The Lodestone Trilogy (Limited Edition) (The Lodestone Series) by Mark Whiteway

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    “You Come.”
    With an exasperated sigh, Keris wrapped a fur around herself as best she could and followed.
    There was a narrow path which spiralled downward along the inside of the vast trunk. Small windows at irregular intervals looked out onto stunning views of the forest and hills beyond, but Keris did not linger. They descended without exchanging a word.
    The path continued down in a seemingly endless curve. Every now and then they passed other Chandara, which scuttled past them on all sixes. They were curious creatures, unlike any she had encountered before. In other circumstances, she might even have found them amusing. However, she was too preoccupied. She reminded herself that she owed these peculiar beasts her life. It might yet be that they would exact a price for that. She was feeling distinctly vulnerable. They already had her clothes and her equipment. They have me right where they want me.
    Without warning, the Chandara turned through a narrow doorway. Keris ducked and stepped through after it. She found herself in a much larger chamber, filled with dozens of them. It looked like a disorganised melee. The creatures were pushing and climbing over each other. However, despite the apparent overcrowding, two areas were left clear; the one in which she was standing, and a second in the centre of the chamber where three Chandara stood erect on their hind limbs. The one in the middle was grasping a gnarled wooden staff with its left middle and forelimb. The one to the right carried a device that Keris did not recognise. In front of them, a thick branch extending from the floor was cut off, making a flat table about half the creatures’ height. She walked forward, the creatures clearing a path for her.
    The one with the staff spoke. “You Are Kelanni?”
    It seemed an obvious and pointless question. However, Keris decided that the best thing would be to follow along and see where this was leading. “My name is Keris.”
    “We Were Asked To Bring Kelanni Here. There Is Great Danger To Your People.”
    “Danger? From whom?”
    “From The Unan-Chinneroth.”
    The Unan-Chinneroth. The name given to the Prophet in the ancient tongue. It was used in services, though not generally in casual conversation. How did these primitives know of it? And why did they believe the Prophet to be a danger to the Kelanni?
    “I don’t understand.”
    The chief motioned with his staff towards the creature on Keris’ right. The Chandara stepped forward and set the device down on the truncated branch in front of her. The machine had a circular flat base, silver in colour, with an intricate mechanism of silver, red and gold. The creature pressed a switch on the side.
    A glowing light appeared and grew in the air above the apparatus, finally resolving into the image of a woman dressed in white, in a style Keris did not recognise. The projection shimmered slightly, giving it an air of unreality. The mouth moved, and a voice spoke from the depths of the machine.
    “You are Kelanni?” The same question again.
    “Yes, my name is Keris. To whom am I speaking?”
    “I am called Annata. You must listen carefully, as I do not know how long this link will stay open, Keris. I am speaking to you from what you know as your past–three thousand two hundred and thirty-one turns ago.”
    Keris’ mind reeled. “How is such a thing possible?”
    “We were able to use the power of the white sun. It can be used to…stretch time, enabling me to speak with you.”
    “How–?”
    “In my time the Kelanni are a great civilisation. We have advanced to the point where we have found out how to do many things that you cannot. However, a great disaster has befallen us. A plague is sweeping through our race. Whether it is natural or artificial we do not know, but our physicians and scientists have been unable to stop it.
    “Some have taken to building ships to take us away from this world, but they can carry no more than a few thousand at most,