by J G Smith
Skye shakes her head, forebodingly. Her parents look at her with concern, seeming to ask a question without any words. The look on Skye’s face appears to answer, spreading her feeling of dread over to them. “It’s coming,” she says.
All the while, Ahteirus seems to be remembering something that she doesn’t share, causing her even more distress… causing Bradley and Skye to trust her even less.
“Robert just replied to one of my messages,” Tiffany reports. “But that’s something we’ll have to look at when we get back to the laboratory,” she adds, disconcertedly referring to the portals.
“What did he say?” Bradley asks, with everyone else gathering to hear as well.
“He says we should do what Ahteirus suggests,” Tiffany answers. “And that he’s at the place the two of them met.”
“Rob,” Bradley mumbles, as if to question Robert’s decision.
“Is he okay?” Ahteirus asks Tiffany.
“I assume so,” Tiffany answers. “This is all he wrote,” she adds, showing Ahteirus her phone.
It’s clear that Skye and Bradley don’t want her to go after Robert. They’re fine with Tiffany, Desmond and me. Though, with Bradley’s request they seem willing to hold their tongue.
“Do you really believe the future can change?” Ahteirus asks me.
I nod, “Yes.”
She takes a moment to ponder and then declares, looking at Bradley and Skye, “Maybe I am the Arcane Messenger. I don’t know. But, even if I am, I’m not going to kill him. I don’t care what you or anyone else has to say. And if there’s a chance we can save him, we have to take it.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
THE ARCANE MESSENGER
Her heart was heavy with the thought of Robert’s death, as well as the part many believed she’d play in making it happen. She didn’t want it to be true, but the flashbacks kept returning – of me and her – along with the green-eyed figure’s voice, “Robert and the other Alversia need to die.”
“I’ll find another way,” she whispered to the ground, hoping I’d hear.
Bradley and Skye were confronted with conflicting emotions. They didn’t want her to go, for Robert’s sake, but there seemed to be no other option—and Robert put the ball in her court. The officials called for her, Reuben and the two scientists that managed to pull a few strings to get them out.
“I don’t like this,” spat one of the officials, “but you seem to have friends in higher places.”
Another warned them to be careful and requested their cooperation in relaying any information they could about Robert and the light-wielder.
“We know where they are,” reported the scientists, gathering shocked and expectant looks. “Sort of,” they added, now looking at Aht—Ahteirus.
“Tell us,” the officials responded.
“We’ll have to go with,” answered the scientists.
Their attempt was immediately rejected, but Ahteirus couldn’t describe exactly where in the forest she had met Robert. “I know how to get there,” she told them, “but I can’t tell you how.”
There were a couple of scoffs. The officials didn’t like it, but finding and eliminating the threat was their first priority. Also, their legal system held that a parent or a person had to accompany a minor in dangerous situations.
I don’t know how they pulled it off, but they convinced the officials that Reuben was her person.
A troop was readied, mostly stealth and special forces, and Reuben’s phase gun was taken out of holding. Only, it wasn’t returned to him. He tried fighting it, but the officials weren’t about to hand a weapon over to a sixteen-year-old.
“Ahteirus,” called Skye, just before the door between them was closed. Her hand was placed against the glass door and her countenance was visibly shook. “If, by some chance, Reuben is right – and you aren’t the enemy – I’d like you to know something.”
“Tell me when I return,” she suggested.
Skye bit her lip and then said, “I don’t think I’ll be seeing you again.” The two of them shared a look, briefly, and Skye continued, “I told Robert that he’d gotten himself involved in something big. I didn’t realise it was end of days big.”
Ahteirus’ felt a wave of heaviness with Skye’s words. She was stunned, thinking back on her vision of the spheres… colliding, the worlds without number and the endless fighting.
“If you have any part to play,” continued Skye, “I’d like you to know this: The battle is not the war, for he is not who he says he is. I don’t know what it means, but our scriptures teach us that this is how the enemy comes as far as he does at the end of days.”
I can only imagine her thinking what I thought the first time I heard that prophecy.
An official closed the door and hurried the released group along.
“We should tell them about the portals,” said Reuben to the scientists, still sour about not being given the phase gun. “If they’re spreading, they’ll need to prepare their forces for whatever universes they link with.”
“I’ll stay,” said Tiffany, handing Desmond her phone (the one she contacted Robert on). “It’s going to take more than just a statement to explain this. You three go along. And keep yourselves safe.” She pulled one of the officials over as the elite group took Desmond, Reuben and Ahteirus out in the dark.
§
It was very early in the morning. Lithon’s moon was still shining brightly in the forest which was, together with the stars, just enough for them to see where they were going. Nighlops, black thumb-sized crickets that beeped and hopped backwards, could be heard faintly in the distance.
Ahteirus, Reuben and Desmond remained close to the leader of the elite group they were with – the one with Reuben’s phase gun. They moved carefully through the forest, dealing with Ahteirus’ constant rerouting. “Wait, that’s not right,” she said, more than once. “It’s this way.”
They encountered a group of frightened woodsma and disturbed a soarie nest along the way. Sadly, the team held to a strict shoot first policy, not unlike militant officials here on Earth. Reuben commented on their barbaric reactions, mentioning that if they weren’t careful, they’d end up in a world without fauna. Ahteirus, however, was the only one who seemed to listen.
They neared the location she and Robert had met, with the river just in sight, and saw the much-dreaded scene. Flashes of red light and jolts of electric blue moved through the air, from one location to the next. Robert was running from Lighkame, but keeping him in the same general area. He was stalling, waiting her.
The team gave their signals and began filing out, hiding behind selected inya trees in a tactical formation. The leader and one other official remained with Desmond, Reuben and Ahteirus. “So, your friend is like that thing?” they derided. “It figures. They look the same.”
“No,” countered Reuben. “It’s true they’re not like you, but those two are not nearly the same.”
“Lighkame is the one with red,” said Ahteirus. “Robert’s the one with blue.”
“We know,” huffed the officials. “We have been briefed on the target. But, if push comes to shove and your friend gets in our way, then that’s just collateral damage.”
Looks of shock swept the trio’s faces. “You can’t,” they muttered.
But the officials didn’t listen. “Everyone in place?” one of them asked, speaking into their radio.
A flurry of affirmative responses came through, one after the other. “All sights on target?”
“He keeps moving,” answered one.
“Then we strike at once. Three.”
Ahteirus’ face went pale. “This isn’t how I saw it,” she said, looking at Reuben.
“Two.”
“It’s changing,” she said.
“One.”
And… nothing. Nothing happened. The trio and the two officials were equally confused. “That was a direct order,” asserted the leader over the radio. But there was no answer. “Someone, speak t
o me now.” He was visibly nervous and angry.
“What’s that?” asked Reuben, pointing just over the scene of blinking red and electric blue.
“Shadows,” muttered Ahteirus. Pitch-black shadows, darker than the night’s shade, were moving against the ground.
“That’s not normal, is it?” asked Reuben.
They were coming from the surrounding trees, growing thicker and moving faster.
“What the—” began one of the officials.
“It’s happening,” continued Ahteirus with a flood of images rushing through her mind.
More came from the left and right – from every direction. There was nowhere to run. There was nowhere to hide. It was the same scene that overcame the Mai; the same scene that shrouded Nazriya’s home. And, in that moment, Ahteirus saw it all.
As the shadows approached, the officials tried to run – the two that stood with the trio, that is. The rest were already dead. Desmond pressed against an inya tree and Ahteirus pulled her arms over her face. Reuben did the same. Even though most of them did not understand what the shadows could do, they felt a sense of impending doom. Much like the other officials did… before their eyes and ears began to bleed… before their life was sucked out of them.
But a silverish-white light came over Ahteirus—from her. It spread as a dome over the five of them and fought the darkness in an all too familiar episode. She saw the black and white dragons fight once more and could only watch the battles at hand.
The looks on the officials’ faces were priceless. They called into their headquarters to report the incident, raising red flags for the authorities in their country. But it was only the beginning. Soon, their whole world would be involved.
Robert and Lighkame continued flashing and jumping in almost seamless dance, and Robert was leading. His confidence in Ahteirus being the Arcane Messenger and in her seeing the future was so strong. He truly felt that she would know what to do.
But an unexpected and unwelcome group of guests joined them on the floor. Robert’s heart almost stopped beating and Lighkame stopped flashing to follow. With an intense beam of red light, Lighkame managed to push the shadows aside. Though, they kept coming. “Just as stubborn as the dark-wielders from Solbezna,” he hissed, blasting rays of light at each of their attempts to near him.
Robert, not knowing how to fight the shadows, jumped as close to the outskirts of the scene as he could. “Nazriya,” he whimpered, overcome with grief – overcome with the thought that she may have been taken in her struggle to hold the shadows back.
That’s when he noticed the silverish-white light holding off another group of shadows. And behind that light he noticed Ahteirus and a number of other figures he didn’t recognise. He took that moment to close his eyes and visualise her location. Pins and needles ran along his arms and legs – neck and back – and in a second’s jump, he appeared before her.
“Robert,” she cried. She wrapped her arms around him, but pulled away almost as quickly. The static built up inside Robert had shocked her, strongly enough for spark to be seen.
‘So, this is Robert,” thought Reuben, standing back in awe. His eyes scanned Robert, head-to-toe, and noticed some of the familiar readings he saw in Ahteirus, and his reflection, as well as a number of other unfamiliar readings.
“So, this is Robert?” asked Desmond.
Reuben nodded. “It must be.”
“I thought I lost you,” said Robert to Ahteirus, putting his hand against her head – brushing his fingers through her hair. This time, the sparks were different. Sparks that she and I never really had. Her eyes caught his and they stared, longingly, one at the other.
“We should take this opportunity to get out of here,” interrupted Reuben. Much like Oliver would’ve done. Though, this is probably one of those few moments I’d have accepted being interrupted.
Ahteirus smiled at Robert. Robert nodded and agreed. “But…” he started. He leaned in for a kiss. Ahteirus noticed and welcomed it. But, before their lips touched, he was taken. A flash of red light stole him from her and the scene she dreaded replayed inside her mind.
“Robert!” she cried as tears rolled down her cheeks. She grabbed the phase gun from the elite group’s leader and started firing uncontrollably.
Reuben grabbed her arms. “Stop!” he told her. “You could hit Robert.” She dropped her hands and sobbed even harder, crouching to the ground. ‘Maybe this is how it happens,’ she thought, loosening her grip. The official takes back the phase gun, giving her a dirty look. Fortunately, she only hit the ground and a couple of trees.
Robert and Lighkame appeared a few paces ahead of them. The silverish-white light, continuing to fight off the shadows, recognised Ahteirus’ pain and pulled the shadows with it, to aid Robert.
It was a scramble of red, white, black and blue. Eyes fixed on the commotion could see Robert’s and Lighkame’s blurry figures, as well as thick coalescing shadows. Though, with Lighkame still in Robert’s form, it was difficult to tell who was who. They were on top of each other. And, in the silverish-white light, they could almost see a dragon’s form – Lithen. Or, as Ahteirus would say, Liffen.
Robert jumped, with his electrokinesis, to avoid Lighkame’s touch, as well as the shadows. Lighkame flashed with red light to catch Robert – to take what he thought Robert had that’d take him back home.
Both his and Lithen’s light managed to repel the shadows, briefly, with constant striking. No one really knew what they wanted, except for maybe Lithen, whose young dragon body continued to appear and disappear within the silverish-white light.
Ahteirus tried running after Robert, but Reuben grabbed her shoulder and asked, “What exactly do you plan on doing? You don’t stand a chance against either of them.”
“Do something,” she said, turning to the officials. “Use your guns.”
“They could hit Robert,” returned Reuben. “He’s going to have to do this himself.”
Ahteirus sobbed, “Skye was right.” The final scene that she and Skye both dreaded was etched in her mind, along with everything else she saw at the tombs.
“This can’t be the end, though,” said Reuben, almost begging for it not to be. “Robert is supposed to help you remember something,” he continued. “And I’m supposed to bring him back to my world – to stop the Artificials.”
“I don’t know what you kids are on about, but we need to leave,” said the two officials. “There’s nothing we can do here.”
“We can’t just leave,” retorted Reuben, glowering.
“We have a plan,” they said, bluntly. “Headquarters is taking over. We need to get out of here.”
Reuben shook his head, “No!”
“That wasn’t a question,” they stated, grabbing Reuben’s arm. Desmond, still pressed against an inya tree, was not certain what to do.
“Robert said you’d know what to do,” said Reuben, turning to Ahteirus. But she didn’t return the gaze. “I’m with him,” he continued. “You have to be the Arcane Messenger. We have to work this thing out.”
His voice drowned out and everything around her went black – quiet. She saw the dream she had of Reuben. ‘A vision?’ she thought. But it felt as if she was actually there – in that moment. She saw herself on top of the Albatross Neuron Facility with Reuben, his parents and his sister. Though, his mother and sister seemed distant – as if they weren’t actually there.
On the other side of the rooftop stood three men in white lab coats and, next to Reuben, just outside the view of her original dream, stood Robert. ‘But how?’ she wondered.
They were all visibly distressed. “They’re getting closer,” reported one of the men in white, frightened and fearful.
Reuben turned to look just over the edge of the rooftop. “There’s something there,” he said. “I recognise the formulae.”
“You can’t,” she heard herself say.
“There isn’t another way,” answered Reuben.
“Even if you’re
right,” came Robert’s voice, directed at Reuben, “even if you reach it, you don’t know where it leads.”
“Give me the ring,” ordered Reuben, facing Ahteirus.
She hesitated, playing with it between her fingers.
“If I had seen the future,” he began. “If I had known. If I had calculated every possible outcome and seen this happen, I wouldn’t have changed a thing. I wouldn’t have said a word. If it meant changing this—us, then I’d have it happen the exact same way.”
He snatched the ring from her hand and ran, making his way across the rooftop. This part of the all-too-real vision she recognised. She saw herself and Robert try to stop him, but he reached the edge before they reached him. “My name is Reuben Price…” he said. “I am an Alversia and this is my story.” Then, looking at Ahteirus, he added, “I also figured it out; those readings. It’s time, in all of us. But, mostly, in you.”
“Don’t!” yelled Robert and a couple of other voices from behind. But, just before Robert was able to grab him, he jumped. His hands stretched outwards and reached to a point just above him, causing a light to break forth in the immediate area – a shimmering white light. But, before it covered his body, he fell. Tumbling down the three-hundred storey height, she saw the heart-wrenching scene, again. She saw the… splat!
That image. I—I still…
The sky went black and the twin blue suns – she saw – became shrouded in darkness. Shadows swept rapidly over the land of Alpha Irrilium Prime. Then, after a moment, she saw the feather – the spotted purple feather – fall gently over Reuben’s chest.
Her view returned to what it was on the rooftop, where she felt a sharp pain inside her chest. At the same time, tears ran uncontrollably down her cheeks. “Why did we let that happen?” she heard herself ask Robert.
“We tried,” he choked, also affected by what had just happened. “But I guess there was no other way. The future is fixed.” He stretched out his hand and called her name. “We have to go.”
There was a sense of urgency amongst the group on that rooftop. Something was coming – from inside the building, as well as from the sky. But Robert’s hand came as a relief – almost. It felt… safe. She reached out her hand and felt, for him, an overwhelming sense of trust.
