by Noah Michael
Ilenia seemed disappointed, yet she smiled kindly at Elasia. “If you ever change your mind, I would love to have you by my side. I think we would get along well.”
Elasia smiled. “Thank you. Perhaps I shall.”
“Raiden.” Maximus was headed towards him in a wheelchair. The chair was carved of stone. He had taken the bandages off his head, though his arms remained covered.
“Nice ride,” Raiden quipped as Maximus pulled up.
“We must leave now.”
“You can’t fight in this condition.”
“I don’t need my legs, or my swords. My power is in my words. Sarah cannot wait any longer.”
Their attention was drawn towards the platform. The princess stood in front of her mother’s coffin, a single tear upon her cheek. She placed one hand upon the coffin and the other on her chest. She closed her eyes. The villagers were silent. After a few minutes of silence, the princess removed her hands and opened her eyes. She turned to face the crowd.
“My dear kinsmen, today I stand before you as a villager, an Artist, a daughter...and a queen. Those aspects define me, they make me who I am today. Yet not one of them could have been achieved without my mother. Today, we all suffer a grave loss. But I refuse to surrender to the clutches of the beast which slew my mother. In her honor, I remain loyal to the hope and determination that one day, our people shall live underground no more. That one day, our people shall live in fear no more. I believe, in my mother’s honor, that it is time for that all to change. My mother taught me that I search deep within myself, I can find a strength unparalleled to any other in this world. I pledge, as queen, to help our nation find its own strength. I pledge, as your new queen, to break through the surface. To bring us to a better place. A place where we can see the sun.”
There were no dry eyes in the audience. The music played, honoring the fallen queen, yet welcoming a new hope. The guards lifted the Queen’s coffin and carried it off the platform and towards one of the crevices directly in front of the palace, spanned by a bridge decorated in traditional red and gold ornaments and made of smooth, dark limestone.
The guards carried the coffin onto the bridge, followed by Ilenia and the rest of the village. When they reached the center of the bridge, the guards laid down the coffin. A group of women moved from the crowd and attached to it bundles of gold-painted helium spheres, each containing a candle. The guards lifted the coffin from the floor. Ilenia walked forward.
“Goodbye mother.” The guards lifted the coffin and let it go over the top of the bridge. It fell slowly deeper into the crevice, supported by a luminous, shimmering array of floating lights. Eventually, it was just a twinkling star, shining amongst the others, which had come before it.
After a few minutes, the new queen stepped down from the bridge, accompanied by her guards. The sea of villagers split in two. She continued to the door of her palace. The doors opened, and she walked inside. The villagers began the journey back to their respective homes.
Elasia walked onto the bridge and peered down onto her ancestors, deep in thought.
“Poor girl.” Maximus pulled his chair up beside Raiden.
“She has a lot to learn,” Raiden said, “But something tells me she’ll be alright.”
Raiden turned to face Maximus. “Listen, Maximus, there’s been something I’ve been meaning to ask you. What you said in there, about saving my life-”
“I know,” Maximus interrupted. “I apologize. I should have told you the truth sooner.”
“No, that’s not it. Maximus, I grew up alone, as an orphan, under the shadow of the Silver Tower. I spent my entire life being stepped on, believing that I was some crazy, weak, kid with no future. And then, just when things became unbearable, I’d dream of that night. I’d see the man in the hood, swooping in and saving my life. While I was powerless against Roko, he was strong. When I was scared, he was fearless. He’s the reason I began writing. He was my symbol of hope. And now, after all those years, I can finally thank him.”
Raiden’s voice shook with emotion as he looked deep into Maximus’s eyes.
“Thank you, Maximus.”
Maximus gazed silently back at him, his eyes speaking louder than words. He gave a slight and heartfelt nod.
Chapter Nineteen
Illusion
Northern Greece
July 20
1:00 p.m.
“Well, would you look at that. She didn’t run away while she had the chance. It seems like someone in this world actually appreciates your company, Maximus,” Raiden joked as the balcon cried out with joy at the sight of its master. Maximus struggled to fight off a smile. He pushed himself over to his balcon and placed a hand on her snout. The balcon calmed down, closed her eyes, and nudged her head warmly against Maximus.
“It is truly an incredible creature.” Elasia stood beside Raiden, staring in wonder. Maximus winced as the balcon pushed at the wound on his head. She drew a bit closer to him, opening her wings. Suddenly, a series of vines shot out from beneath her wings, latching onto Maximus’s arms, legs, chest, and head. Maximus growled in pain, his hands curling to fists.
“Leave him!” Raiden ran towards Maximus, trying to grab one of his swords to slash the vines.
“Stop! She is only helping!”
Raiden stopped in his tracks, watching in awe as Maximus stood up from his chair. A few moments later, the balcon retracted her vines. Maximus tore off the bandages from his arms and beneath his shirt. He took one of his swords and cut off the casts from his legs.
“Thank you,” he whispered to her. The balcon cried back happily.
Raiden walked up to the balcon. “Can you heal my arm?”
The balcon looked to Maximus, who nodded in approval. She sent out her vines once more. Raiden felt his arm burn. His skin felt as if it were being torn to shreds. He cried out, but a moment later, the pain stopped. He held out his previously broken arm for Maximus, who proceeded to cut off the cast.
“Can I touch her?” Elasia asked.
“You can do more than touch her,” Maximus answered, “You can ride her. She will be taking us to the Shadow tribe.”
“Will she have enough energy to take all three of us?” Raiden asked.
“I believe so. However, she will not be able to fight with us. If there’s any chance of us reaching the School, we’ll need to travel quickly and stealthily through the valley.” To Elasia, Maximus asked, “Are you sure you can take us there?”
“I have no doubt. It is the only journey I have ever taken. I will never forget it.”
“Good. Then we leave immediately.” Maximus lifted himself onto his balcon. Raiden followed, then offered his hand to Elasia. He pulled her up onto the seat behind him.
“Hold on to me when we take off. We’ll be moving fast.”
Elasia put her arms around Raiden, who leaned forward, gripping the balcon’s feathers.
“Let’s go.” The balcon cried out and leaped swiftly into the sky.
Elasia’s fear quickly turned to amazement as they soared higher than the clouds. She had spent her entire life underground. She could never have imagined that she would one day be flying so high above it. Her long hair flowed in the wind. She was truly free.
“Elasia, do you remember how the entrance was guarded?”
“I remember a long, narrow valley. The moment I stepped into it, I was stopped by a Shadow. I do not know where he came from. He covered my eyes and carried me to the school of Socrates, where I was imprisoned.”
“How old were you?” Raiden asked.
“I was five.”
After about an hour, Elasia signaled they should land, which was just as well as the balcon had slowed considerably.
“Land at the foot of this mountain if you wish to remain unseen.” Elasia instructed.
Maximus steered his balcon towards the Earth. Once they landed, she walked to the foot of the mountain, made of brown and red rock, with waves of desert sand.
“This is the
one. I climbed it, hoping my mother wouldn’t be able to find me up there.”
“So, the entrance to the school lies at the zenith of the mountain?”
“Yes.”
“Then we no longer require your company. Thank you for your assistance.”
Elasia looked lost. “You do not need further escort?”
“No. You would only be a danger to us if we were to encounter Shadows.”
Raiden looked at Elasia. He felt bad, but he knew Maximus was right. If she went with them and was harmed or captured, the Shadows would hold her hostage.
Raiden walked over to Elasia. “Go back to your tribe and start to build yourself a new life.”
A cool, desert night breeze passed between them. “Come with me,” she pleaded softly.
“We already talked about-”
“I know, I know.” Elasia looked sadly at the ground.
Raiden placed his hand gently against her cheek.
“We will meet again, Elasia. I know it.”
Elasia looked up at him, her eyes swelling with emotion, and nodded slowly.
“How is she getting back?” Raiden asked, turning to Maximus.
“Asteron should have enough energy to take one person back, as long as Elasia looks after her while we are gone.”
“Asteron? Who’s-” Raiden paused, realizing that Maximus had named his balcon. Reluctantly, Elasia climbed onto its back.
“Take her back from where we came,” Maximus ordered, stroking the beast’s neck. The balcon shrieked, lifting up into the sky.
“One more thing!” Elasia called out as they took off, “At the top, you shall find a ledge. You must walk across it! It’s an illusion!”
Raiden waved his hand goodbye, watching her as she grew farther and farther away.
“Would you like to stand here playing Romeo and Juliet or shall we begin our ascent?” Maximus grumbled.
“Says the guy who named his balcon. Getting a bit attached, are we?”
Maximus ignored him, and they climbed up the mountain. Raiden struggled to keep up with the Reader. As they climbed upwards, Raiden followed Maximus’s footsteps. They continued for two hours before finally reaching the top. Raiden leaned forward, hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath. He wiped the sweat from his brow and looked around. The mountaintop was surprisingly flat and covered in sand.
“Raiden, look.” They stood peering down the ledge. The mountain appeared to have steepened into a cliff, heading straight down for hundreds of kilometers.
“That’s impossible!”
“It’s an illusion,” Maximus said.
“So, we just walk off one of these ledges?” Raiden lifted his foot, placing it over the ledge to where he had stood a few moments ago. “Maybe it was a little lower.” He sat down on the ledge, reaching down as far as he could with his foot. “It has to be somewhere around here.”
A rock broke off and Raiden quickly pulled himself back onto the mountaintop. The rock fell straight down, accelerating until it shattered against a boulder at the bottom.
“It sure doesn’t feel like an illusion.”
Maximus looked down at the shattered rock.
“It seems we may be in more than an illusion. We may have changed dimensions.”
“I don’t really know what that means.” Raiden looked around, trying to find a clue. “So that’s it, we come all this way to get stuck on a mountaintop?” Raiden kicked the ground, annoyed. As he did, a cluster of sand poured off the ledge. Watching it fall gave him an idea. He scooped up large handful of sand and began walking around the ledge, letting the sand flow slowly out from his fist. When he ran out of sand, he took another handful. Just as he reached around halfway along the mountaintop, he stopped. He turned excitedly towards Maximus.
“I found it!” The handful of sand stood floating in midair just off the ledge.
“Now you must walk.”
“Walk where?”
“There.” Maximus pointed out towards the empty air.
“Hey, I found it, you’re going first.”
“Very well.” Maximus grabbed a handful of sand from the ground and stepped slowly forward towards the floating sand. He lay down his foot softly, feeling for surface. He then pushed off, bringing his second foot forward. He was walking on air. Raiden followed him onto the invisible ledge. He looked down at the rocky ground, hundreds of kilometers below.
“This is incredible!”
They continued walking forward. Before each step, Maximus sprinkled sand, checking to make sure there were no turns. For the most part, the path continued perfectly straight. The mountain grew farther and farther away. Suddenly, Maximus stopped moving.
“What’s wrong?”
He sprinkled sand in a circle. “There is nowhere left to step.”
“What do you mean there’s nowhere to step?”
“There is only empty air from here on.”
“Maybe it’s farther out, maybe you have to jump.”
Maximus tossed sand a little farther in each direction until there was none left in his hand.
“Nothing.”
“Then let’s go back.”
Raiden turned around. His eyes widened. “Maximus....we have trouble...”
The sand slowly began to fall.
“It seems the path is deteriorating,” Maximus said calmly.
“Oh, I didn’t notice! Now do something or we’re gonna die!” Raiden shouted. Maximus grabbed Raiden’s arm and jumped into the air. “Are you insane!? There’s no more ledge! We’re gonna die!”
Maximus slapped his hand over Raiden’s mouth. Raiden slowly opened his eyes. They were on ground. Visible, dirt ground. “Where are we?” Raiden whispered.
“The Valley of Shadows.”
The valley was long and narrow, its rocky walls too slippery to climb and too high to see their tops, keeping out any light from the outside. The cloak of darkness made the valley seem endless. Maximus put a finger to his lips, signaling for silence, and then motioned for Raiden to begin walking. They walked quietly through the valley. Raiden kept glancing at the walls. He could have sworn he saw shadows following them.
Maximus froze. There were voices growing closer in every direction.
Twenty figures emerged from the walls, led by a muscular, dark-skinned warrior. Another ten Shadows approached from behind, led by a woman. Maximus drew his blades and Raiden raised his blaster.
“Well, my warriors, it seems you have received a special gift on your first official night on guard.”
The man’s voice was sharp and deep. As the figures drew closer, Raiden was able to make out their faces. The leader in front seemed older than the rest. His hair was black and braided, reaching down his back. He wore a light suit of armor.
“We demand an audience with your Chief,” Maximus said.
“Why?”
“He has something that does not belong to him.”
“And you have come to steal it?” The man walked closer to Maximus, looking him in the eyes.
“Nobody takes from our Chief.”
“You will take me to your Chief. Now.”
“You believe your mind tricks will work on me, Reader? My discipline is too great for your cowardly games.”
Maximus stepped forward. “Really? I have been hunted by your kind for long enough. Perhaps it is time I become the hunter.”
The Shadows tensed. Raiden aimed his gun at the woman. He placed his hand on the trigger. But something told him not to fire. He recognized her from somewhere, perhaps one of his dreams. She looked hesitantly at Raiden, prepared to attack, hand on her blade.
“I do not wish to shed any blood, yet you leave me no other choice. I cannot allow you passage. In order to save the life of your accomplice, I challenge you to a duel.”
Maximus clanked his blades together. “I accept,” he growled.
The Shadows lowered their swords. Raiden put back his gun.
“Are you crazy?” he whispered. “What if he kills you?
”
“I never pick a fight I cannot win. Get back.”
Raiden stopped beside the woman who, only moments before, had her sword pointed at him.
“Let us begin.” The Shadow charged, swinging at Maximus’s neck. Maximus blocked the blow. The man jumped backwards and leaped up into the air, flipping over Maximus’s head, and struck down at him. Maximus dove forward as the sword slashed the top of his shoulder, drawing first blood. The man landed on his feet opposite Maximus. He charged at him again and just before reaching him, he dove into the surface of the earth, emerging swiftly from the other side. He swung his sword at Maximus, who turned quickly to parry it. Maximus found himself on the defensive as the man sent him a barrage attacks, blow after blow. He moved quickly to anticipate each movement, blocking the attacks. Suddenly, just as Maximus used his swords to block another lunge, the man spun with incredible speed, sending his foot smashing into the side of Maximus’s face, launching him to the floor. The man then pounced, sword forward. Maximus rolled as fast as he could, but it was not fast enough. The sword penetrated his upper arm, nailing him to the floor. Maximus groaned in pain and dropped the sword in his left hand.
Raiden placed his finger on the trigger. He wasn’t going to let Maximus die. But the battle wasn’t over yet.
Maximus peered up into his enemy’s face and finally had time to interpret it.
Standing erect, arrogance on his face, slowing his breathing. He believes the battle to be over. He is looking for the finishing blow. Looking to stab me in the heart. He will keep me pinned to the ground, believing that I will stay immobile. He plans to kill me with my own sword.
“To the seasoned Shadow warrior, battle is not a thought process. It is second nature. A Reader is no match for a Shadow.”
Maximus slowly let go of the sword in his right hand. The Shadow picked up Maximus’s fallen sword, lifting it up over his chest. As the man lunged downwards, Maximus pushed off the ground with his right arm and swung his body over his left arm, screaming in pain as the sword cut deeper into his flesh, breaking through bone. He grabbed the sword out from his arm and twisted his body, slashing at the man’s stomach. The man staggered backwards.
