A Silence Heard Read online

  Contents

  Title page

  copyright

  Dedication

  Chapter One Towards The Place Of Danger

  Chapter Two Disguises

  Chapter Three When Lies Are Better Than Truth

  Chapter Four What Lies beneath

  Chapter Five Agro Hospitality

  Chapter Six Seeing Too much

  Chapter Seven The Labs

  Chapter Eight Kiddles

  Chapter Nine Betrayal

  Chapter Ten Pressing Anything So Long As It Works

  Chapter Eleven Agros Play roughly

  Chapter Twelve Incursion

  Chapter Thirteen Revolt Of The Meeks

  Chapter Fourteen More Revolting Meeks

  Chapter Fifteen A Bloody Battle Ensues

  Chapter Sixteen A time For Letting Go

  Chapter Seventeen The Power of Light

  Chapter Eighteen Never Underestimate Your Enemy

  Chapter Nineteen Into The Fray

  Chapter Twenty Agro Army

  Chapter Twenty-One Reunion

  Chapter Twenty-Two Things Get Worse

  Chapter Twenty-Three What The Huff?

  Chapter Twenty-Four Transmutation

  About

  Reviews

  The Song of Forgetfulness

  Book Three

  A Silence Heard

  By

  Nicola McDonagh

  http://www.thesongofforgetfulness.com

  Books in The Song of Forgetfulness series

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and events portrayed are either products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any character resemblance to actual persons living or dead is entirely co-incidental.

  No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical without written permission from the author.

  All new edition

  Copyright © 2015 Nicola McDonagh

  All rights reserved.

  ASIN B00YPIKDWS

  Cover design by Daphne deMuir

  Original photographs by Nicola McDonagh

  To Martin for his website skills, belief in me and support along the way. To Sarah and Sasha, who continue to inspire me.

  Chapter One

  Towards The Place Of Danger

  There are some that believe in telempathy. I did not, until now. Hearing my bro-bro’s panic-filled voice deep within my noggin, gave me more than pause for thought. Did he call to me? Or was it just a phantom of my guilt, haunting my lack of resolve to go to him. Like that ancient-ancient pretend male, Aamlet, who said he would revenge the death of his father, but did nowt but whine and think himself into a stupor.

  That was what I had been doing under the tutorage of Brother Jude, or rather, that Agro spy-scum, Atyhtan. Well, I fixed him with my song. He’ll not harm another. So take that, Aamlet, Prince of The Great Dane of Mark. The time for speculation is gone. Mebbe I did hear Deogol, mebbe not, but whomever or whatever spoke to me, fired up my resolve to save my bro and all the Meeks taken by the Agro filth.

  With such new-found determination, I vowed to be less sissy about many things, including my antsy at hovering high above ground level in this flying contraption. Jaw clenched, I buckled in and turned my thoughts to the journey ahead.

  I had not the faintest notion of where we were going, but hoped it would not be far. Then I went all Aamlet again ruminating on what that other Carnie, Ryce, meant by his cryptic words. Cut short by Marcellus’s hand. My Clonie pal was adept and then some at the ultra-quick neck snap. If only the Bardy Shake the Spear had known my dear one, then his make-believe male would have had more spunk.

  Still, the things the costumed spy did say were alarming. The hints he spouted about Agro meddling with genetics to create the Meeks, would mean that my bro was perhaps not my bro. Nah. Deogol looks like me, or so the oldies said when they chanced to come upon us at the occasional celebrations we held in Cityplace. Nah again. The Carnie scum was telling me, or half telling me, nowt but fibs. He was not a trustworthy sort and would do anything to befuddle me and mine in order to escape. I vowed to keep his mouthing’s to myself and think of more pressing issues. Or not.

  “If all are ready and safely tethered, I will switch on. Would you do me the honour?” Eadgard said and gestured for Kendra to sit next him. She did and dictated the coordinates from the map the Abbot gave us. Eadgard punched them into the panel thingy on the dashboard and both he and she guffawed all loudly when he tip-tapped in a wrong digit.

  They went as red as a bubs cheeks when their fingers just happened to touch as they reached to right the mistake. He coughed, pressed a button and the craft juddered into life. Glad to be between Wirt and Marcellus, I held a hand of each and gulped as my tum flipped over.

  The engines vibrated and sent a wave of sickly-feel throughout my bod. Marcellus gripped my hand tighter as the flying machine began to ascend. I leant back into the soft headrest of the chair and closed my eyes. But dizziness ensued, so I quickly lifted my lids to prevent an attack of vom and stared out of the cockpit.

  Far, far below was the monastery where I had learned about the horrors of the real past, and the uncertain future. It continued to sparkle even when it shrank to nowt more than a shining speck as we soared higher into the sky.

  The aircraft hit a pocket of air and we plummeted for a sec before Eadgard steadied it.

  All the titbits that I had so readily consumed before our leaving made ready to escape from my innards and I panted loudly to dispel the taste of not quite digested grub. I guessed Marcellus felt much the same as I for he too gagged and gasped, but managed not to puke.

  With nowt to do but ponder upon our mysterious destination, I squeezed the hands of my two friends to help me focus on what I needed to do once we got there. But the contrasting sensation of Wirt’s soft flesh and Marcellus’s rough skin was such a distraction, that I gave up all wonderings to muse upon this curious sensation. It did the trick and I quite forgot my height fears and boldly looked out of the window at the big white clouds that passed over and through us.

  There was not so much to see, though. The ever-changing cloud swirls all but blocked out any view of land or mountain. I heard Marcellus take in a large breath from time to time and I let go my hold on Wirt’s flesh to fumble in my Synthbag for anti-retch pills. I found some and gave one to Marcellus. He took it and gulped it down without the need for water.

  Another free-fall caused a bilious attack, so I collected moist in my mouth, swallowed the tab and took hold of Wirt’s hand again. He pulled it up and used it to point at the window to the side of his head. I turned mine and stretched up my neck to see out. The clouds had dispersed and I could just make out below a vast stretch of flatlands tinged in green and yellow. Wirt relinquished my mitt and sat forward between Kendra and Eadgard.

  “Do ye see underneath us? Fields I think, as far as the eye can see.”

  “I do indeed see, Wirt. This means that we should reach our destination quite soon. Is that not so Kendra?”

  “If my reading of this text is correct, then we should be arriving near the Agro headquarters.” She nodded. “Makes sense to be going there. Where else would they take the kiddles? No doubt those evil land snatchers are up to no good with the Meeks.”

  I exchanged a worried-filled look with Eadgard. “Fear not, Adara, we will prevail and save all that have been took.”

  Brave words that caused me to smile and gulp at the same time. If we were too late, what then? And, what about Eadgard’s portentous chat about my true mission. The thing inside my skull that should be used for working out such problems, pulsed unpleasantly and I scratched my head in the hope it would wake up my useless brain.


  Nope.

  With a sigh, I let my limbs go all floppy and watched Eadgard fiddle with his instruments. When that wearied me, I turned my flagging attention to Kendra, who held the map close to her face, and continued to peruse the missive. She screwed her eyes up from time to time in an effort to decipher the old language, then took to mumbling stuff under her breath. Eadgard flicked switches, tapped dials, and we flew on.

  I leant nearer to the window and stared in awe at the amount of Agro farmland that seemed to go on forever. The mystery surrounding these nasty, all controlling folk, deepened with every massive food filled field that came into view. I knew they dominated near all the land that was left in NotSoGreatBritAlbion, but to see the extent of their hold was scary in the extreme. No one I knew had seen an Agro in the flesh. My mind began to make up pics of their potential form. I shuddered at the nasty images that flitted in and out.

  “What makes ye so shivery?”

  “Oh, my imagination, Wirt. I am contemplating on what we may encounter when we land. In regards to the form of these enigmatic Agros.”

  “Ay, I too wonder at their appearance. From the look of their vast and many land sections, they must be huge and powerful to be able to maintain all theses crops. My kin tend to the smaller ones on the edge of our forest, but we never venture far away from our home.”

  Our musings ended quite ‘bruptly when we hit another pocket of wind turbulence. Even Wirt gave out a worried “Oh!” as the aircraft fell suddenly. I shuffled my bod closer to that of my Clonie friend. He clutched at my fingers and dug his nails into the back of my hand when Eadgard pulled up from another deep descent. Marcellus quickly apologised, went to pull his mitt away from mine, but I had gotten used to his firm grip and refused to let go. Wirt gave us a raised-brow glance and chewed on his fingernails.

  “The air above these Agros is as troublesome as they are,” he said and sat back to concentrate on nibbling the rest of his fingertip protectors.

  “If we can overcome them and their security as easily as I have dodged these wind turbulences, then we will have not much to fear,” Eadgard said.

  Wirt pursed his lips and spat out a piece of nail. “Agros be fierce, ye do know that right?”

  “Yes, Wirt.”

  “Fierce and ruthless with weapons beyond our…”

  Marcellus leant across me and stared into Wirt’s eyes. When they were almost touching noses, he said all gruff-like, “We not fear Agro. We welcome chance to fight.”

  “But we are only five. How do ye imagine so small a group faring against the might and terror of the Agro?”

  Without blinking, they stared at each other for quite a few secs. “Point make is good,” Marcellus said and flumped into his chair.

  We all sat for a while deep in thought, I think, at least, I was and judging by the look of concentration on Wirt’s and Marcellus’s face, they were too. Either that or they were trying to hold in a fart. I became uncomfortable with the silence and thought it best to break it with a lame idea or two.

  “Erm, I may be of use. What with my voice and all.”

  Kendra gave me a look of kindness. “Of course dear. You have a great talent. But for what lies ahead, it may not be enough. Things are written here that suggest our involvement. According to this note, and I shall read, ‘A time will come when the corrupt will be beaten. When the Smart, their word for Meeks, shall be saved. When an army will gather and the truth will be told.”

  “We are the army? By the Greenman, that is beyond dismal,” Wirt said and starting the nail nibbling again.

  Marcellus hung his head. “Small army. Not good.”

  I stared at the crestfallen faces of all my friends, then down at the limitless squares of field upon field that Agros ruled, and felt something stir within. A possible plan burst inside my noggin. “Nah, Marcellus, good to be so tiny. If we were to storm in all powerful and the like, then for sure we would be despatched. They would see us all a-coming before we even arrived.”

  Kendra grinned and nodded her head. “You are quite right my dear. If I may take your notion further?” she said and unbuckled herself. “Who would suspect a band of sightseers, as we must present ourselves when we arrive, as anything but innocent?”

  “Your idea is sound Kendra,” Eadgard said and twisted round to speak to us all. “We will pretend to be on a tour, or a vacation.”

  “Flaw in logic. No one seek out Agro place to visit for pleasure. Also, it secret. Map Abbot gave, secret too,” Marcellus said and the look of hope that had begun to spread across our faces faded.

  “Huff and huff again.” I folded my arms and pouted goodly.

  The air inside the cockpit thickened. An inner cloud of gloom descended. Thusly we sat until Kendra leant forward. “When I worked with the Ladies, I often went beyond the borders to seek out new and interesting items to furnish the place where males congregate for our services and tales. Now, I heard that some went to this stronghold. Agros use our services, not that I have met any in my capacity. Ladies occasionally visited these headquarters, so I am told, and brought back simple treasures in payment for their services. As a Lady, I would be allowed in and so able to gain access to areas otherwise prohibited to those such as yourselves.”

  Eadgard rubbed his chin. “Could work. Would they not be suspicious if such a Lady arrived unannounced and with a variety of strange folk in tow?”

  “Not really. On occasions, they would take escorts to protect them. My plan is simple and sure to work. I will dress myself and Adara, in Lady garb and have you males be our escorts.”

  “Goodly plan. Ye are a wonder of ideas Kendra,” Wirt said.

  Marcellus sat up straight. “We think will work. You too Eadgard?”

  “Enough to get us to where we are to go. Well thought through Kendra, you are quite a fem and no mistake,” he said and stroked her arm all cosy-like.

  I raised my hand.

  “Erm. ‘Scuse. I will begin by saying, nah, nadder and no. I am not Lady material. For one, I have digits of many and am not versed in the ways of said tribe. I cannot fake what I am not.”

  “Dear Adara, fret not a sec over this. I have frocks a-plenty in my Synthbag,” Kendra said and revealed her rucksack by peeling it off her shoulder and placing it on the floor. It was the best Synthbag that I had ever seen. Twice the size of mine and fitted out with many pockets and pouches.

  “I would have mentioned it sooner, but to be frank, there was no good reason to.”

  “Nice Synthbag, puts my low-tech version to shame. How came it to be so huge and not weigh you down?”

  “A polymer made from a new organic-style nanofibre. Light as air, strong as rock and as soft as a bub’s kiss upon the wearing of it.”

  I touched the thing and indeed it was soft. I picked it up and was amazed at how light it felt. So without weight that I believed it would rise into the air if I did not hold it down. “Those Bios are savvy for sure. Do all Ladies have such stuff?”

  “Mostly. We have a metaphorical hand on all that is new, and a literal grasp on substances that can be used for our needs. You would be surprised at the variety of materials being produced. Not for Ladies consumption, of course, more for battle garb. Light and strong uniforms able to make the wearer invisible is an asset in any war. Adara and myself will be as Ladies. Fear not, Adara, I will chitchat for you. We will simply gain access to the place that is mentioned on this missive and with you all as our protectors, infiltrate and gather what info we need to save your families and put a stop to the Agro threat.”

  Her words were so rousing and full of intent that I expected all to rise, punch the air and yell some kind of battle cry. But we did not, instead Marcellus said, “If works, good plan. If not? All is lost.”

  Kendra raised her chin and nodded. “It will work Marcellus, my dear. We will make it so.”

  “Good,” said Eadgard, “because we will have to put it into action in a matter of secs. The place to land is appearing.”

  Chapt
er Two

  Disguises

  I unbuckled my seat belt and left the cockpit with Kendra. We went into the grey metal corridor and slipped behind the defunct light that Eadgard had disabled when we first entered the craft. It was a small space but enough to block us from the sight of the males without. Kendra placed her Synthbag on the floor, opened it and took out a robe of gorgeousness.

  It was a deep red and seemed to shimmer all over with golden specks of light. Another she pulled out, this time as blue as the sky at moonrise. She looked between the two, then at me, then back to the dresses and handed me the blue one. I held it in my hand and could not help but stroke the delicate cloth. It reminded me of the kittle fur I had fondled when hiding with Wirt in the Lady camp.

  “Are you to put that on, or merely gaze at it until it rots?”

  Holding it against my bulky frame, I said, “It looks a tad skimpy. I am not used to the wearing of such delicate things and fear that I will ruin this finery with my somewhat, well, thickset demeanour.” With a puffing out of cheeks, I attempted to pull the thing over my head.

  Kendra took the dress away from me and chuckled.

  “Remove your Synthbag and what you wear now and I’m sure it will fit.”

  “What? Become naked in this exposed place?”

  “Do not be shy my dear. The time will come when such things will be of little use. The path we are about to tread may rob us of our dignity in order to succeed.”

  “I glean what you speak. Notwithstanding, I prefer to dress without the gawp of others.” I took off my Synthbag and peered around the unlit lamp.

  Kendra stood in front of the small gap to further conceal my presence from our friends in the cockpit. “There, now none can glimpse your undressedness. Hurry and change, we need to strap ourselves in for landing.” She thrust the dress into my hands and began to unbutton my tunic.