The Panagea Tales Box Set

by McKenzie Austin

  “A tragedy,” she said with a nod. “Even after all this time, I can still hear their screams.”

  “Six hundred years ...” Kazuaki whispered beneath his breath, staring hard at the woman before him. He met no one who saw more years pass than he had. Fleeting thoughts of her possessing immortality surfaced in his brain, but she couldn’t suffer from the same fate. Not if she thought they could kill her moments before. But if she wasn’t immortal, how was it she lived longer than even he had?

  The woman realized everyone gawked at her. She smiled. “I am so sorry, where are my manners?” She spoke with warmth as she looked at each one. “My name is Umbriel. Umbriel Dasyra.”

  “Well, Umbriel,” Elowyn approached the Earth Mother and took the vest from her arms to help the woman into the piece of clothing, “my name is Elowyn Saveign; this here is Revi Houton, Granite, Iani Platts, Bermuda, Kazuaki Hidataka, and Nico. Let me be the first person in a long time to give you a gift.” She buttoned the vest, shielding the woman’s bosoms from the rest of the world. “You can just go ahead and keep that,” the medic offered.

  Umbriel’s eyes gazed down at the vest as she ran her hands over the material. It felt strange beneath her fingertips; it had been so long since she donned clothing, but she did not wish to insult Elowyn’s generosity. “You are too kind,” she smiled as she looked upon the woman’s face. She turned and noticed the horror still plastered to Nicholai. “Time Father Nico,” she said, concern in her words, “are you all right?”

  Nicholai paled. He lived with stories of the Time Fathers for years. Since he was a boy. The rare nights his father came home, he regaled him with the occasional tale of what it meant to be a Time Father: honor, courage, strength, adversity, creativity, mercy for your people—at no point in his history lessons did mass murder surface concerning those who shared his title. “You—surely you’re mistaken,” he uttered, a thick air of desperation clinging to his question.

  Umbriel’s expression became conscience-stricken. She wrapped her arms around her torso. “I wish I were,” she said as she shifted her bare feet in the leaves.

  “What—how—why?” Nicholai questioned, exasperated by the unflattering knowledge. He wanted to condemn her, tell her it wasn’t true, but in his heart of hearts, her sincerity punctured through any denial he mustered. How painful to fall so far from grace. To go from a man who represented something he revered, that he was plagued with guilt for betraying ... to a man whose forefather’s desecrated an entire group of women.

  Umbriel shrugged a single shoulder. “We no longer fit into their idea of a perfect world. We were an exquisite team,” she mused, appearing whimsical as she reveled in the past, "the Time Fathers and Earth Mothers created a beautiful place together, for countless years we were the keepers of the only two things that existed since the beginning: nature and time. But perfection is an ideal environment for just about everything, including disagreements,” she said, her voice soft. “Their actions were not bred in malice. The Time Fathers just wanted what they thought was best for mankind: more advancement, more opportunities. The larger man’s reach extended, the more they wanted to reach further and further. We sacrificed nature in pieces, holding on to the idea that life in all its forms could coexist, but ... the bigger mankind’s appetites grew, the less room they had in their hearts for any other life form, including nature. When we put our feet down to resist, to save the other remaining lives who shared man’s world, we were silenced. We gave, and we gave, and when we no longer gave willingly, they took.”

  The group lingered on her every word, save Bermuda. Even Granite, who stooped down to pet his dog when Umbriel mentioned mankind possessed an inability to share their world with lesser creatures. Bermuda looked at everyone, incapable of feeling the gravity behind Umbriel’s recount. Elowyn felt enough empathy for them both. “So,” the medic asked, “how did you end up here?”

  Umbriel looked at the woman with a smile. “It was decided they would keep one of us alive. As obsessed with advancement as they were, no man existed yet who discovered a way to supply the world with enough oxygen to support a supercontinent of people. They chose me at random, condemned to this island several hundreds of years ago. My only purpose was to keep the trees alive,” she explained as she motioned to the living collection around her. “I did the best I could,” she stared lovingly at her creation. “But even at this distance, I feel Panagea dying beneath my feet. She can no longer sustain herself. I was almost excited by your arrival. I thought, perhaps, it meant you discovered a way to save her and wouldn’t need me anymore. Though it would mean the end of my life, I would gladly give it for Panagea.”

  “Several hundred years,” Revi repeated, tilting his head. He glanced at the captain, then back at Umbriel. “Would that make you an ... immortal, of sorts?”

  “Oh, my, no,” she replied with a small laugh. “I have encountered misfortune, but none so bad as all that. Earth Mothers, we are alchemists of sorts. We tap into the cells of living creatures, giving and exchanging energy, sucking out toxins and such. The surrounding life has helped me replenish the life force of my own cells all these years. I persisted, as not to let my late companions down. Though their spirits live outside their bodies now, I will continue to represent everything we stood for until my dying breath.”

  Kazuaki perked. She spoke of what he hoped for: replenishing cells, removing impurities, everything that might help Bermuda. He and Bartholomew exchanged silent glances with one another. The scholar knew why the captain’s interest peaked, but he suspected he wouldn’t bring it up now. Not in front of Bermuda. The captain executed more diplomacy than that.

  Nicholai still looked as if he teetered on the verge of throwing up. Revi approached him and patted him on the back. “You all right, mate?”

  The Time Father’s eyes glazed over. His arm crept up his torso and his fingers wrapped around the cold metal of his Chronometer. “I ... I’m not sure,” he muttered, lost in his new, unflattering reality. Did his father know about this atrocity? Did any of the existing Time Fathers? Was that why that book remained locked away in Darjal’s hidden library? It was too much for him to comprehend. To Nicholai, murder did not serve as a solution when things didn’t go the way he wanted. Though he was exposed to it through the company he kept as of late, it remained a foreign, repulsive process to him. “I cannot believe they would do such a thing,” he uttered.

  “Yes,” Umbriel nodded, her eyes falling to the ground. “It was a shame. Life ... it’s so sacred.”

  The silent moment of reflection filled with the sound of Granite’s dog crunching on something hard. “Beast,” Granite’s deep voice echoed through the trees as he gazed at the mongrel. “What do you have?”

  The dog looked at him unapologetically as its teeth crunched on the bones of a small lizard. A limp tail dangled out of the dog’s mouth.

  “Give it,” Granite instructed, holding his hand out as he approached the canine. The dog ate the lizard quicker. Granite knelt beside the mongrel, a frown on his face as he pried its jaws open and looked inside. The lizard was gone. To the beast, life was as sacred as it was delicious.

  Everyone looked on in awkwardness at Umbriel, who smiled. “Oh, that’s just nature,” she said with a little shrug. “Survival of the fittest.”

  “It wasn’t poisonous, was it?” Granite arched a brow.

  “No, no,” she shook her head. “He’ll be fine.”

  “I think the beast has the right idea again,” Revi said as he crossed his arms. He didn’t know how long the captain planned on staying here or why he sought this woman out, but Revi Houton wasn’t about to let the resources surrounding them go to waste. “We found what we were looking for. Who we were looking for. Now, how about we stock the ship with food and water? This place is a gods-damned treasure trove of supplies.”

  “You are all more than welcome to stay as long as you like,” Umbriel said, as if the island existed as her home and not her prison. “Please, we will have a feas
t, down on the beach. It would be my pleasure to show you the delights of the forest.”

  “Those won’t be the only delights you’re asked to show once we get the Rabbit off the boat,” Iani chuckled, nudging Elowyn.

  The medic rolled her eyes and gave Iani a shove away from her. “Revi’s right, let’s gather supplies. It would be rude to deny Umbriel her gracious hospitality.”

  “Yes,” Kazuaki agreed. He wanted more time with the Earth Mother to discuss Bermuda’s fate. An evening on the island would be the perfect opportunity to get her alone. “We have a chef onboard our ship,” he offered as he straightened his posture. “Penn has the finest tools available at his disposal to assist you in your preparations.”

  “Oh, I appreciate the offer, but I needn’t any tools, Kazuaki,” she said, finding pleasure in addressing someone by their name for the first time in what felt like forever. “I have everything I need here.”

  “Well,” the captain cleared his throat. He stole a glance at Bermuda, who still appeared aloof to the situation. Even in her cold, solitary state, one look of her caused his insides to stir. Hang in there, he thought to himself. We’re close now. He turned his attention back to Umbriel and put on his most charming grin, “how can I help?”

  ✽ ✽ ✽

  They divided the day into a series of tasks. Granite and Revi hauled casks of fresh water from the streams back in the cockboat to the ship. Though Rennington wished to accompany Iani and Brack on their descent into the forest to gather firewood, Kazuaki put him in charge of watching the ship from the shore. It took convincing, but Umbriel assured Kazuaki no ill would befall his beloved ship. Her words allowed the remaining crew onboard permission to come to land. Logic dictated she was right; they were far from the vengeful grasp of the Time Fathers and their military, and Kazuaki assumed if nobody else stumbled across Umbriel on this island for centuries, the risk anyone would show up unattended was small.

  Penn and Nicholai stood at the brook, trying to catch fish in their nets. Nicholai remained numb to his revelation and proved to be a useless fisherman. Penn kept him in check by issuing constant commands.

  Bartholomew knelt in a corner of the forest, a feeble, crumbling encyclopedia of edible plants in his hands. He gathered whatever edible pieces he found that matched his text before he cataloged and sketched them in his journal.

  Though Kazuaki limited himself to issuing orders and surveying the completion of everyone's duties, even he took part in the goings-on, having gathered dry leaves and sticks to serve as kindling for the firewood Iani and Brack brought back. He leaned near the future campfire site and set another handful down.

  Granite’s dog barreled out of the water, much to Penn and Nicholai’s relief, as it scared away any fish they tried to catch. The beast zeroed in on a stick Kazuaki dropped and seized it in its jaw, chomping down before it whipped its head back and threw the stick up in the air. Though gravity caused the stick to hit the creature in the face, he picked it up again and approached the captain. His tail wagged like a propeller.

  The captain stared down at the dog and quirked a brow. “What?”

  The mutt barked though it sounded muffled with the stick still in its mouth. It tried shoving the branch into Kazuaki’s hands.

  Kazuaki frowned as he grabbed the stick, getting a slimy film of canine saliva on his palm. He looked at the object with disgust, then down at the creature who failed at containing its pure, unadulterated joy. The corner of the captain’s lips tugged into a microscopic smile as he drew his arm back and hurled the stick as far as he could. The sound of dog barks echoed through the open air as he chased it down the beach.

  Umbriel chose Elowyn and Bermuda to accompany her on a hunt. Neither woman ever hunted game before, but hunting appeared far more interesting than what the others had to do. Though the noise of dried leaves crunched under their boots, Umbriel’s bare feet somehow moved without sound through the forest interior. She gazed at the tracks in the soft, fresh soil, and motioned the women to follow her. Much to Elowyn’s relief, Granite brought back clothing from her room in one of his many return trips to the ship. It was easier following Umbriel without her nudity as a distraction.

  Umbriel pulled back a low branch of leaves, revealing a large deer a short distance away. It grazed on the forest floor, its ear flicking behind it. Bermuda lifted her gun and whispered, “Let’s get this over with—”

  Before she perfected her aim, the wooden shaft of an arrow tapped down onto her metal barrel. She frowned and shot a glance at Umbriel, who smiled back at her and shook her head. “I appreciate your technique, Bermuda,” she whispered, “but just a moment, please—”

  The quartermaster appeared irritated but dropped her gun down to her side. She gestured toward the deer with a silent ‘do what you have to do’ implied, figuring Umbriel planned to hunt the creature her own way.

  The Earth Mother mouthed the words ‘thank you’ before she closed her eyes and held a clenched fist to her heart. Her lips whispered words inaudible to Elowyn and Bermuda at first. After a while, it became clear she was thanking the gods for the offering, and to please pardon her for taking a life, as its primary purpose was to sustain additional lives.

  Elowyn tried to share a perplexed glance with Bermuda but found the woman indifferent. They allowed Umbriel to finish her ritual before she breathed deep and opened her eyes again. “There we are,” she said, tucking a strand of her long hair behind her ear. “Please, I did not mean to interrupt your style of hunting,” she motioned for Bermuda to continue. “I prefer the mercy of a bow and arrow, but I am always willing to learn new approaches.”

  “This approach is short and sweet,” Bermuda muttered, lifting her gun again. When she pushed through the leaves to get a better shot, the creature lifted its head, its eyes meeting hers. In a moment of panic, the deer turned as Bermuda fired. The animal was quick on its feet; her bullet sank into its shoulder as it ran. It wasn’t enough to drop the creature, and it disappeared into the trees.

  Bermuda cursed, unaccustomed to missing her target. She wasn’t used to relying on stealth. Just as the injured deer bolted into the safety of the brush, Umbriel took off and gave chase. The two women left behind stared after her as she displayed a level of agility and aptitude. They didn’t have her in their line of sight for too long, but in the seconds that they saw her, it appeared as if her feet knew every inch of the forest. She launched herself off a fallen log, her body somehow as quiet as it had been when she crept. It was as if she made herself as light as a feather but fast as a bullet. In a moment, she vanished into the forest.

  “Shit, I hope she comes back,” Elowyn stood there, dumbfounded. “Captain will kill us if we lose her.”

  “I hope she comes back too,” Bermuda mumbled, disarming her weapon and returning it to her side, “because I don't know how the feck to get back.”

  Elowyn shrugged. “I guess the captain can’t kill us if he can’t find us.”

  A statement Bermuda would have once found amusement in washed over her without acknowledgment. Elowyn felt a tinge of sadness creep into her heart. She missed her friend.

  The two women stood in silence for what felt like forever before they heard the rustling of leaves ahead. Umbriel emerged from the thick vegetation and waved at the women, smiling. She dropped the legs of the carcass she carried and yelled across the distance. A single arrow stuck up from the creature’s chest, right where its heart hid underneath its skin. “Could I ask for your help, please? I’m not used to hauling such large game—eating for one never required so much sustenance before.”

  “She’s good,” Elowyn whispered to Bermuda, blown away she not only caught the beast but landed a single, accurate shot while in pursuit.

  “Yes,” Bermuda acknowledged, narrowing her eyes. “She certainly is.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  The day flew by faster than any other had in a long time. The crew forgot the last time they all disembarked from the ship without fear of persecution. A
pprehension melted from them in the paradise of Umbriel’s island. The captain talked about using the opportunity to clean the ship’s hull of barnacles. The island’s safety made it the perfect opportunity but didn’t make the awful endeavor any easier. Relief fell over the crew when the sun sank too low to offer suitable lighting and they could put it off for another day. Instead, they returned to their readied site on the beach to relax in Umbriel’s company with the fire and meal she promised earlier.

  Kazuaki continued to check on his ship. He needed to reassure himself it remained safe in the moor. Umbriel observed his apprehension and her gentle hand found its way to his shoulder. “She will be fine, Kazuaki. You have my word.”

  Her touch startled him and he turned to face her. For the briefest of moments, he thought her words referred to Bermuda. He found no opportunity to discuss it at length without the quartermaster’s presence. When he realized the Earth Mother spoke of his ship, he nodded, “Right, yes. I suppose she is.”

  Umbriel lowered her hand and tilted her head to the side. She grew perceptive in her many years. Not much existed that the Earth Mother didn’t feel on an intuitive level. Her eyes gazed deep into his, reflecting nothing but a tender concern and curiosity. The transparency in which she presented herself made the captain uncomfortable. “Kazuaki, I can’t help but think there’s something you wished to talk with me about.”

  The captain cleared his throat and felt the hope in his heart rise at the opportunity for discussion. He looked around. Bermuda stood far off, out of earshot. He had to seize the moment. As he opened his mouth to speak, he heard Brack shout.

  “Hot damn! You almost burnt my eyebrows off!”

  Iani and Rennington laughed from their seats on a fallen log. Iani clutched a bottle of kerosene in his hands, having doused the wood with too much while Brack lit the fire. The flames whooshed up with such speed, the Rabbit had no time to react as he stumbled away and into the sand.