The Jestivan (Erafeen, #1)

by David F. Farris

Lilu sniffled a few times. “What about for the sake of stopping their plan? She is the key.”

  “A plan we know nothing about.”

  “Olivia is the reason why I’m alive. She carried me out of that restaurant. She is my captain, and I owe her a huge debt.”

  “And Bryson …?”

  She shook her head. “That was a lie—my lie, mind you—and I apologize. He and Himitsu helped their own teammate, Rhyparia.”

  Vitio studied his daughter’s face as a plan crossed his mind. “That Himitsu boy I met in the suite, bring him to the palace tomorrow.”

  ***

  Four o’clock approached as a hooded Bryson strolled between the fountains of the palace’s front courtyard. His pace slowed when he noticed it wasn’t Shelly waiting for him at the front door. “Hello, Vitio.”

  It wasn’t the welcoming that Bryson was used to. “Bryson … how was school?”

  “Besides the fact that Lilu was truant, it went well. Trained as a unit today—all the Jestivan together. It was a valuable session that we never get, so it’s a shame she missed it.” Bryson looked around the courtyard. “Where’s Shelly?”

  “I told her to take the day off,” Vitio said. He looked up the palace’s walls. “But I assume she’s snooping up there, spying out one of the windows. As for Lilu, she had unexpected matters to attend to here.”

  “I crossed paths with her just an hour ago at Telejunction. She looked so distraught and didn’t say one word to me.”

  Vitio stared at him for a moment before turning toward the garden. Bryson followed.

  “Remember when you asked me if Flen and Vistas were twins?”

  Bryson nodded. “And you said ‘let’s go with that.’”

  Vitio sighed. “They’re actually triplets. They have—or had—a third brother.”

  “And what happened to him?”

  “He died today at the hands of Dev Prince Storshae. Five years ago, when it was decided that I had to send most of my Dev slaves back to their kingdom, some of them didn’t want to leave. We allowed them to stay. Although they were not made citizens, we agreed to pay them a wage. In this group was a set of triplets: Vistas, Flen, and Tristen. Originally, all three were to stay here in the palace. However, a very impressive mind changed that plan, realizing the opportunity we had. We could send one back as a spy.”

  “And whose plan was that?” Bryson asked.

  “Lilu.”

  “Lilu? She couldn’t have been more than twelve years old.”

  Vitio gazed down at the boy. “That should not surprise you. Lilu is one of the sharpest minds in our kingdom.”

  Realizing he had insulted the king’s daughter, Bryson quickly apologized. Vitio brought the focus back to the intended topic. “Typically the people of the Dev Kingdom cannot link their Dev Energy in order to broadcast between realms, but blood relations are an exception. The closer the relation, the more effective the communication can be.”

  “So by sending one of the triplets, you had a flawless means of communication between the Dark and Light Realms.”

  “Exactly,” Vitio replied. “We sent Tristen back home while Vistas and Flen stayed here. His job was to be a spy, which nobody would ever expect … A man choosing to betray his home kingdom for the people who enslaved him? Absurd.”

  “Nobody knew he was a triplet?” Bryson asked.

  “Not anyone in the capital. He’d go unrecognized as long as he stayed away from his hometown of Tames.”

  “So how was he discovered?”

  They took a left and stepped between two towering hedges that stretched for a long while. Vitio lowered his voice considerably. “He was recording information for us. He was caught in the act by Prince Storshae. Lilu, Vistas, and I witnessed his death.”

  Bryson stopped in his tracks, now understanding Lilu’s deflated demeanor.

  “That’s not it,” Vitio said even more sternly. He leaned in close as they stared each other in the eyes. “What is Olivia to you?”

  Bryson’s heart raced. “She’s my best friend and the only person I can fully trust. She has been in my life since we were six. Do you have news?”

  “Yes, it’s the information he died trying to give to us.”

  “What is it?” Bryson pressed.

  “She’s not in good condition. I assume she has gone through months of abuse. She’s currently in a carriage with the Dev Prince.”

  The young Intel Jestivan stared at his king with an empty rage. The thoughts that came to his mind were too fast and jumbled for him to even try making a coherent sentence.

  “Are you willing to risk your life for her?”

  “Yes,” Bryson answered, more certain than he had ever been in his life.

  ***

  The next morning, Bryson was slumped on the top floor of the Lilac Suites. As his head tipped to the side for the hundredth time, the door jarred open, causing him to snap his head back into the wall with a thud.

  “I’m so sorry, Bryson!”

  “It’s okay, Jilly,” he groaned, rubbing the back of his skull.

  “What are you doing here?” She bounced on her toes. “Do you want to get some coffee? Coffee gets me going!”

  By some miracle, Bryson cracked a smile. “No, thank you. I’m good,” he said. “But we can go down to the lobby and talk while you have some.”

  Jilly beamed. “One-on-one time with my captain? Let’s go!”

  Bryson weakly smirked at the thought of her needing coffee. She ran down the stairs with a hand sliding down each rail. The squeaking from the friction pierced the quiet early-morning lobby. Besides the barkeep, the lobby was empty, but that would change soon.

  After grabbing a seat, Bryson stared at the piano while he waited for Jilly. As scrambled as his life had become, he hadn’t played in what seemed like forever.

  Jilly took a seat at the table and sipped from her mug. “How are you?” she asked.

  “Nervous.”

  Her face softened. “They will be okay. We’ll get everyone back.”

  Bryson decided to cut straight to it. “I will be entering the Dark Realm today.”

  A spitting sound echoed inside her mug as her eyes widened. “What?”

  “Olivia is there, and King Vitio is allowing me to go. He told me to ask whichever Jestivan I wanted to help, so I’ve decided to ask my team.”

  Jilly curiously gazed at her captain, but didn’t say anything.

  “It’s your choice,” Bryson said. “You don’t need to be told that you’d be risking your life.”

  “Olivia is a fellow Jestivan,” she said. “When do we head out?”

  “Four o’clock. This gives you the rest of the morning and early afternoon to do something else for me.” He gave her an uneasy look.

  “What’s that?”

  “Convince Toshik,” Bryson begged.

  Her face brightened with an evil smile. “If I’m going somewhere that puts me in danger, he’s going to go too. That’s just how it works with him. Don’t worry.”

  “One more thing,” Bryson added. “When you say goodbye to Yama —and I know you will—lie to her. Tell her we’re going on a fun trip somewhere in order to rebuild our team’s morale.”

  Jilly gave her kingdom’s salute and yelled a hearty, “Yes, sir!”

  ***

  Students in the bustling cafeteria forked down plates of food in preparation for the second half of the school day. Windows stretching from the floor to the ceiling lined the two side walls, and sunlight blanketed the stone surfaces. Four red drapes hung on both the back and front walls, each adorning the Passion Kingdom’s emblem of fire.

  It was loud, as students anticipated the weekend that was only a few hours away. But there was one anomaly in the crowded room. An eighteen-year-old Jestivan sat at the far end of one of the corner tables. The closest person to him was five chairs down. His cheek rested in his palm as he lazily bit into a slice of bread. A few thin strands of black hair had fallen in front of his eyes.r />
  The same topics ran amuck in Himitsu’s mind: his parents’ whereabouts, Olivia’s imprisonment by Archaic King Itta, Rhyparia’s coma, and the lives of his fellow Passion Assassins, who were being held prisoner by Passion King Damian.

  While staring aimlessly ahead, Himitsu noticed the conversations around him die down into mumbling and whispering. He followed the eyes of his fellow students to the cafeteria’s main entrance. A beautiful girl with a flower attached to her green hair stood at the entrance.

  Lilu briskly walked over to him, ignoring the trailing stares of the students. She cupped her hand around his ear. “If you want to save Olivia, come with me,” she whispered.

  Himitsu’s chair toppled backward as he sprung from his seat. He grabbed his blazing red coat and chased after her, itching for the opportunity to finally lay one of his worries to rest.

  ***

  The clock had just struck noon as Bryson arrived at the door of the Grand Director’s office. He was to meet with Debo, who had been occupying Poicus’s office while he was away. This was the final and most crucial part of the plan before departing from Phesaw. Lying was something Bryson could normally do on a whim, but with Debo, it was a lot more difficult. He took a deep breath before entering the room.

  Debo was seated at the desk with an open book in front of him. He looked up. Although his expression remained undisturbed, his tone hinted at surprise. “Bryson … hey.”

  Bryson shut the door and took a seat in front of the desk. “What are you reading?”

  “A biography.”

  “Yikes.” Bryson smirked. “You must be bored. Who about?”

  Debo laughed. “It’s actually interesting. I find myself shaking my head at the absurdity of some of the stuff in here.” He held up the book so Bryson could see the cover: Ataway Kawi: The Third of Five.

  Bryson arched an eyebrow. “That fairy tale? I’ll admit it was one of my favorite childhood stories.”

  “You always asked me to read it to you … almost every night.” Debo smiled at the memory. “You’d run into my room, eyes wide with excitement, jump on the bed, and shove the book in my hands. ‘Debo, Debo! Read me The Turd of Five!’” He laughed. “You couldn’t pronounce ‘third.’ It was always ‘turd.’”

  Bryson doubled over with laughter. But another part of him was cringing. Debo wasn’t making this easy.

  “But we never got to the end,” Debo said once Bryson had regained his composure. “You always fell asleep on my chest before learning why Ataway was a hero.”

  “I assume it’s the same as every other fairy tale. The hero wins along with a happy ending.”

  Debo continued studying the boy who was practically his son. “That does seem to be the common theme of fairy tales.” He placed the book on the desk. “I won’t pretend like I expected a visit from you. Why did you—”

  “I’m sorry.” Bryson cut him off. Just a few minutes ago, that would have been a lie. But now Bryson wasn’t sure. Another long silence followed as they stared at each other.

  “I’m sorry too. I know how much Olivia means to you, but it’s not only me who can’t afford to lose you. There are eight other Jestivan who need you.”

  “I understand that,” Bryson said. “That’s why I’m going to spend the weekend with my team instead of going home. Kind of like the beginning of the school year when I stayed in the Lilac Suites during our first break.”

  “Great!” Debo beamed, ripping a hole in Bryson’s stomach. “What are you going to do?”

  Bryson looked off to the side. “Jilly talked about camping in Phesaw Park for one of the nights.” He quickly thought of another lie. “Toshik said he’d teach me how to pick up girls.”

  “Sounds like fun!”

  A loud knock came from the door, causing Bryson to flinch. The excitement was wiped from Debo’s face as he looked at the door. “You have fun this weekend. I have a guest who doesn’t like waiting.”

  Bryson stared at Debo before getting up. He made sure to take in every feature, every memory. He smiled weakly at the man who raised him before turning to walk out. As he reached for the handle, he was stopped in his tracks.

  “I love you, Bry.”

  Bryson paused, staring at his distorted reflection on the brass handle. There was fear in his eyes. Another knock shook the door. Bryson turned to look at Debo, careful to rid the fright from his face. He smiled before turning the handle and exiting the room.

  The moment he was in the hallway, his eyes glazed over. As he wiped his cheeks, he looked up at the person who had been knocking. He or she was fully concealed in a brown traveler’s cloak. Not one inch of skin was visible. The hood, which was tattered at the hem, hung low over the person’s face.

  The person pushed past him, causing their shoulders to collide. Instantly, Bryson heard a woman’s gut-wrenching scream inside his head as a frostbitten cold shot through his entire body. It lasted for close to three seconds.

  When the moment finally passed, Bryson gasped for breath as if he had just surfaced from an ice-capped lake. A white cloud of cold air escaped as he exhaled.

  He turned around to see the person had paused at the door with their back facing him. The figure didn’t turn around, but Bryson knew that he or she had felt something too. Then the cloaked person walked into the office and slammed the door shut. Bryson continued to stare in bewilderment as he debated what had just happened. But he was running low on time. He sprinted away, ignoring the shouts of anger from within the office.

  ***

  Bryson, Jilly, and Toshik walked up the front steps of Dunami Hospital. It was time to pay a visit to their friend and teammate, Rhyparia. Toshik had tried to talk them out of this, but he had no choice. Where Jilly went, he would follow.

  “We’ll be quick,” Bryson assured him. “We still have almost two hours before we’re supposed to depart.”

  “We have to look at the bright side of things,” Jilly said. “Perhaps while we’re away, Rhyparia will wake up! And when we come back, she’ll be waiting for us!”

  “Maybe,” Bryson said with a smile as they entered the ICU. Toshik’s face soured as he looked around the room full of nurses and doctors scrambling in every direction.

  “Not a fan of hospitals?” Bryson asked.

  Toshik cringed at the sight of a nurse holding a huge needle. “This is stupid. She won’t even know that we’re here.”

  “You don’t know that. And it’s good to support our teammate.”

  “And what do you know about that?” Toshik snarled. “Some captain you are. You spend all your time crying. Or trying to screw Lilu.”

  Bryson’s face stiffened. “You can stay for all I care.” He stormed away and headed straight for Rhyparia’s room. He paused to regain his composure before opening the door. Once calm, he pushed it open and looked at the bed … it was empty.

  Bryson hurriedly walked to the center desk where Jilly was scolding Toshik. “Which room is Rhyparia located in?” he asked a nurse.

  “She awoke three days ago … and was discharged two days ago,” the man explained.

  “By who?!”

  The nurse’s brow creased with irritation. “There is this thing called confidentiality, young man.”

  Bryson stormed out of the hospital, forcing his teammates to chase after him. “What’s wrong?” Jilly asked.

  “Rhyparia’s been discharged.”

  “Where is she?”

  “I don’t know, but there’s nothing we can do about it. We need to get to the palace.”

  “Is she okay?”

  “I don’t know,” Bryson quietly said. The hospital wouldn’t release her to a stranger. But what if they’d handed her over to her parents?

  Once they arrived at the palace, Bryson sped through the outer courtyard and up a staircase. Jilly and Toshik straggled behind, taking in the beautifully manicured gardens and lawn.

  “Hurry up,” Bryson called down to them. “You’ll get lost.”

  Bryson took a
route he had never taken before, down a corridor to a door that opened to a spiraling stone staircase. Prior to today, the door had always been bolted shut with a huge lock. He walked down into the blackness. It was a bit creepy.

  He reached the bottom and called out, “Hello?” A candle ignited, exposing the faces of Lilu and King Vitio.

  “Punctual. Very good,” Lilu said.

  There wasn’t anything royal about the room. No gold, silver, or marble composed any of the structure. Crude, uneven stone sat beneath their feet and surfaced the walls. The depths of the room couldn’t be seen, for the flickering light of the candle waned before reaching that far.

  “Where is Himitsu?.” Bryson asked.

  “In the Dev Kingdom. He left three hours ago with Vistas.”

  Bryson gaped. “He went alone?”

  “He had to go first. He has the appropriate skillset needed,” Vitio explained. “Don’t fret. He did his job. Vistas contacted us just an hour ago. They are both alive and waiting for you three.”

  Lilu snapped her head around. “Three?”

  “Yes, three. You aren’t going anywhere,” Vitio said firmly.

  “Yes I am!”

  “Actually, no you’re not.” This time, it was Bryson who said so.

  “And what gives you that authority?” Lilu demanded with a threatening look in her eyes.

  “Your father told me to choose which Jestivan to take with me. And I chose my team. I’m not putting you or any other members of Olivia’s team at risk. That is not my right to do. Add on the fact that your ribs still aren’t fully healed and it’s an easy call.”

  She held her ground. “I don’t care.”

  “I do,” said a voice from the dark staircase. “As your big sister, I will literally restrain you from getting on that teleplatform.”

  Lilu’s eyes darted between Bryson and Shelly. Too angry to respond, she stormed up the stairs and out of sight. “That went about just as expected,” Shelly said as she reached the bottom of the stairs.

  King Vitio shook his head. “She’ll regret not saying goodbye.”

  The princess smirked at Toshik, who returned the gesture.

  “Nice to meet you, milady,” Toshik said with a gracious bow.

  She playfully ignored him and looked at Bryson. “Don’t die,” she said.

  Bryson smiled. It felt good to know that Shelly cared … even if it was in a morbid kind of way.