Chapter 6: Anonni's Explanation

   Anonni took them to a small abandoned hut inside a small forest at the edge of Manchester.

   “Welcome to my home for the last few days,” he announced.  “I believe it used to belong to a Mr Shepherd, who died thirteen years ago reliable sources tell me.  Make yourself at home!”

   Paul and Billy went inside.  There was nothing inside, besides walls and grass.

   “Sit down,” Anonni said, bringing in a bottle of rainwater.  “Cup?”

   They shook their heads.

   “Hm.” He poured himself a glass, and drank.  “Quite salty.  You guys have very dirty rain.”

   Neither of them said anything.

   “Explain.” Paul said, threateningly.

   “You don’t need to be so aggressive,” Anonni told him.  “You forget I could kill you both before you can say Interimo.”

   Paul flinched slightly, but disguised it as a slight cough.

   “Could you please tell us whatever you know?” Billy translated.

   Anonni smiled.  “Certainly!”

 

   “Dead?”

   It couldn’t be.  No!  It wasn’t possible!

   Rebecca clutched her hands over her head and sat down on the steps outside the house, crying.

   “It, it c, can’t be!”

   Carrie couldn’t move for shock.

   “How?  I mean… was it…?”

   “We cannot release any details-” the policeman stuttered, as if regretting his job choice.

   “It’s obvious, isn’t it?” Rebecca said bitterly through tears.  “Tall figure, black armour, sword, ring any bells Carrie?”

   Carrie said nothing.  She couldn’t.

  “I’ll give you some time alone…” the policeman muttered.

   “No you won’t,” Rebecca told him.  “You’re going to tell me everything you know, and you’re going to do it now!” 

   Carrie had never seen her so forceful before.  It was certainly a different reaction than with her Dad.

   “I… don’t know…”

   “Then let me in.”

   “I…” he realised it would be pointless to argue.  “There are other officers in there who won’t take too kindly to your presence.”

   “I don’t care.” Rebecca turned to Carrie, and then walked towards the door.  “Come on Carrie.”

   She opened the smashed up door and stepped inside.  Carrie reluctantly followed.  She stormed inside �" well, it was her house after all.

   She looked around.  There was one policewoman examining the carpet.  She looked up, and saw Rebecca.

   “Were you here when it happened?” she asked.

   “Where did she die?” Rebecca said, ignoring her completely.

   The policewoman sighed.  “In the garden.”

   Rebecca stormed through the house and into the garden.  She looked, and knew immediately where.  There was tape cordoning off a small area behind the house.  The grass was covered in blood.

   “Right…” Rebecca simply said, brushing away her tears.  Carrie looked at her.  “This makes it… very simple.”

   “What are you going to do?” she asked.

   “I’m going to kill it.”

 

   “Though, I don’t actually know that much,” Anonni began. 

   “Start with the Knight,” Paul said.

   “The Knight…” Anonni pondered.  “I’ve not seen anything like it before.  It isn’t human, not any more anyway.  That’s all I really know for sure, though I have theories.”

   “Could you-” Billy tried to say.

   “What is important is the locket you mentioned,” he continued, ignoring Billy.  “Interimo, it must be.  Describe it!”

   They both flinched.  There was no denying Anonni was not someone to mess with.

   “It’s gold, and triangular!” Paul said.

   “That doesn’t matter, what does it do?” Anonni asked.

   “I…” Paul began saying. 

   “Yes?”

   “I think, or, I’m pretty certain it killed my Dad.”

   “Did he act strange before he died?”

   “Yeah… and, in his last weeks he never let the locket out of his sight.”

   “Definitely Interimo,” Anonni said to himself.  “And where is it now?”

   “Wherever Rebecca is,” Billy said.

   “Rebecca?” Anonni asked.

   “My sister,” Billy answered.  “I couldn’t even guess where she is now.  We all got split up when the Knight attacked us.”

   “It attacked you?  Is it not possible the Knight could have killed her?” Anonni wondered.

   Billy had been thinking that, but tried to put it out of his mind.

   “She’s a resourceful girl,” he said only.

   “That word you said… Interimo… what does it mean?” Paul asked.

   “That would take a while to explain…” Anonni said.  “Time we don’t have.  It would be better spent formulating a plan.”

   “Tell me!” Paul insisted.  “That thing killed my Dad; I have a right to know!”

   “…Alright.  I suppose to answer that, I’d have to tell you who I am.” Anonni said.

   They suddenly realised that they had no idea who he was.

   “Go on.” Paul said.

   “Well, as I said my name is Anonni Strèkalinski.  I come from the world Meadous.  I am one of the Seven Seltarina, and I hunt Interimo. I can tell from your blank faces that means nothing.”

   He pulled out a large yellow cylinder that resembled a thermo flask, and examined it.  

   “A quick demonstration won’t waste much.”

   He undid some of the locks, opened it, and a blue gas steamed out of it.  Paul and Billy instinctively covered their mouths.

   “It won’t harm you!” Anonni reassured them.  He began controlling the gas with his hands, creating shapes and swirling it around, which formed different shades, eventually becoming different colours.  It was like he was making a picture!

   “That locket, and me, are both from a different world,” he explained.  “Not parallel.  A different dimension if you like.”

   They stared at him, not in disbelief, as not much could surprise them anymore, but simply in shock.

   The gas eventually no longer resembled gas, and became what could only be described as a small, transparent, floating arch.

   “Interimo energy,” he explained, though it meant nothing.

   But then something interesting happened.  A picture appeared in the arch.  It was of countryside, covered by a reddish sky.  It looked different, though. 

   “That’s…” Billy tried to say, but couldn’t put into words.  He looked at Paul, who had obviously sensed it too.  The image seemed so distant… yet so real…

   “Feels weird, doesn’t it?” Anonni said.  “Your first gaze into another world always does.” 

   He wasn’t lying.  The picture felt so… broken, yet so indescribably full, that it was obvious.

   Something moved, and they realised it wasn’t an image.  There was a man walking across the hill in the distance, towards them.

   “You’re seeing into my world,” Anonni said.  “Do you believe me now?”

   They nodded.

   Anonni waved his hand through the arch, and it dissolved back into blue gas.  He opened up the blue tube and it was sucked back in.

   “Now’s not the time to explain what this is,” he said, holding it up.

   Neither of them said anything.  They were both trying to make sense of it all, trying to understand the fact that there was another world.  If they could imagine ever finding out about another world, it wouldn’t be as casual as this.  Billy seemed to be coping better; he was less ground into reality compared to Paul. 

   “Now… could you please explain the locket?” he asked politely.

 

   Rebecca returned to the house, and passing the policewoman, climbed the stairs.

   “I’m afraid I must take you both back to the station for some questions,” she said.  Rebecca ignored her and continued climbing.

   “You’ll have a hard time getting her to do that,” Carrie said, and followed Rebecca.

   Rebecca found her school bag.  She put the locket into it, and then stormed back out of the room and down the stairs.

   “Miss Jackson!” the policewoman said sternly.  Again, Rebecca ignored her and went to the fridge, taking out some food and putting it into the bag.  She then found the knife-rack, and took the largest, sharpest knife, and put that into the bag.

   “Put that back or I’ll have to-”

   Rebecca picked up another, smaller knife, and held it up.

   “Yeah?  Do what?”

   The policewoman said nothing, so Rebecca continued putting it into her bag.

   “Right, that’s enough.  I’m off!”  She stormed out of the door, bashing down what was left on her way out.  Carrie followed her, passing the policewoman who could only gawp after them.

 

   “Well… this locket is one of nine Interimo created many decades ago,” Anonni explained.

   “Hold on, what is an Interimo?” Paul asked.

   “None of us really know for sure…” he answered.

   “Who do you mean by us?” Billy asked.

   “The Seven Seltarina!” he exclaimed, as if it was obvious.  “We’re a group that hunt Interimo and try to destroy them, because obviously, they’re dangerous.  We’ve destroyed two already, so we have another seven to go.”

   “Why do you have to look for them anyway?” Billy asked.  Paul sat in the corner, taking very little in.

   “I don’t really know, but something happened after they were created - decades ago - and they were scattered into other worlds,” Anonni answered.  “But there’s a problem; we’re not the only ones after the Interimo, there’s a mysterious group called the Cult of Strata who are after them.  They have one already, and we think they need three for some evil purpose.”

   “By evil you mean…?” Billy wondered.

   “We haven’t a clue.  But with the power of three Interimo, it could literally be anything!”

   Paul sat up.

   “Enough, you still haven’t explained what an Int…er… thing is!” he shouted.

   “I’m getting to that!!” Anonni shouted back, more fiercely than Billy had thought possible.  Paul went suddenly silent.

   “Interimo is, in short, a container of mass power.  A man created them several decades ago, but I haven’t the slightest clue how.  But… they’re clever, and are very good at preserving themselves.  They can put thoughts into their owner’s heads, and are impossible to destroy… Almost.  But, if your sister Rebecca has it, then she is in danger.”

   “How?” Billy asked.

   “In danger of losing her soul.”

Reviews

[Riding the Rainbow]

Really good chapter with new details about Interimo;)) Rebecca losing her soul? For killing someone so powerful, sometimes we something very powerful. A soul is pure power.