by L K Hingey
KIMBER
Book One of The Elyrian Chronicles
L.K. HINGEY
KIMBER | Book One of the Elyrian Chronicles
Text © 2020 L.K. Hingey
Cover by BEAUTeBOOK
The author asserts the moral right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act of 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.
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Table of Contents
Prologue
Part I: The Grafted Chapter I
Chapter II
Chapter III
Chapter IV
Chapter V
Chapter VI
Chapter VII
Chapter VIII
Chapter IX
Part II: The surface Chapter X
Chapter XI
Chapter XII
Chapter XIII
Chapter XIV
Chapter XV
Chapter XVI
Chapter XVII
Chapter XVIII
Chapter XIX
Chapter XX
Chapter XXI
Chapter XXII
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Prologue
Twenty years ago, a solar storm ravaged the Earth’s ozone layer. Of the 11 billion people on the planet, only 200 managed to seek refuge from the radiation by disappearing underground. With the bonds of oxygen obliterated, the damage to the ozone was irreversible. Every living thing exposed wilted and died, leading to global extinction.
The year is now 2209, and what is left of humanity is trying to rebuild in Inanna, a subterranean city named after the ancient goddess of fertility and war. The designers of Inanna had known the human body would be too fragile to ever compete with the piercing gamma rays on the surface and were secretly contracted by the American government to preserve life at ANY cost. So began the sanctioned grafting of human DNA with the genomes of Earth’s most radiation-resistant animal species. The lines of morality are blurred in a chaotic race against time, a race to build an Ark for the salvation of life itself.
Kimber is one of 23. She, her brothers, and her sisters are the first of their kind and are humanity’s last hope. They are a brand-new and stunning subspecies of humans called Auroras. Named for the colorful magnetic phenomenon of the heavens, the Auroreans come of age in a city where they are forced to answer a life-changing question: Are they Inannian citizens or are they slaves?
Part I
The Grafted
Chapter I
Kimber rolled over on the cool stone of the cavern floor. She was not normally allowed to lounge around, and when she could, she took full advantage of it. She always came here to the living records room, her favorite spot in the world. She never could quite put her finger on what it was about this place that she loved so much. The youth in the caves, the humans and the Auroras alike, usually went straight for the games rooms, the common rooms, or one of the many deep pools scattered throughout the underground system. But not Kimber.
Perhaps she liked the solitude, for there never was anyone else in here. Or perhaps it was the dim lamplight, casting shadows that danced endlessly upon the dewy walls, which sparked her imagination. Maybe it was the collection of books on history, art, and the religions of the past, a vast majority of which she had found on the surface and brought into the cavern herself. Or maybe it was the memory that it was here that her mother would bring her to escape their subterranean world. More often than not, Kimber and her mother could be found whispering and laughing, thicker than thieves, into the pages of the books until deep into the sleep cycle.
Not to mention that the damp chill of the smooth stone helped calm Kimber’s itching skin. Twice a year she went through a shed. They all did, just not in sync. The process occurred over a ten-day cycle during which the Auroras were more vulnerable to the sun’s radiation than normal. This meant no surface excursions, no supply runs, and no war games. The Auroras relished the brief respite that their sheds gave them, even if they were incredibly uncomfortable the entire time. Kimber rolled over again, this time onto her back, sighing and letting the cold seep into her.
As Kimber gazed up at the ceiling, she let her mind wander. She had seen the murals hundreds of times but could never get enough of the view. Over twenty years ago, an artist had painstakingly adhered piece after piece of colorful stone and glass to the ceiling, creating the most glorious mosaics imaginable. Though the decades had done some damage, and missing pieces were becoming more common, the original splendor could still be felt. Amazingly detailed images of the sleeping religions looked protectively down upon patrons of the records room.
Ganesha, the elephant goddess of the historical religion of Hinduism, occupied the brilliantly colored space in the center of the ceiling. She was exquisite, shimmering with thousands of orange, purple, gold, and pink pieces. Ganesha’s body was adorned with gold baubles and she was clothed in luxurious robes that tucked into the deep folds of her skin. Her trunk and naked breasts glowed in the lamplight, and Kimber could always detect a flicker of wisdom dancing in Ganesha’s human-like eyes.
The elephant goddess had four arms in which she balanced various items: the shattered tusks of elephants, a plate of delicacies, a conch shell, and most importantly, the sign of the lotus. It took Kimber a bit of investigation to discover the meaning behind Ganesha and the symbol of the lotus. The records revealed that the goddess’s special power was to remove obstacles from the lives of her worshipers and the lotus was the universal sign of enlightenment. Since Ganesha was also the patron of art and science, it made a wealth of sense to have her gracing the center of the ceiling.
Behind and to the left of Ganesha, almost too obscure and too dark to see clearly, loomed a shadowy figure made of smoky glass. It had two blood red eyes that stood out like rubies and teeth that cut into its black sneer like razors. It took Kimber more research to reveal what this depiction was. The best she could discern, was that the figure in the background was a Hindu demon, called a rakshasa, named Mushikasura. In the ancient scripts, Ganesha had ultimately defeated this rakshasa, but here he was, lurking behind her for an eternity.
Kimber had stared at the mosaic for so many years that she had recurring dreams about the giant elephant. She would dream of Ganesha restoring the world, with one swing of her massive trunk, to the way it was before the flare drove humans underground. Kimber could see it so vividly in her mind’s eye... the green of trees and the peaceful blue of the seas. She wished with every piece of her soul that this all-powerful being would take pity on them and clear even a couple of the obstacles which threatened life’s very existence. But Ganesha never did. She remained silent in her loft, hunted by her demon, ever with a smile in her eyes.
Kimber was not mad at the elephant goddess. She was just disappointed, much like a child becomes after learning their favorite fairy tale is nothing but a pretty story. She knew it was stupid to feel anything but apathy anyhow, because religion had been put to sleep for a long time and for good reason. Kimber’s gaze shifted directly above her head, amusement now flickering in her own eyes. Ganesha may have been as helpful as a dew drop on a stalactite, but it was not like the angels of Christianity were doing much more for the world’s plight. There, on Ganesha’s left side, flew four of the most iridescent angels imaginable.
Each of the feather-laden creatures was larger than life, and Kimber absolutely adored them. She had spent many
sleep cycles pouring over her books to learn what these beautiful beings were all about. They were God’s four archangels. The angel Michael, shimmering in a light blue gown, was the symbol of strength. Beside him flew Gabriel, wearing an opalescent white gown, the angel tasked with delivering messages from God to Man. Near to him was Raphael, wearing a luminous soft green robe, the angel of healing.
The last angel, Uriel, was draped in deep colors which contrasted starkly with his pastel brothers. Uriel’s robes were magnificently rich purples and golds, and he symbolized the division of good and evil. He was placed strategically between his fellow archangels and the demon Mushikasura. Kimber could have spent hours gazing up at the angels alone, but there was always so much more of the murals to take in, that Kimber kept her eyes moving across the scene.
On the right side of Ganesha was a brilliant golden Buddha in the middle of a vividly purple backdrop. Staring at the purple was like staring into the heart of the cosmos itself; swirling, colorful, and alive with hundreds of twinkling stars. Buddha was enshrined in a delicate gold circle inside of which an intricate outline of flower petals was inlaid with wisps of purple. He was glorious and golden, but above all, he looked serene. Atop Buddha’s head were his classic knots in tarnished brass instead of gold, dipping towards his Urna.
Like everything else, Kimber had demanded to know more about the sanctum of this holy symbol. Much to her delight she had discovered that the dot, the Urna, on Buddha’s forehead, meant a lot in the Buddhist religion. It symbolized a third eye. An eye that did not gaze upon the tangible world, but rather on the world of the divine. With this eye Buddha could see past the suffering of this mundane universe and into a place of serenity.
Kimber wondered if Buddha were to be in Man’s existence today, what he would see. Could even his enlightened self see past this amount of turmoil? Would he continue to turn, not a blind eye, but his divine eye towards beauty beyond the damp of the caves? Beyond the desecrated red crust that was now the Earth’s surface? Beyond the tortured sky that was ravaged by lightning and wind, forever backlit by the Borealis?
Small tears formed in Kimber’s eyes as her mind drifted away from the safe splendor of the records room. The humans did not know how bad the surface was. The Auroras had tried to tell them, to warn them, that home was hundreds of years away. And hundreds of years was a euphemism for thousands of years. The Auroras made no claims to be botanists, but anyone could see that a world with no vegetation was a world that could no longer support life. The humans kept saying that somehow there would be a way to make it, to endure. But they had not seen what Kimber had seen.
The council did not know how poisoned the Earth had become after the Flare. Even if they could somehow see, would it do any good? Would they choose to give up on their crusade to maintain intelligent life? Would they impose even stricter rules on the Auroras? Kimber forced these thoughts, along with her tears, down angrily. There had been enough unfairness to go around lately.
She did not want to think about how out of control everything was getting. Not here at least, not under her murals. Kimber forced her mind blank and shimmied on the bumpy ground, trying to catch some of her loose skin in the groves of the stone. Her head was nearly exploding from the itchiness of her body which meant that the thin membrane above her scales was about to detach. Zen, she thought desperately of the Ancient Buddhist teachings, just be Zen.
Above Buddha’s colorful cosmos hung a large crescent moon. The pale-yellow sliver was set against an emerald sky, which had somehow seamlessly melted in from the purple below. This moon was a host to a silvery temple with a tall spire. The spire itself was topped with its own tiny crescent moon and sat gracefully beneath a single pale star. Kimber’s research revealed that the building was called a mosque, belonging to the religion of Islam. The pieces of the mosaic here were incredibly small. She imagined that this section, although subdued and more choreographed than the brightly colored elephant goddess and Buddha, had taken a long time to plan out.
Similar in delicacy was the monochromatic scene opposite the crescent moon above the heads of the Christian angels. Clouds steamed up from behind the gorgeous white feathered wings, creating a base for a pair of hands that emerged from the clouds. The hands were large, about the size of one angel, and cupped a star as if lifting it towards the heavens. It was the Star of David. Though simple in design, it was exquisite in detail.
The background looked plush and the edges of the clouds glowed a soft pink, differing slightly from the blue and cream scene below. The star was comprised of two overlapping equilateral triangles yielding six points. The lines of two triangles were made up of several thin layers of blues and pinks. Matching the colors of the triangles, were words encircling the star. Kindness, severity, harmony, perseverance, splendor, foundation, and royalty were inscribed in a perfect halo. Kimber had often thought about these words, contemplating the temperament of the heavens. If the gods were real, they certainly seemed to possess all seven of these qualities, severity perhaps more than any other.
Kimber knew the rules on religion. The humans and Auroras could freely study any of the religions of the past, but they were not allowed to worship the deities. They were taught, and encouraged to reflect upon, the damage religion had caused mankind. The scholars during the time of the Harnessing had torn down the proverbial pillars of churches, temples, mosques, and shrines after the Gen-En Wars ended about a century ago.
The Gen-En Wars comprised much of what was now simply lumped up as World War III, the decades of conflict during which an unprecedented level of global panic reshaped the modern world. In a chaotic scramble for resources, power, and energy, the political superpowers of the world were devoured by fear. Compounded by the controversy over genetic modification and religious fanaticism, civilization reached its breaking point.
When the dust finally settled and the peaceful seventy-seven years of the Harnessing began, it was officially declared that science was to take the place of all religion. Furthermore, it was decreed that genetic modification of human DNA was banned. These had been the first declarations of the Global Alliance, and they had not been contested. The nations of the Allies and the Axis powers had sustained so much damage during the war that anything seemed reasonable to keep the peace. The United Nations was officially dissolved, and the Global Alliance took its place. All nations joined, even the ones that had to limp to the table.
As she scraped her body again against the stone floor, Kimber’s thoughts couldn’t help but to get stuck on the ban against genetic modification. Humanity had ripped itself apart for decades over the controversy that was genetic engineering. Then suddenly, the world had a much bigger task to tackle. The debate on tinkering with the human genome was tabled and mankind turned its attention to a now more pressing matter. Elyria, which had started and had ended the war, had handed humankind the key to everlasting energy... if they could harness it. The year was 2113 and the greatest minds of the age worked together to usher the human race into the next era.
Kimber shivered thinking of the broken Met-Blimps on the surface. Humanity had achieved some amazing feats during the time of the Harnessing, one of the most significant was the design of giant blimps that could add moisture, heat, and chilled air into the atmosphere. These meteorological robots put an immediate end to storms. Hurricanes, tornados, droughts, and floods were a thing of the past, along with famine and disease.
Though Met-Blimps had been conceptualized for centuries, there had never been a sustainable way to fuel machines of this magnitude. After Elyria’s impact, energizing these giant machines, and machines like it, ceased to be an issue. When the drifting planet, Elyria, was finally pulled into the sun’s gravity, what most thought would be the end of the world turned out to be its salvation. The introduction of new elements into the sun’s core fueled an increase in the luminosity of the sun’s surface, not only giving people of Earth an endless supply of solar power, but also ending the brutal decades of war fought in prep
aration for the impact.
After the Global Alliance was created and a worldwide ceasefire was agreed upon, technological innovation charged forward. From the ashes of warfare grew hope and prosperity for all of mankind. Over the years, people became proud of their many advancements. Kimber wondered, did the gods, if they were real, smite down the humans for being so vain? All of mankind’s fancy advancements, along with its hopes and dreams, laid broken on the surface amidst the piles of rusting weather balloons.
Did David’s God intend for Man to go through so much anguish? What about the crescent moon god of the silvery mosques? The gentle angels surely had no part in all of it, Kimber had thought, until she flipped through the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. Wrath seemed to be a common thread throughout all the world’s theologies. Even when Kimber investigated further back into the ages of the ancient religions, she found a lot of divine anger. The Egyptians, the Greeks, the Norse folk, and the vast mythologies of the African nations all alluded to the foul temper of the supernatural.
Perhaps they were ALL real. Perhaps they had pooled their fury and cosmic resources together when they sent the flare to destroy Man’s towers. Or perhaps the council was right, and everything in the universe happened in a perfect and perfectly random manner. Kimber felt the gears in her head spinning. She couldn’t help but reflect on the grandeur of it all when she was in this room. Sometimes her biggest question of all, was why no one else even seemed to care.
Sure, the humans went to school longer. The Auroras were pulled out of formal education and separated from their parents at age ten, whereas the humans kept on with schooling until they were sixteen. But still, didn’t it seem like the library should be frequented more? She had added dozens of books to the collections over the years, and she was quite fond of them. Not to mention a bit proud.
