An explosion could be heard down the corridor and smoke began to billow past her cell. As the inmates strained their necks to see what was going on, the noise dimmed and cannon fire echoed. Es wondered if she was on the good guy’s’ ship or the bad guy’s’.
Pssst. It sounded like the hiss of gas entering a chamber.
Es glanced up toward the small sound and watched as a mist floated down toward her. She hadn’t noticed it before, but maybe that’s what had been making her so sleepy. After all, she had no idea how long she had been on this ship. All the sleeping was making her body ache.
Ӝ
“And that, little ones, is how we won the war in Terra 3047,” Es said.
“But what happened after?” Roth asked, his long white hair falling past his shoulders as he leaned forward excitedly.
“Yeah, what happened after?” Rose said, braiding strands of her long white hair as she tilted her head questioningly.
Es smiled as she looked upon her younger siblings, remembering when their mother was teaching her the history of their people. “Well, according to our historical records, the great Dragon King Ronmou led a powerful army, empowered his people, and kept peace throughout the rest of his reign. To this day, some of his descendants still remain.”
“Is that why you’re here, Trédü?” Orchid asked, pausing with a finger entwined in her purple locks.
Trédü, a white dragon humanoid clad in shining silver chest armor and shin guards, looked down at the small Elven children eagerly awaiting his answer, hoping for a small piece of their legendary history to be standing before them like a hero from the tales of old.
“I am here,” he began, “to protect you little ones. I am here to serve your father and our people, so that I may protect them as well. I cannot fulfill your hopes, little ones, for I am not a descendant of Dragon King Ronmou, though I am a descendant of his people. The King’s lineage was lost long ago, as well as the world he reigned, Tráns Lábel.”
The children moaned in their disappointment and Es couldn’t help but giggle. “Alright, everyone, time for a lunch break. Off you go.”
Trédü and Es watched as the little ones ran inside, happy to be free of their lessons for now. Es looked up at Trédü in admiration. Things were much safer now with him here. After the several assassination attempts upon her parents and Kalis, everyone in the family was now under special guard. Father’s werewolf friend Able protected mother, Zanan protected Kalis, Trédü protected father, and Able’s son Valdrik protected Es. Trédü had saved her father many times in the past and had been doing so again these past few months.
They walked side by side, slowly following the children down the corridor toward the dining hall.
“Princess! Princess Revlis!”
Es turned at the sound of her name to see a pair of young werewolves jogging down the corridor toward them. She smiled and her heart fluttered. She had fallen for Valdrik some time ago and had only realized it a few weeks ago. Not long after she had discovered Kails and Zanan’s secret, father allowed Kalis to bring more and more of his classmates into the castle grounds. They had fun training together, and now the werewolves’ father was a part of her father’s personal guard alongside Trédü.
“Yasu and I have been looking forward to our weekly visit, Princess,” Valdrik said.
“Yeah, but lunch smells great! C’mon, bro! Let’s go get some grub!” Yasu exclaimed, clapping his younger brother on the shoulder. And with that, he disappeared down the corridor, his unruly rusty hair bouncing as he ran. He snuck up behind the children, yelling as he leaped over them. Es laughed as her siblings screamed and chased Yasu down the hall. He always seemed to enjoy teasing them, as the two wolves had four younger siblings at home themselves.
“Always thinking with his stomach, that one,” Trédü said with a shake of his head.
“Yeah, he’s got a great sense of smell. Better than mine, actually,” Valdrik stated with a shrug as he rubbed the back of his head.
“Kalis and Zanan won’t be back until late and I still have one more lesson for the children after lunch. We can play hide and seek after that,” Es teased.
Valdrik grinned as he walked by her side all the way to the dining hall.
Ӝ
Es awoke to a hand shaking her shoulder. Her eyelids heavy, she opened her eyes to an anthro dog-human in her face. As she blinked to focus, a blonde Pomeranian humanoid woman stood before her. Her frame was small, her brown eyes wide and her tail as fluffy as a cotton ball. She assisted Es into a sitting position and waited. She was talking to Es, but Es didn’t understand a word she was saying.
The Pomeranian gripped Es by her shoulders and hauled her to her feet. Es was a bit wobbly, so the Pomeranian provided support as they walked out of her cell. A hissing sound brought Es into better focus as they passed the nightmare. He didn’t seem happy about her being removed from his sight.
They passed many cells, some empty, some with some fantastical creature or other. They passed a group fixing a gaping hole in the wall just a few cells down from the automated door that they moved through and then turned left into a white hall.
Es was more awake now and tried to walk on her own. The Pomeranian led her to another door and urged her through it. The room was filled with beds and people in white. Es was led to a bed and signaled to sit.
A green lizard in a white coat carried a tray of supplies over and sat before her. He held out a hand and Es gave one of her own. He gently unwrapped the strips of cloth from her arm to reveal nearly healed cuts. One by one, each of her bandages were removed and her wounds examined. The doctor pulled a familiar bottle out of his pocket and sprayed her wounds, helping them to disappear altogether.
Es looked on herself in amazement. Those marks were at least a week old and they healed in seconds with no scars left behind. What kind of miracle in a bottle is that?
The doctor stood and took his tray. The Pomeranian held out her hand and signaled Es to follow her. She led Es to a dining hall where she was given water and a pill. The Pomeranian urged her to take the pill and Es did so with reluctance.
Once she finished her water, she was taken to a large two-story room filled with boxes and crates. As she gazed upward, she froze in her steps. There, covering the ceiling of the vast room, were the spiders from before. Es slowly backed out of the room, but the Pomeranian took her hand and pulled her forward.
She was led to a crowd of humans and guards, among which was the blue dragon from the mushroom incident and the woman she saw trying to out-run a spider. A big door opened and the humans were herded outside. Some began to cry, some begged, and some resisted. The Pomeranian led Es down the ramp as her eyes adjusted to the bright light.
They were in a fairly large, grassy clearing surrounded by forest. The humans were spread out and were being encouraged to stretch their legs. A cheetah was jumping around and doing flips, showing off his speed and agility.
Es looked to the Pomeranian, waiting to see if she would stop her, but she nodded her head toward the field. Es stepped forward, stretching out her arms and enjoying the warm sunlight and the smell of the grass. She walked about, happy she could finally do something other than sleep.
Screams erupted and Es spun around. A few of the humans had tried to escape but were quickly caught by the cheetah and the dragon. Es felt her stomach turn at the sight. She turned around, taking in her surroundings. Here, the sky was blue like back home. The knee-high grass was as green as the leaves on the trees. A gentle wind was blowing, making the grass flow like waves on the sea.
That’s when she saw it: what she has been held captive in the whole time. It was not just any ship, but a space ship. It wasn’t nearly as big as some she had seen in the movies, but it was bigger than her apartment building.
Tentatively, Es wandered toward the ship to get a better look. The Pomeranian followed her from a distance as she traveled down the side of the ship and took in every detail of the black metal. Upon reaching the front, sh
e looked up and saw the command center. There were several crew members hustling about. Es smiled at herself, remembering her old childhood fantasy and beginning to wonder if it was actually happening.
Something tugged on her from behind. She turned but there was no one there. She spun around in confusion and saw the Pomeranian a few feet away. Another tug had her stumbling backwards and soon enough she was being dragged.
The Pomeranian gave chase, but each time she was close enough to grab Es, she was suddenly given a good yank like a child playing keep away. As the Pomeranian began falling out of sight, two other figures appeared. Es recognized the cheetah man, but the other was a green-eyed black wolf.
They tried to keep up as Es was pulled and swung about the forest like a yo-yo. Es was drawn into another clearing and was pulled out over a lake. Her pursuers stopped at the edge. She was pulled to an island that sat on the lake, and, as her speed slowed down to a float, she turned her head and spotted a turquoise crystal behind her.
It was similar in every way to the red one from before, except for a different symbol on its face. The crystal pulled her toward it and as her body made contact, it began to pulsate. It was cool against her skin, as opposed to the warmth of the red gemstone from before.
Her entire body was lit up with static shocks and images began to flash before her eyes of creatures and places she’d only dreamed of. Her Elven family, Valdrik, Trédü, all passed through her mind.
The images took over and as her mind began to fade, she saw a wet wolf running toward her through the trees.
More Questions
Valdrik felt he should have known this would happen. If the female reacted to a Memcry on Taniro, of course she’d react to one here on Messiah. He had thought perhaps the crystal wouldn’t react to her as far away as they had been, but he had underestimated the power of the crystal.
So now here he was, running after her through the forest all sopping wet. Wet fur was quite uncomfortable. It was like being covered in a slime you can’t remove. But there was something going on with this female and if he had to be wet to find out more, he was going to do it. This was the second Memcry that had reacted to her, and he hadn’t failed to note she had spell books with her.
Not just any spell books, though. They had belonged to someone he once knew. One of those books he had collected on a mission and given it to his beloved. His name was still on the inside cover. But how did she get a hold of the books and how did they end up on Taniro?
He reached the clearing where the female lay unconscious against the crystal. The crystal began to dim and Valdrik caught the female to prevent her from hitting the ground. Again, his body reacted to her. This time her scent was slightly different. There was something familiar about it. Her body against his sent warmth and tingles across his skin.
There was only one person he had ever reacted to, and it was forbidden. So forbidden that her father had tried to send him on every dangerous and far off mission he could. Knowing what he knew now about the Elven King Relik, he wouldn’t put it past him that he had hoped Valdrik would be killed on a mission so he could have consoled his daughter and married her off to his idea of a perfect heir.
Just thinking about the King made his blood boil. He was the reason for so much pain, confusion, and chaos in their realm. Had anyone found out what he had been doing long ago, they would have saved many lives and much heartache. Including his own. He became a soldier not because the King had wanted him too, but because he saw it as the best way to get close to the Princess and protect her. After she disappeared, Valdrik searched planets, even galaxies, for her. There had been no sign of her.
And now here he was, reacting to this female. Could it be her? Was she his missing beloved? There was only one way to find out, and that was to visit the lab director.
Ӝ
“Kalis! I know you’re out here!” Es yelled. “Don’t make me use my magick to bring you to me!”
Kalis stepped out from behind a tree in the distance, looking down trodden. Es walked up to her brother. “What happened between you and father?”
“It’s nothing you need to worry your pretty little head about, Rev.” he said with a weak smile.
She frowned. He only ever used his nickname for her when he was hiding something. “What happened? You can talk to me, you know this. I know you told mom and Zanan everything, but they’re gone now. You have to talk to someone. I know father has always been tough on you. Please, Kalis. Talk to me,” she pleaded as she placed her hand on his arm.
Kalis looked away and leaned back against a tree. His eyes began to glaze over as he lost himself in thought. “I can’t, Rev. If I tell you what I’ve discovered, you won’t believe me and it’ll put you in danger.”
“What? What are you talking about? What do you mean?”
Kalis looked at her, his face tired. Whatever it was, it was clearly something big and was weighing down on him. He either hadn’t been sleeping well or not at all.
“Kalis, please,” she pleaded.
“I can’t, sis,” Kalis said as he brushed past her.
She followed him back towards the castle. Kalis froze, his head tilted to the side, listening for something. Es stopped to listen as well. Something didn’t feel right.
“Children . . . Naughty little children . . .”
Es’ blood chilled and she held her breath. Kalis unsheathed his sword. “Stay behind me, Revlis!”
Es didn’t have much combat training, not in the way of weapons anyway. All she had to defend herself was her magick. How did whatever, or whoever, it was get in? Guards were posted all throughout the grounds. Then they saw it. A decaying Elven body attached to the body of a centipede. The Elf was wearing a mask, the body itself naked, bare for everyone to see its rotting flesh. The centipede crawled around on the castle wall, blocking them from running for safety. Its glowing red eyes were looking at them.
A shiver ran down Es’ spine, reverberating throughout her entire body. A chimera. They were illegal. Long ago, they were once used as weapons in war, but laws were since made against them, and for good reason. They were unnatural and difficult to control.
Even if one could get them to carry out their mission, after that, their masters were lucky if they didn’t become its target. Creating a chimera required a great deal of energy and knowledge of the dark arts. Her mother had told her as much, but who created this thing?
“Children . . . Naughty little children . . . Naughty children must die . . . Master said so . . . Master said Kalis is a naughty child . . .”
“Rev! Run! It’s not after you! I’ll keep it busy. You need to go. Now!” Kalis yelled as he charged toward the creature. It wriggled its body from around the corner as it came down to meet Kalis. Es couldn’t move. They had lost their mother a couple of years ago and Trédü not long after. With Zanan, Valdrik and Yasu always away on missions, she didn’t want to lose her brother, too.
“Fata, dissipabis mihi hanc viventem,” Es whispered. “Ignium ossa vestra!” Es yelled as she gathered the energy around her into a fire sphere and sent it flying at the chimera. It missed. But barely. It had burned off the mask it had been wearing.
Her eyes widened in horror. It was their mother. Es would recognize her mother’s features and silver hair anywhere, despite how decayed her body was now. Someone not only broke one of their strictest laws and committed the biggest taboo in magick, but they had used her mother’s body to make their chimera to attack her brother.
The chimera hissed and lunged at her. “Clipeum!” she yelled as she condensed the energy around her into a shield.
Kalis sliced away a couple of its legs as it passed by him. It reared up, screaming in pain. “Rev! Go! Now! Don’t make me say it again!” he yelled as he took off and the chimera returned its attention to him.
Es really didn’t want to leave her brother, but he needed help. She took off behind the chimera, running towards the castle. She watched as her brother ran in the opposite direction to the back of
the grounds. She heard him scream just as she passed her corner and she felt the tears well up. “Guards! Guards!”
A handful came running to her call so quickly she almost collided with them. “A chimera is on the grounds! It’s attacking Kalis! He needs your help!”
Es led them in the direction she had last seen her brother. The chimera’s tail was still visible and her brother’s struggle could be heard. His pained scream echoed in Es’ ears and the chimera stood itself up, blood dripping from its mouth. It saw the guards and charged in their direction.
“Princess, go inside! Please!” a guard pleaded. “We’ll handle this.”
But Es couldn’t move. Not with what was left of her mother charging at them with such murderous intent. Not with her brother dead or dying. She shouldn’t have run. She should have fought with her brother. Her emotions were building inside her, screaming to be let out. The guards were being tossed about and pounced on. They were worse off than her brother had been on his own. She had to do something. Now.
Lotus: Dark Lotus Chronicles One Page 6
