Palatinii Cycle

by G'vonni Avner

  Tyson ran up to Katie and tried to pull her away. Katie couldn’t breathe.

  “Let’s go,” Tyson said but as he did, the bird exploded. The force of it knocked Katie and Tyson off their feet, sending them flying backward several feet before they hit the ground.

  Tyson quickly got to his feet. “You alright?” he asked Katie as he helped her to her feet. Because Tyson had tried shielding himself with his arms from the explosion, they were severely burnt. The sleeves of his shirt were singed.

  “I’m fine,” Katie panted, not bothering to brush herself off, though she was covered in ash. “Let’s get out of here.”

  “Not yet. I need to find my mom and make sure she’s okay,” Tyson said.

  Another burst of flame caused the sound of an explosion. The fire had spread out to the front door of the auditorium.

  “I’m sure she’s fine,” Katie said, coughing as the smoke crept into her lungs. “But we won’t be if we stay here.”

  Tyson nodded and they both crouched low and made their way to one of the emergency exits that hadn’t yet caught fire. Many of the chairs were toppled over from the stampeding crowd that had rushed to safety.

  They could hear sirens fast approaching. Katie and Tyson sped up and soon found themselves out of the auditorium and relatively safe. Minutes later firefighters barged into the auditorium, carrying a large hose.

  “I don’t get why any of the sprinklers didn’t turn on,” Tyson said. Katie didn’t know the answer.

  “Tyson!”

  At the sound of his name, Tyson turned around and saw his mother and little brother running up to him. They engulfed each other in a big hug. Benjamin, Tyson’s little brother, was ten years old with the same light brown hair but his eyes were green. Marla, Tyson’s mother, though she was getting on in years, had blonde hair and a pleasant face that told Katie that she had been very attractive in her younger years. Even now, she looked ten years younger than she was.

  “You’re okay,” Tyson’s mother cried. “And you too, Katie.” She gave Katie a hug.

  “Where’s Mark?” Tyson asked. Mark was Tyson’s “soon-to-be” stepfather.

  “Thankfully, he was held up at work and couldn’t make it in time,” said Marla Everties. “I’ve already called him to let him know. He’s on his way now.”

  “Alright,” Tyson said. “You two should go home, tell Mark not to come.”

  “Aren’t you coming with us?” Marla asked her son.

  Tyson shook his head. “I’m going to take Katie home and make sure she’s okay,” he replied.

  Marla smiled. “Of course. Come home as soon as you can,” and she took Benjamin’s hand and walked away.

  Katie really liked Marla Everties. She was always kind and generous. She was also understanding and very trusting of her son.

  Tyson led Katie to his car. They got in and pulled away from the burning building.

  “So, I know there’s something you’re not telling me, so I will ask nicely,” Tyson paused for a second. “What are you not telling me?”

  Katie let out a breath and started to speak, but couldn’t get the words out.

  “What’s wrong?” Tyson asked. His voice was determined, but not unkind.

  “What do you mean? Which part?” Katie asked. “The school burning down? Emily being crush and engulfed in flames? Or do you mean that my parents told me I have superpowers and that I’m from another world, and I’m kinda freaking out about it?”

  “What was that last part?” Tyson asked, unsure if he had heard Katie correctly.

  Katie didn’t want to scare him but with all that was happening, he deserved to know. She explained, in detail, what had happened the night before and what her parents told her. Tyson was a very good listener and didn’t interrupt once.

  “You don’t believe me,” Katie said.

  “Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t,” Tyson said. “But you wouldn’t be joking right now after what just happened. So, I believe that you believe it.”

  They pulled up to Katie’s apartment and parked on the street. They passed the front desk manager, not without catching his attention at the state of Katie and Tyson’s clothes and his look of confusion.

  When they got up to Katie’s floor, she paused at the door. It was slightly ajar. Something wasn’t right. Stepping in, Katie was met with a sight she could not have prepared for. Her parents’ pristine apartment no longer resembled what it once was. It was as if someone set off a bomb inside. Household bric-a-brac was scattered across the floor. Katie slowly walked deeper into the apartment, struggling to take in what she was seeing. Most of the lights were broken. All the paintings were demolished. She could hear water running from somewhere.

  “What the hell?” Katie cried out and ran towards the kitchen, “Mom! Dad!”

  The kitchen was a similar scene. Food was splattered on the tile; the refrigerator was knocked over and the dining table had been flipped and broken in two. There were burn marks on the cupboards.

  Katie started frantically searching every room in the house. “Mom? Dad?” A stone grew in her stomach and she feared the worst.

  Tyson followed her out of the kitchen and upstairs. The stairs were stained with a dark liquid and Katie hoped it wasn’t blood. One look at the wall confirmed that it was.

  “I don’t think this is safe, Katie,” said Tyson cautiously.

  Katie stared at the stain on the wall. “Whoever did this isn’t here anymore. Not alive, at least.”

  Katie wasn’t sure how she knew that or if it was even true. They made their way down the hallway and passed her room. She walked into her parent’s room at the end of the hall and found her mother’s body sprawled across the bed. Her shirt was torn, blood was pooling under her head and her eyes were wide open.

  “Mom!” Katie shouted out and ran to hug her mom’s still body. She ran her hand through her mother’s hair. It was damp with blood.

  It was then that Katie started sobbing. Placing her head on her mother’s chest, she let the grief overtake her. “Mom,” she cried weakly. There was only silence. “Mom!” she shouted out, her choking voice resounding throughout the room.

  She stayed there for what felt like hours, crying, with the occasional shout of sadness and despair. Tyson came over and put his arm around Katie. She hugged him back and buried her head in his chest. He squeezed her and rested his chin on her head.

  Sometime after midnight, they heard a screech. For a moment, Katie thought she saw a flash of blue. She lifted her head and saw only a scrap of paper floating down in the air. It was smoking at its edges.

  Tyson grabbed it and read it quickly.

  “What the hell is this?” he asked and gave the paper to Katie.

  Katie wasn’t listening. She was immersed in the piece of paper.

  “Katie, there is no time. Your mother was killed by Sabrina and your father is currently contained in the Viscar Mountains. This is Nayara’s plan to destroy our world as we know it. It is time for your return to Narque to help us defeat her.”

  “Viscar Mountains,” said Katie. “Where is that? It isn’t Earth, is it?”

  “No,” Tyson said. “I’m guessing it’s in Narque.”

  Katie suddenly remembered the map she drew. She leaped to her feet and ran downstairs.

  “Katie!” Tyson shouted and followed her downstairs to the living room. He found Katie holding a scroll.

  He placed it on the glass coffee table and unrolled it.

  “What is this?” Tyson asked, looking at the intricate design.

  “This is Narque,” Katie said. She pointed to a mountain range. “And those are the Viscar Mountains. This is what I was talking about. This is my world.”

  “How do you know?” Tyson asked.

  “I don’t know, I just do,” she replied. “I need to figure out how to get there.”

  “I can help you with that.”

  Katie and Tyson jumped at the sound of a new voice. They looked back. Standing in the doorway w
as a man with dark hair and a white stripe that ran across the left side of his head.

  5

  Cyrus Padrigian

  Instinctively Tyson stepped in front of Katie to protect her. He eyed the man warily, which the man returned with a smug smile.

  “How did you get in here?” Tyson asked him. The man only smiled even more smugly and held up a key.

  “I have had this key since the day your family moved in here,” the man said, answering Tyson but addressing Katie. “John Dimes and I know each other quite well. Your mother was the one who introduced me to Earth.” He spoke with an almost English accent.

  Katie had an odd feeling but couldn’t tell what it meant. She trusted the man but couldn’t explain why. Her mind gave her every reason not to trust him but something inside told her differently.

  “Why don’t you prove it?” Tyson filled his voice with false bravado.

  The man smiled again and took another step towards Tyson and Katie. Tyson twitched slightly, ready to defend himself and Katie.

  “Do you intend to fight me with that map your girlfriend is holding?” The man chuckled. “I’m only here for Katie, so if you could give us the room.”

  Tyson was about to retort but Katie was quicker and said, “He’s with me. Anything you have to say to me, you can say to him.” After a moment, she added, “and he’s not my boyfriend.” Tyson clenched his jaw slightly, but Katie didn’t notice.

  “That is fine by me,” the man said.

  Katie stepped around Tyson to address the man. “How did you know this was a map?”

  “Because I have used it myself several times,” the man replied. “I can honestly tell you it has saved my life more than once.”

  “And what is this a map of?” Katie asked.

  “It is a map of a place called Narque,” he answered. “A world similar to Earth, but different in many ways. I am here to take you back there.”

  “Take us back?” Katie asked.

  “Well, take you back,” he said. “This boy wasn’t part of my plan.”

  “Well, like I said,” Katie replied, “He’s with me.”

  The man smiled again. “Of course, but we need to get going.”

  “Where are the Viscar Mountains?” Katie asked, ignoring the man.

  The man sighed, his annoyance palpable. “The Viscar Mountains are one of the three largest mountain ranges on Narque. It is the largest of them and the least visited. It is said to hold secrets so powerful that they could kill anyone who found them.”

  “Have you been there?” Katie asked.

  The man raised an eyebrow. “Yes, on several occasions. With much thanks to you and your map, there’s almost no place on Narque that I haven’t visited.” He paused for a moment and then said, “Now, if you don’t mind, we’re running late and should get going.”

  He gestured with his arm for Katie and Tyson to follow. They didn’t. When he realized that they were still standing in the same spot, his eyes widened and asked, “Is something wrong?”

  “We’re not going anywhere until we know who you are,” Katie said.

  “Fine,” the man said through a clenched jaw. “I suppose I should have started with my name. I am Cyrus Padrigian, son of Clarkus Padrigian and father to Koran and Ayla Padrigian. I was born and grew up on Narque, as did your father. He and I have spent years preparing for the war ahead.” He reached into his shirt and pulled out a gold chain with a small pendant. The pendant was a black ring with twelve stars embedded in it, each star a different color, and a large winged beast in the middle.

  Katie gasped and touched her necklace, which was similar. The only difference being that the uppermost star on her necklace was a deep blue, while Cyrus’s was a vibrant orange, and the animal in Katie’s necklace was a dolphin.

  “Originally there were twelve of us, fighting the in the war. There are only eight now. For the longest time we had ten, but then there were nine, and most recent events have left us with only eight,” Cyrus said.

  “What happened to the other two?” Katie asked.

  “I do not know. Neither your father nor I could discover what happened. When one of us dies, the necklace burns cold, and a star fades to black,” Cyrus explained.

  “Who are we? And why didn’t I feel my necklace when my mom died?”

  “We are known as the Palatinii,” Cyrus said. “Can I assume you know of your abilities?” Katie nodded, and he continued. “The things that you can do are special, even in our world. You didn’t feel your necklace go cold because you had not yet been enlightened, attuned to it. But that should be different now. Have a look.”

  Katie looked at her necklace. Four stars had gone black. She had only noticed one black star before. The ones that used to be a light gray were now a dark obsidian-black. It almost felt as if there had been a life inside the star, and it was now gone.

  She still didn’t know if she should trust Cyrus, but she knew that he was telling the truth about the stars. Her parents had told her that her time was coming, she just didn’t think it would be so soon.

  “What happens to the necklace when the owner dies?” Katie asked.

  “The necklace will vanish to the Spirit World,” he answered, but when he saw the confused looks on Katie’s and Tyson’s faces, he added, “It’s just the place where the fallen rest. I’ll teach you more about it later.”

  Katie and Tyson looked at each other. Tyson was still obviously skeptical, but he said nothing. Katie, on the other hand, had made up her mind.

  “I’m going to go with you,” Katie said. “And Tyson too, if he wants.”

  Tyson stared at her for a moment but then gave her a subtle nod.

  “Then it is time to go,” Cyrus said.

  “Wait,” said Katie. “I have to do something with my mother’s body.”

  “It’s already gone,” Sabrina stepped into the room behind Cyrus. Fear flashed against Katie’s face but then an understanding brought deep anger to it. Katie was sure this wasn’t a hallucination this time.

  “You,” Katie glared at Sabrina. Katie lunged to the floor where one of her mother’s kitchen knives sat amongst the mess. She flung it at Sabrina with all of her force. Sabrina grabbed it from its tip and it melted into a gray liquid.

  “Now, now,” Sabrina said, almost playfully. “I’m not here for you, Katie. Not today, at least.” She walked closer. Cyrus lunged at her but she easily tossed him backward. He hit the wall, hard.

  “What do you want?” Katie asked. “Why are you doing this?”

  Sabrina tilted her head and looked moderately curious. “Why so sad, Katie? Is it because I killed your mother?” She spoke the last sentence slowly with a mocking pouty face.

  Katie screamed and made to grab Sabrina’s head. Sabrina deflected Katie, grabbing her arm and sending Katie to the floor.

  “You’re pathetic,” Sabrina spat, her eyes narrowing. Sabrina locked Katie’s hands in one of her own and then pulled her hair. Katie screamed in pain, her eyes closed. “I don’t know why the Queen thinks you are a threat.”

  Tyson ran at Sabrina and swung his fist across the back of her head, knocking her onto the floor. Katie rushed to stand. Tyson moved towards Sabrina to hit her again, but she dodged his attack and grabbed his arms. She pulled out a slender blade and held it close to Tyson’s neck.