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Complex, to receive such terrible marks. Right now he didn’t feel like he knew this man well enough to ask.
    ‘I’m Sam,’ he said.
    ‘So,’ said Aleksy ‘You are from London too?’
    ‘Yes, well, sort of. I lived in England but have been in London recently.’
    ‘Ah, did they get you in the underground too?’ asked Aleksy. ‘I was in the Circle Line, working late at night, then suddenly, bam, I wake up in a cell in that place. A slave.’
    ‘I came here looking for some answers,’ said Sam. ‘And to get away from some of the questions too I suppose. I want to get back now, but I’ve been struggling to find the right door.’
    ‘The door they brought me through is not far away,’ said Aleksy. ‘Perhaps you can use that.’
    Sam looked up excited. ‘Yes, that would be good. I think I would be better off back in London, for now at least.’
    ‘Well, you look pretty tired to me. Get some sleep now. I’ll watch for danger. That giant has been chasing me for a day. He will hopefully give up now and amuse himself with those other beasts.’
    Sam started to protest but then realised how desperately he needed to sleep. This man seemed trustworthy and had, after all, saved him from the garoul and sitecah. Sam swallowed his inherent politeness and made himself as comfy as he could in the long grass.
    ‘Thanks Aleksy,’ he said. ‘Wake me if you need me.’ And with that he fell asleep.

 
     
     
     
     
     
    CHAPTER NINE
     
     
    Somewhere in Mu
    The future: date unknown
     
    T he sky was bright when Sam awoke, although the sun wasn’t yet up. Aleksy sat a little way away with his back to Sam, looking out into the plains. Sam stretched, sore from sleeping on the floor. He didn’t feel much better, but he guessed it would take more than a few hours’ sleep in the grass before he felt well again.
    ‘Feeling any better?’ asked Aleksy, not yet turning to look at him.
    ‘Yeah, a bit thanks,’ said Sam.
    ‘Good. I have a little food left.’ He passed Sam some more bread, cold meat and an apple.
    They ate in silence for a while. Aleksy had his hood back, exposing his bald head and the pattern of scars which crossed his pate and face. Sam tried not to stare but it was hard not to look.
    ‘When I was a child,’ said Aleksy ‘I always thought I would look good with a scar on my face. I loved pirate stories and I thought I would look good, brave and dangerous, with a line down here.’ He traced a finger along one of his scars running from his forehead, across his closed eye and down onto his cheek. ‘Guess I got my wish.’
    ‘How did it happen?’ asked Sam gently.
    ‘The Riven King did this personally,’ said Aleksy ‘For fun.’
    ‘You’ve seen the King?’
    ‘Seen him? Ha, I almost made him my friend. Whilst I was a slave in the Complex he pretended to be a slave also. He is mad and wanted to play a game with me. He lured me into the throne room and then. And then this,’ Aleksy indicated his scars. ‘He made a mistake though.’
    Sam felt his heartbeat quicken. This man knew the King. What could Aleksy tell him that might be useful?
    ‘What mistake did he make?’
    ‘He accidentally gave me this power that his Riven have. This presence. Which you have too,’ Aleksy gave Sam a shrewd look, studying him for a moment. ‘Can I trust you? Should I tell you what I know?’
    ‘If you hate the Riven then you can trust me,’ said Sam. ‘They killed my parents. Burned down my house. Destroyed everything I ever owned and since I found out about them they have tried to kill me ever since. All because I have this presence.’
    Aleksy nodded. ‘Yes, it is join them or die it seems. Okay. Here is what I know. I always felt that I was a little different to others around me. I think I may have had a little of this presence inside me all along. It is hard to remember the differences I felt as a child and hard to say exactly what was different about me but I just felt I had some sixth sense which I