Chapter 23: Entanglement

   “Rebecca!” Billy shouted.  Paul stopped, and spun around.  There was no mistaking the terror in Billy’s voice.

   “The Knight!” he cried, holding the second locket in his hands.  He fell to his knees, in the middle of a busy street.  People began to stare at him.

   “What’s happening?” Paul shouted.  Billy regained his breath, and tried to think.

   “Follow me!” he yelled, got up, and ran as fast as his legs would carry him.

 

   The metallic clash of sword on sword ringed through the air.  Anonni and the Knight swung and parried; each with equal skill.  Rebecca wasted no time, and quickly got back to her feet and grabbed the locket by the chain.  But the Knight was not willing to lose the locket… Gaining the upper hand against Anonni, it kicked him into the doorway and turned for Rebecca.  Rebecca ran back as far as she could against the side, and looked down to see how far a drop it really was.  Paralysed by fear, she stood at the edge as the Knight quickly advanced towards her.  It moved the sword to above its head, ready to bring it smashing down on her and end her life…

   “Rebecca!” Anonni shouted from the doorway.  “Give it the locket!”

   Rebecca moved out of the way of the sword, which clanged against the side of the building.  The Knight quickly regained control and slashed it towards Rebecca, narrowly missing.

   “Throw it away from you!” Anonni shouted.  “You have no other choice!”

   DON’T.

   Fighting the instinctive desire to keep the locket, Rebecca held it up to the Knight, who immediately stopped trying to slice her in half.

   “…Have it,” she gasped.  The Knight stood, as if immobilised.  “Take it!  Please!”

   The Knight slowly outstretched its hand and moved it towards the locket…only to move it upwards, and place it on her shoulder.  Rebecca gasped in fright.  What was it doing?  The Knight was looking at her through its helmet, she could tell.  She looked back at it, and several moments seemed to pass where the feeling of pity she held for it intensified.  The Knight then moved its hand away, and placed it on the locket.  Not feeling the heat, its fist closed on it, and it lifted the locket away from her.  She was free.

   “You’ve been looking for that a while now, haven’t you?” Anonni said, walking back with his sword dragging along behind him.  “To destroy it, am I right?”

   The Knight slowly moved its head away from Rebecca, and turned to Anonni.  It didn’t say anything, but Rebecca was unsure if it could… It neither nodded nor shook it’s head, but Rebecca too got the impression that the Knight hated it just as much as she did.

   “Rebecca!  Anonni!” Billy cried, emerging through the doorway.  The Knight immediately moved to stare at him.

   “The Knight!” Paul cried.  “What…?”

   The Knight made no hesitation, and charged straight for Billy.

   “The second Locket…” Anonni said, realising.  “Billy, give it the second locket!”

   Having already recently used it to track down Rebecca, it was still in his hands.  He threw it at the Knight, who caught it instantly and stopped still, right in the centre of the roof…  The four stared at it in fear and bewilderment.  The Knight placed the second locket on top of the original; it was a perfect fit.  They then both began to glow blue - not from heat, but from something else…

   “This is it…” Anonni said, almost excitedly. 

   Several waves of some mysterious blue energy began circling the lockets and the Knight’s hand, and it was as if space itself had become manipulated by this awesome power… light became distorted, and all sorts of waves of colour showed through it.  If Rebecca did not greatly fear for her life, she’d notice the beauty of such forces… Even in danger of death, there was something distracting about it…

   “Entanglement… I’ve never seen it so beautiful,” Anonni said, but only he knew what it meant.

   Such distraction did not last, however.  The Knight pulled up its sword and slashed at Rebecca, who had no time to react.  She screamed and fell back, as drops of blood flew across the floor.  On her arm was a long cut which would be added to the collection she had gathered.  Several drops remained on the sword, which seemed to be all the Knight was after.  It moved the sword’s tip above the beautiful distortion of light and space, and tapped the sword so the drops of blood fell into it.  The final contact of entanglement and blood… It was as Sam’s message predicted!

   “We need to get out…” Anonni said urgently.  “Rebecca, get up!”

   “I…” she said, staring at the Knight.  It had turned to face her, as the entanglement in its hands became more and more violent.  There was almost sadness in the way it was standing.  Several powerful forces of the Interimo ravaged and burnt into the Knight, but he did not move from staring at her… For a brief moment, she stared back… What torment had it suffered…?

   “I forgive you,” she said, getting to her feet.  She carefully walked around the edge of the roof to avoid being hit by an outburst of raw power being emitted from it, and ran to the door. 

   “Come on Rebecca!” Anonni shouted, and followed Billy down the stairs.  Rebecca took one last look at the Knight, but it had become devoured by the entanglement.  She turned, and raced down the stairs with Paul.

   She charged down the stairs as fast as she could, not knowing why, but she could guess how dangerous anything related to the locket could be.  Anonni and Billy raced out the door, with Rebecca and Paul soon behind them.  They weren’t fast enough, however.  As Rebecca made her first step on the ground floor, a blazing inferno of flames and power erupted above them, blowing the entire building apart. 

   Outside, Anonni grabbed his yellow cylinder and with haste, undid the locks and opened it.  The forces and power seemed to flow from the explosion, having suddenly been halted in expansion, and into the cylinder.  It was as if fire itself was flying along the air.

   Inside, Rebecca and Paul had been thrown off their feet merely by the vibrations caused.  The roof momentarily seemed to be holding up, as the weight of the rest of the building had been no less than totally obliterated.

   “…Paul…” Rebecca cried, with yet more injuries, though none seemed serious.  She managed to get to her feet, and looked over across the room to see Paul hadn’t been so lucky.  His body laid against a pillar, with several pieces of rubble lying against him.

   “Rebecca!  Paul!” Billy shouted.  Anonni clasped the lid on the cylinder once all energy had flowed into it, and ran into the collapsing building.  He saw Rebecca, stunned and scared.

   “Paul…” she managed to say.  “Over there…” she pointed to where his body was.

   “Get out, now!” he ordered.  Rebecca didn’t argue, and limped out the door as a pillar behind her collapsed.  Anonni leapt to where Paul was, and lifted the body up over onto his shoulder.

   Another pillar collapsed, and the building could no longer support the weight.  It collapsed in on itself; rubble flying everywhere, and smoke clouding any vision.

   Rebecca stumbled into the alleyway, which quickly was gaining a crowd.  Billy helped her over to the end of the alley where she could avoid suspicion.

   “What happened to Anonni and Paul?” Billy cried out.

   “They must be dead…” Rebecca mumbled, still in slight shock.  “It collapsed…”

   An ambulance came spinning around the corner.  A couple of stupid people that had turned up to see what was happening had been injured, or killed, in the explosion and collapse.  Paramedics rushed out and tended to these people’s injuries.  Rebecca kept looking at the rubble, desperately praying for the smoke to clear, or for survivors to walk out…

   “They came out!” some man cried, pointing at Billy and Rebecca.  Police cars had just turned up, and the officers were asking for eyewitness accounts.

   “That’s Rebecca!” A policewoman cried.  It was the same woman from their house!  “And Billy!  Hey, you!”  She ran up to both of them.

   “What are you doing here?” she cried.

   But Rebecca ignored her, for the dust had cleared.  Out of the rubble stumbled Anonni, carrying Paul’s body in his arms.

   “No, Paul!” Rebecca cried.  Not someone else… Had the locket claimed another life?

   “Paul!” Billy shouted.

   “He’s badly injured; several bones are broken!” Anonni called.  More ambulances turned up, and Paul was quickly rushed off by paramedics and put into one of those.

   “He should be okay,” Anonni said, once the ambulance had set off.  “If he gets treatment quickly enough.”

   “Right, Rebecca,” the policewoman said.  “And Billy… I want you to come back to the station with me and explain everything that has happened!”

   “I’d rather that waited, if you don’t mind,” Anonni interrupted.  “Or if you do mind, wait anyway.”

   “Right, you’re coming too,” she decided.

   “No I’m not.  Follow me, Rebecca and Billy.”

   They turned and, ignoring her cries, walked away from the policewoman.  Billy had to support Rebecca, for she could barely walk.  They kept walking, from street to street, until they reached the road leading to Paul’s house.

   “Are we going back to your hut?” Billy asked.

   “Not necessarily,” Anonni replied.  “Just somewhere fairly private.  In here should do…” He turned into a gap between the trees, and walked into the forest.  Rebecca and Billy followed him.

   “You look in a fair bit of pain, Rebecca,” Anonni stated.  She nodded… even talking would hurt.  Anonni retrieved the blue cylinder again, and opened it.  Pink steam seemed to slowly rise out of it.

   “Remarkable creations, Interimo,” he said.  “So much energy… so many uses… Their creator �" Drenvelnua, was a complete genius.  If he had used them for good, instead of trying to gather more souls for more power, it could have changed my world…”

   “Interimo energy can be used for other purposes than destruction, or to find out information.  Its uses are perhaps limitless.  Only, there are so few Interimo, nobody has been able properly experiment.  Now, don’t be frightened Rebecca.”

   How could she be frightened, after everything she had been through?  How could she ever be truly scared again?  But she wasn’t expecting what was about to happen.  The pink gaseous substance roared out of the cylinder and enveloped Rebecca in a cloud of smoke.  She screamed, not in fright or pain, but out of a completely new feeling… It felt as though the gas had penetrated her skin, as if it were inside her very body…

   “What are you doing?” Billy yelled.

   “Cellular regeneration…” Anonni muttered.  “I believe that is the correct term.  I’ve never been a good biologist myself, though.”

   The gas roared inside and outside Rebecca’s body.  It seemed to go on and on and on… yet, it was over as soon as it started.  The gas literally vanished, and suddenly it was over.  She gasped, and stepped backwards.  All her cuts and injuries were gone!

   “Amazing!” Billy said, laughing.  “But, why couldn’t you do that for Paul?”

   “It would require far more energy as he was more injured,” Anonni answered.  “And I don’t know how well it works for someone unconscious… their body may be too vulnerable.”

   “What happened?” Rebecca asked, remembering there was far more on her mind than the injuries.  “Could the Knight have survived that?”

   “I hope not, or my theory is wrong!” Anonni said.  “If I’m right, you are free of the locket and the Knight.”

   “How?” Rebecca cried.

   “That… spinny…space manipulation…entanglement… thing…” Anonni began.  Rebecca understood how even he had trouble describing it; it seemed almost beyond human comprehension.  “That happens whenever an Interimo is destroyed.  That happened with the one we encountered previously.”

   “So… by combining the two lockets, they both are destroyed?”

   “You forget, the Knight took some blood from you,” Anonni explained.  “It’s possible it needs the blood from a previous owner of the locket.  That, combined with the two lockets, destroys it.”

   “How could anyone possible guess that?” Rebecca said.

   “Well, exactly.  Drenvelnua didn’t want them to be destroyed.”

   “What about the Knight?” Billy asked.  “What was it?”

   Anonni gave a slight sigh.  “I have no idea… It wanted the locket destroyed just as much as we did; perhaps it was someone whose soul had been taken.  But then, its soul would have been released at Edward’s mansion, along with all of the others… I really don’t know.”

   There was a small pause.  Then, Billy said “Now what?”  They both turned to him, for it was a rather odd question.  But Rebecca knew what he meant.

   “Our lives are ruined,” she said.  “Mum is dead, I don’t know what’s gonna happen to our home �" we may even have to live with Granny, in Canada!”

   “No, she’s not well enough,” Billy said.  “You might be taken into care…”

   “There must be something,” Anonni said, concerned, sorry for the problems an Interimo had caused them.

   “I don’t know how I can go back, from this,” Rebecca said.  “It… I…” she paused, and looked towards Anonni.  “What are you doing?  After this?”

   “I’ll have to return to Meadous, and report to my boss,” he answered.  “Then I’m back to searching for more Interimo �" there are still six left out there.”

   “…Can I come?”

   Anonni surveyed her… No, she was too young… She’d cope even worse in Meadous than Earth.  “It’s… a problematic suggestion,” he said.

   “Why?” Billy asked.  “Why would you want to go?”

   “Well, there’s nothing left for me �" for us, here,” she explained.  “I can’t just go back and pretend none of it happened, because it did.  And who would believe me if I told them?  Only you, me, Paul and Carrie could ever know…”

   “Where did Carrie go, anyway?” Anonni said, half to change the subject.  He didn’t want to deny her, and he could understand completely how she felt…

   “Probably ran off,” Rebecca said.  “So, can I come?”

   “If Rebecca is going… I’m coming too,” Billy said.  “It would be even worse for me, not having Rebecca here to share it with.”

   “But… you… It will be dangerous,” Anonni said.  “Maybe even more danger than you’ve already been in.”

   “I think by now we understand what we’re getting ourselves in for,” Billy said.

   “Yes,” Rebecca agreed.  “Believe me, I don’t want to see an Interimo again. But I couldn’t bare going back… having memories of my Mum, everywhere…”

   “Okay.” Anonni said, but knowing he would regret it.  “You can come.”

   “What?” Rebecca cried, astonished.  She’d wanted to go, of course, but was resigned to the fact Anonni wouldn’t let her… But he was?  Billy gave a faint smile that indicated both relief and sadness.

   “But it will be dangerous,” Anonni stressed.  “There’s all sorts of horrors when you join the ranks of Interimo hunters.  There’s the Cult of Strata, Briadon, The False Degradation of Peace and Order… not to mention whatever the other worlds hold, which you would need to travel into if you’re searching for Interimo.”

   “You mentioned The Seven Seltarina…” Billy said.  “That they hunt for Interimo.  Would we have to join, to help you?”

   “Not necessarily…” Anonni answered.  “We have been known to have accomplices.  Croma Ohwanoa set up an independent group for the sole purpose of catching Interimo… it didn’t last long, poor man �" he nearly left… But answering your question, it isn’t unheard of for us to have help.  We don’t always have to travel into worlds on our own.”

   “How many Interimo are there left?” Rebecca asked.

   “Six left in existence, now the locket is destroyed,” Anonni said.  “Two were destroyed previously.  The Cult of Strata we know is in possession of one, and various other people are looking for them too.  But, the six other members of the Seven Seltarina are looking, so it is entirely possible you could travel with me and never find an Interimo.”

   “Could we return home?” Billy asked. 

   “Not easily,” Anonni explained.  “Two of us are searching for the Creator’s base of operations, the very place that the Interimo were created, and we hope to uncover the secret ourselves.  If they succeed, there could be limitless energy available, so you would be able to.  If not, you’d have to rely on finding an Interimo and destroying it to release its energy.”

   “But even so…” said Rebecca.  “To see a whole other world… How many other people could do that?”

   “Is there anything you want to collect before we go?” Anonni asked.  “Anyone you wish to say goodbye to?  You won’t return for a long time �" if ever…”

   Rebecca shrugged.  “I don’t,” she answered.  “Do you?”

   “Paul should know…” Billy said.  “Maybe the offer should apply to him, too.”

   “He’s in hospital with several broken bones, so I doubt he’ll be in any fit state to even decide anytime soon,” Anonni said.  “I don’t want to have to wait a long time; this is a mission for me, you know.”

   “Yeah, of course…” Billy sighed.  “But I think I owe it to Paul to at least explain where we’ve gone �" he could think we’re dead!”

   “He knows where the hut is,” Anonni suggested.  “You could leave a note.”

   “But, I…”

   “I have something similar to paper,”

   “And I have a pen,” said Rebecca.

   “But… alright,” Billy agreed.