?’

‘Home…we’re home.’

Billy looked around the stone lined room, at the hard stone seats carved into the walls, and the tattered hanging fabrics for doors, but then his eyes fell on his mother, father, sister and brother, and it hit him like sledge hammer; their family, their sense of togetherness and unconditional acceptance and of course the love they had for each other. Ali was right, they hadn’t lost it, it had been with them all along; and he nodded to his sister and smiled.

“You’re right,” Billy said to his sister.

“Right about what, son?” his mother asked, then looked at Ali with a questioning gaze.

“We’re back,” Ali said confidently.

“Back where?” Diane asked in confusion.

And Ali answered with a single word, her voice ringing with grateful confidence.

“Home,” she said.

And their family all smiled.

“I still didn’t catch your names,” a gruff voice sounded from the doorway.

Farzin was still standing there while the family embraced, his predatory gaze scanning the room.

“What?” Charles asked, confused.

“I said I didn’t quite catch your names,” Farzin repeated. “I don’t trust people that won’t give me their names.”

Farzin took a step into the room, Dirac and a group of guards at his back.

“Fine … I’m Charles Asonti and this is my wife, Diane. This young man is my oldest son, Frank, and these two …” Charles took a step toward the twins and put an arm around each, pulling them in tight. “These two are my youngest, William and Alison.”

And that was the best moment in the twin’s lives.

 

The End – for now

 

 

 

 

Note from the author:

I hope you enjoyed The Algae Voices of Azule. This originally started out as two books, but I felt it made for a better read if they were pulled together into one book. So ff you enjoyed this, and would want to see what happens to the twins next, then look for the next book in the series, The Algae Voices of Azule – Book 3: Finding the Lost. Don’t get book 2 as you just finished it.

It was fun writing it, but it’s even more exciting to hear your feedback. Please leave a review wherever you find the book, I would love to hear your comments.

Go to www.markcheverton.com and tell me what you think of the book. I love hearing stories about kids reading my book and would love to hear from all of you. Get registered on my website. I’ll be sending out previews and announcements of upcoming books, so get registered and don’t miss out—kids, get your parent’s permission and don’t share personal information over the Internet. Be safe, have fun, and watch out for creepers!!!

Mark Cheverton