Julien

by Engor

Chapter 41

It was dark, and it was cold; too. Fortunately the material from which his lakh was made was proof against cold weather. All the same, it wasn't exactly what he would have chosen for a walk along a particularly blowy stretch of the Normandy coast; it left his lower legs bare, for a start, and it wasn't much good at preventing draughts from blowing up under the hem, either. But none of that prevented Julien from actually shouting for joy when he recognised the salt tang in the air and the prickly grass of the dunes. They were no more than a hundred metres from the door of his parents' holiday home, and even if visibility wasn't too good, the thin crescent moon peeped out from behind the clouds for long enough to enable him to get his bearings.

"Xarax, we made it!" he said. "We're back at my home!"

Xarax was sure you would succeed.

"Come on, let's go home. It's just over there."

Jacques Berthier came to answer the door. He looked a mess: although he was wearing blue pyjamas it was clear that it was a long time since he had slept properly. Nonetheless, although he had clearly been living a nightmare for the past five days he didn't hesitate for an instant, but swept Julien up in his arms and almost crushed him against his chest, which would have done Xarax no good at all if he hadn't had a good strong bone structure.

"My kitten!" cried Mr Berthier.

It was some years since he had last called Julien that, but the use of that nickname, coupled with the relief of finding himself safe at home again after the horrors of the Outside finally broke Julien's reserves and he started to cry.

"Duckling!" cried his mother's voice.

Normally he hated it when she called him that, and he was constantly terrified that she'd do it in front of his friends. But right now the only thing that mattered to him was hearing her voice again, which more than anything else confirmed that his nightmare was over.

But then his mother stepped back in alarm.

"What's that?!" she cried, pointing at Xarax.

"Um... it's a haptir," Julien told her. "Don't worry, he won't hurt you. He's not dangerous."

That was an absolute whopper of a lie, of course, but he didn't think they'd yet reached the point where he'd have to start going into details about what had happened to him. In any case Xarax quickly realised the effect he was having and jumped down from Julien's shoulder, scuttling away to hide under a piece of furniture as Ugo, huge, shaggy and black, came bounding into the room to be reunited with his young master, knocking over in his haste two chairs in the kitchen and the hat-stand in the hall.

Some five minutes of complete chaos later the family found itself sitting around the kitchen table, with a steaming cup of chocolate in front of Julien. He knew what was coming: it was Question Time.

"Julien," his father started, "we're obviously very happy to have you back, but we really need to know where you've been – especially since we had to call the police. They're bound to want an explanation."

"It can wait until tomorrow if you're feeling too tired now," offered his mother.

"And... well," his father went on, "the psychiatrist did warn us that there might be some things that you don't want to talk to us about... If you like we can fix an appointment for you with her just as soon as you feel up to it."

Julien sighed.

"Look," he said, "I don't need a head-doctor, thank you. Yes, I know I look strange and that I'm wearing weird clothes, but I haven't gone bananas, and I wasn't kidnapped by a pervert, either. Although I think you might have trouble believing what actually happened to me..."

He called in Tünnkeh, "Xarax! Could you come here, please?"

Once the haptir was once again comfortably ensconced on Julien's shoulder despite the obvious revulsion of Julien's mother, Julien took a deep breath.

"Right," he said. "You see this lizard on my shoulder? Well, it's not a lizard. He's a haptir, and he comes from another world."

His parents both stared at him in dismay.

"Don't look at me like that!" said Julien. "Just listen, and afterwards I'll be able to prove I'm telling the truth..."

He spent the next hour and a bit describing his adventures. He told them about the world of Nüngen and about Aleth and its towers. He described the horror of his crash into the lake. He tried to describe the ghorr. He found that he didn't really have a wide enough vocabulary to explain the surreal beauty of the Imperial Palace. His narrative took in Niil, Ambar and Izkya, and Xarax, too, and his voice trembled a little as he described how Aïn had almost certainly died to save his life. And when his story was finally over he looked up and met the worried gaze of his parents. Obviously, he realised, they couldn't accept that this fairy-story could possibly be true. Yes, they knew that something had happened to their son, but that was a very long way from admitting that he had travelled across the universe, and was – just to put the icing on this insane cake – the Lord and Master of a huge Empire. He supposed that such a thing was way beyond their imagination.

Julien felt exhausted. He couldn't raise the energy to go on trying to convince them. He decided that if his parents refused to believe him and instead came to the conclusion that he was mad, well, that was just too bad.

At that point Xarax spread his wings, flew once around the kitchen and then landed on a visibly alarmed Mr Berthier's shoulder.

Xarax show - hold mother hand, said Xarax in extremely basic and ungrammatical French. Obviously he'd never heard the language before this evening, but he'd managed to glean those few words from inside Julien's head. Mr Berthier did as he was told and took hold of his wife's hand, because the voice inside his head clearly wasn't to be argued with, and once the parents were connected to each other Xarax was able to share his story with both of them.

He didn't actually speak: instead he just shared his memories with them. They saw Julien standing, scared, small and powerless under the vast dome of the Oceanic Rotunda in the Palace, with one assassin already lying dead on the floor. He looked weak and helpless, the light glinting in his hair somehow emphasising how pale he was. They felt, as if they were actually experiencing it themselves, Xarax's surprise and fierce joy when he recognised the friend he'd never expected to see again standing there in the guise of a child. They shared with him his takeover of their son's mind and the activation of the knowledge, hidden away from his own memory, of how to draw energy from the Palace's bountiful supply. And they felt the same exhilaration when, speaking the Words of Power, Julien unleashed a devastating surge of fire which destroyed in an instant those who had thought that killing him and his companions would be a simple matter.

Then the scene changed, and for a brief but terrible moment they were immersed in the chaotic horror of the Outside. They watched as Julien struggled to hang on to his sanity and fought to find some point of reference and balance in a reality from which logic was entirely absent. They felt how the haptir tried patiently to bathe him in the sweetness and depth of the bond that linked them together, and they recognised in the haptir's feelings something of the love that they themselves felt for their son, understanding that he, like them, would gladly have given his life to save him.

Immediately, without even needing to discuss it, they reached their conclusion. How could it have been otherwise? Yes, there were certainly things about the story that they couldn't understand, but it was abundantly clear that their son's life had changed irrevocably. Their duty was to support him unreservedly, and if Julien had to face danger, they would face it with him. Nor would they make the situation more difficult for him by asking him questions that he couldn't answer.

Julien didn't know exactly what Xarax had done to his parents, but it was quite obvious that something had changed. No explanation was necessary: he just knew in that instant that they would help him however they could. For a few seconds time almost seemed to stand still – and then the moment passed and life began again. It was two o'clock in the morning, and Isabelle Berthier was a woman of solid common sense.

"We're not going to be able to do anything right now," she said, stifling a yawn. "Let's just go to bed. I think I'm going to sleep a lot better than I have recently, anyway."

"Er, Mum," said Julien, "do you think that Ugo could sleep in my room tonight – please?"

She might well have been a woman of solid common sense, but she also had some very firm views about a number of things, such as the fact that flowers shouldn't be allowed into a sick-room, and a dog sleeping in a bedroom was extremely unhygienic. It's hard to go against your own nature, and like a lot of mothers faced with silly requests from their children she answered almost without thinking.

"Certainly not!" she said. "You know how unhealthy that is! Ugo can sleep in his basket in the kitchen as usual."

"I know that's where he usually sleeps, but I really think he needs to sleep with me tonight."

"What?!"

Julien sighed. He was tired, and he was having to struggle to keep his tone respectful.

"Look, Mum," he said, "it's late. I thought I'd already explained that Ugo isn't really a dog."

"Well, what on Earth is he, then? May I remind you that I actually bought him for you myself when you were still just a baby?"

"I know you did, but all the same I'm virtually certain that Ugo is a Guide as well as a dog. Actually his name is Yol – Yol the Intrepid, in fact."

"Now listen..."

But Isabelle Berthier didn't get a chance to continue: Ugo parked himself right in front of her and started barking loudly, as if to confirm what Julien had said about him.

"Darling, I think the dog has something to say," commented Mr Berthier.

Xarax had already dropped to the floor and was approaching Ugo, who suddenly fell silent and looked at the haptir nervously. Then Xarax touched the dog's front paw, and they remained in silent communication for what seemed an age but was in reality probably no more than a couple of minutes. Finally Xarax went back to Julien's shoulder and the boy started to translate for him.

"Yol Ladilak Wondelil yin ek Brath, who is also called Yol the Intrepid," he began, "would like to thank those who have welcomed and sheltered him during the years when he was unable to explain who he was. He has been treated, fed and loved as one of the family, and he will be grateful for as long as he lives. He says that he doesn't mind sleeping in the kitchen as usual if that's what Mum wants, but that he'd also like a chance to talk to his friend Julien, who is also Yulmir, Emperor of the R'hinz ka aun lee Nügen, Lord of the Nine Worlds and Sole Guardian of the Powers and Gifts. He says that he has been waiting for this moment for many years, even though he never dared to hope that I... Julien... would ever come back. He says he'll do his best to avoid leaving hairs everywhere and he promises not to jump on the bed. He also says that I should remind you that you disposed of the few fleas that were bothering him yesterday."

Isabelle Berthier was staring at both her son and his dog with a comical expression of disbelief, but at least her husband managed not to laugh. Instead he spoke to Julien.

"Of course we could never have guessed," he said. "But this is his home and he can do what he wants, so if you'd prefer him to stay with you I don't see why he shouldn't. And I hope that one day he'll be able to tell us his whole story."

"Thank you," said Julien. "I'm sure he'll be happy to do that."

"And... can Xarax understand what I'm saying?"

"Yes, he sort of listens inside my head. He understands everything that I do."

"Then," said Mr Berthier, looking into the haptir's disturbing red eyes, "I'd like to thank him. Xarax, I owe you the life of my only child. There is no way I can ever repay that debt."

"He says," translated Julien, "that there is no debt. Thanks to you and Mum his friend Yulmir found a new body, and he, Xarax, has now found a new reason to live. He says that your honour is now his. Your friends are now his friends, and your enemies had better start running now."

"Thank you, Xarax. Actually we don't have any enemies... well, apart from anyone who tries to hurt Julien. But we appreciate the offer."

"He says that's what he does. And he'd like to talk to Yol about where we go from here. He says he'll teach me everything he can, but that there are some things that only Yol can show me. But first I need to rest. He wishes you a good night with sweet dreams, and as for us... I think bed would be a really good idea."

When Julien got to his bedroom he felt unsettled. He looked at his bed – a narrow, single bed, clearly designed for sleeping and nothing else – and it reminded him sharply of what he had lost. He hadn't cried when he had been separated from his parents, but the thought that he might never see Niil and Ambar again was intolerable. Especially Ambar: never before had he felt someone's absence so keenly. Ugo could tell that he was unhappy without understanding why, and he gave a little whine of sympathy.