Palatinii Cycle

by G'vonni Avner

  “Look!” she exclaimed, pointing up to the sky.

  Tyson smiled at her. “I know what I’m wishing for.” She didn’t reply but returned the smile and continued her gaze. Now and then they would exchange mutual glances.

  Katie had slowly dozed off into sleep. She wasn’t sure when, but she knew she was being shaken awake.

  “All right you two,” Cyrus said as he moved over to wake Tyson. “Time to go. We’re a little behind schedule so we should get moving.”

  Katie looked around. The sky was a dim blue. There were a few clouds overhead, none of them big, but like wisps in the air. Tyson got up and packed his sleeping bag back into the backpack.

  When they were ready to go, Cyrus said, “Good. If we move quickly, we’ll still make it out before the worst of the sun.”

  They started their trudge again further into the jungle. They didn’t talk much as they tried not to waste time in reaching the end. Katie wasn’t sure how Cyrus knew where he was going because to her, all the trees looked the same. Even the vines that hung down looked the same. When Katie asked Cyrus if they were still heading in the right direction, he assured her that they were, and not going in circles.

  “Ahead! I see a clearing!” Tyson shouted. He jogged towards it. “And the sun isn’t even at its peak!”

  “Right you are!” Cyrus said happily. “We have reached the end of the jungle.” Soon they all were standing on a large plain of flat and bare land.

  Katie looked back. The sea of trees and vines looked normal to her, all the same, but also dangerous. She didn’t want to have to enter the jungle again, and would forever avoid it if she could, but at least her fear of Tyson being stung had passed and she felt better.

  In the distance a dark line was visible.

  “Those are the Gates to Ilon. In about an hour we should be there. We can rest for a day or a bit more and then continue our journey. There’s someone who lives there that we should see,” Cyrus said. “After that, if we reach Brickdale Ridge in time, we can get a lift on one of their ships and cut our journey time by more than half.”

  “Sounds like a plan,” Tyson said.

  They took a quick water break and then made their way towards the gates. The dark shadow that was the walls of the town looked hazy and unclear in the heat. It wasn’t too long before they could see the gates properly.

  The two large black gates were closed. A large wall made of black stone surrounded the rest of the town. The town was pretty small and Tyson could see the ends of the wall where they turned, marking the boundaries of the town.

  “We are almost there,” Cyrus said, sounding tired but peppy. “It’s a guarded city, but the residents tend to be friendly.”

  In just fifteen minutes they reached the foot of the gates.

  A small man spoke through a megaphone that looked to be made from a large, hardened leaf. He was standing in one of the sentry towers positioned at the top of each wall.

  “State your names and your means of business,” he said in a deep, amplified voice, before adding, “Please.”

  7

  The Father of Channeler Serena

  Cyrus smiled. “Bogard, it’s Cyrus, and his company, Katie Dimes and Tyson Everties. They are new faces to this area. We wish to enter the town and stay for maybe a day or two and then resume our long journey.”

  There was but a momentary silence before the guard replied, “Welcome back Cyrus, and welcome company!”

  The gates of the city swung outward. Even though they looked like they were many years old, the gates made no sound when they moved.

  When the gates had opened Cyrus led them into the city. From the inside, the city looked much larger than from the outside, from which the walls that surrounded it made the city look like an old ghost town. The buildings were made of thick, hard dark wood. When Katie got a closer look at one of the structures, she wondered if it was even wood at all. It looked perfect, smooth, shiny and durable.

  “Cyrus,” Bogard called out from atop the tower. “Day is nearing. A curfew is placed within the city.”

  “Thank you for reminding me, Bogard,” said Cyrus, looking up and smiling. “We will abide.”

  Bogard nodded and waved them on. Cyrus led Tyson and Katie further into the city. A few people were milling around; some just walking and others going into different stores or looking at the ground as if they were avoiding something.

  “What was he talking about back there?” Katie asked.

  “Something happened to this town quite some time ago. Soon enough you’ll learn the full story. It isn’t mine to tell, though, so you will have to wait,” Cyrus answered.

  Katie looked around. Everyone looked like a normal human. She wasn’t sure what she was expecting because she had met Cyrus, who looked normal, but she figured that others would look different, but they didn’t. When she thought about it, Katie realized that she was actually from here and no one back on Earth told her that she looked different, so maybe they all were the same.

  “Where will we be staying?” Katie asked Cyrus.

  “Do you know what a hotel is?” Cyrus asked.

  “Of course I do,” Katie replied, astonished he asked her such a stupid question.

  Cyrus chuckled. “No, of course. I’m just saying. That’s where we will be staying, one of the finest hotels in this city. And the only one.”

  They walked further into the city. It reminded Tyson of the old towns in the video games he used to play on his computer when he was a kid. Even the stores here sold odd merchandise.

  “Why is the town so heavily guarded?” Katie asked.

  “Well,” Cyrus said, drawing breath, “There are two gates to enter and depart the city. The rest of it is surrounded by the wall with sentries guarding it day and night. It is to protect the citizens.”

  “Protect them from what?” Tyson asked.

  “This town is old and holds much value and history, so raiders and thieves like to come in now and then. Also, sometimes one of the beasts from the jungle make their way here,” Cyrus explained patiently, “And I’m not talking about Stagners. Those are tame and small compared to what else can dwell in the jungle.”

  Katie’s eyes widened. “What else is in there?”

  Cyrus frowned and shrugged slightly as if to say there wasn’t any real danger. “You know, various creatures and animals, some like lizards twice the size of Komodo dragons, or those giant birds that eat those lizards.”

  Tyson was listening carefully but didn’t say anything.

  “You didn’t tell us!” Katie shouted. “We could have been in great danger! You should have warned us about those things.”

  “And I will do that,” Cyrus answered. “I didn’t need to worry you about anything that wasn’t a threat. I had taken precautions to ensure we would have a safe journey through the jungle.”

  The deeper they got into the town the more people there were, and the people here moved more quickly, with more life in them.

  “The town has more than enough defenses and weapons against the looters and creatures of the jungle,” Cyrus said. “What worries the people here most are the spirits.”

  “The what?” Tyson asked.

  “The spirits,” Cyrus answered.

  “What spirits?” Katie asked.

  “Well,” Cyrus intoned. “No one knows. When they appear, their forms are always different. Sometimes they appear as extinct animals, and sometimes they come as people.”

  “What did the creatures look like?” Tyson asked.

  “Who were the people?” asked Katie before Cyrus could answer Tyson’s question.

  “The creatures the spirits took the form of varied. However, when they did the most damage, the spirits took on the form of a serpent that had two small arms, no legs, and plumage across its head. When the spirits looked like people, they usually came as strangers, but every now and again they would look like someone who had passed away that used to live in the town.”

  They reached a three-s
tory building. It was very wide and had a roof that reminded Katie of the pagodas one would find in China. Some people leaned against the railing on the balcony above them, each with a drink in their hand and looking out.

  Cyrus led them inside. The lobby was small and round with a friendly-looking woman at the reception table. She had straight hair and was probably in her mid-forties. The walls were deep mahogany and decorated with paintings of nature, bodies of water such as ponds, some like grasslands, and deserts. Everything inside was made of wood, the floor, the walls, the counter, and all the furniture. It was sleek and had a feel to it that made it seem lighter than the outside. Behind the reception counter, there were two slim swords, crossing each other, facing down and hanging off the wall.

  “Good afternoon,” the woman said with a pleasant smile as Tyson, Katie, and Cyrus approached the counter.

  “Good afternoon,” Cyrus replied. “I would like two rooms, please.”

  He paused for a second, looked back at Tyson and Katie and then said, “Let’s make it three rooms.”

  “Of course,” the woman said. “And for how long will you be staying with us?”

  “We will be here for just the night,” Cyrus said.

  The woman smiled and nodded. She opened a drawer from her desk and gave them three rusty keys. “Your rooms are 212, 214, and 215. They’re on the second floor. If you ever need anything, don’t hesitate to ask.”

  “Thank you so much,” Cyrus said politely and walked away.

  Katie and Tyson both thanked the lady as well and followed Cyrus upstairs. Katie noticed that they didn’t have an elevator. Then again, she reminded herself that they probably didn’t have elevators at all on Narque.

  The stairs looked roughly made but felt stable as they climbed them. The hallways were narrow, with large wooden doors that led to the various rooms. The lighting in the hallway was dim as if the lights were old and burning out.

  “Here you go,” Cyrus said, stopping in front of room 212. “These are your keys. Make yourselves comfortable. We will meet someone in a few hours so wash up.”

  “Who are we seeing?” Katie asked.

  “You’ll find out,” Cyrus replied. “It’s not like you know the person, anyway,” Cyrus pointed out, laughing a bit. He walked into his room and closed the door.

  Tyson took the room next to his and Katie took the one across from 212. Sunlight blinded Katie’s eyes for a moment and then they adjusted. She closed the door behind her and looked around. The room looked like a typical Earth hotel room, save for the TV, which was absent. There were two queen-sized beds and a nightstand on each side of the beds. Each stand had a small peach-colored lamp on top. By the window, there was a large armoire. The curtains were a light red color with a design of blue vines across it.

  Someone knocked on the door. Katie turned back and opened it to be greeted by Tyson.

  “Not bad,” he said, walking in and inspecting the various things about the room. “I suppose everything is pretty much normal, right?”

  “Yeah, I think so,” Katie replied. “It isn’t much different from home.”

  Tyson nodded. “Except this is your home,” he reminded her.

  Katie shook her head. “No, I may have been born here, but I grew up on Earth. I think I know where my home is.”

  “You make a good point,” Tyson replied, staring at a large painting of a lake with tall grass by its edge and lily pads.

  Tyson ambled by Katie, clicking his tongue.

  “What’s up?” Katie asked.

  “Nothing,” Tyson shrugged. “I just thought we could have shared a room, you know.”

  “Why would we share a room?” Katie asked.

  “Well, you know, since everything that’s happened, I don’t really want to leave you alone, I don’t want to be alone,” Tyson replied bashfully.

  Katie sort of laughed. “That’s sweet, Tyson, but I think we’re safe for now.”

  “I don’t know, the jungle didn’t make me feel any better about our safety and Cyrus keeps hinting at all these dangerous things.”

  “I mean, he’s mostly just messing with our heads,” Katie said. “And yeah, I’ll admit the jungle had me scared, but it wasn’t that bad.”

  Tyson smiled awkwardly, “Yeah, I guess.”

  Katie said firmly, “We’ll be fine, you’ll see. And all that matters to me right now is finding my father. You shouldn’t be thinking about the danger to yourself, my father probably has it far worse.”

  Tyson sighed, attempting to hide his worry. “I know,” he said. “I didn’t mean to sound…” He trailed off into silence.

  “I’ll see you later,” he said before walking out, closing the door behind him.

  Katie felt upset at herself for her attitude towards Tyson, but was also upset with him. She spent the next couple of hours lying in her bed and staring at the ceiling. The shadows on the ceiling seemed to move on their own. Looking closely she saw that they were hardly shadows at all. They looked like charcoal drawings of water droplets. The droplets merged and shifted until an image came into focus. It formed into an owl perched on a branch. Then several other birds were in flight. They moved again, and the tree came down from the ceiling until Katie stood in front of it.

  Leaves fell from the tree, and Katie’s eyes followed one as it fell to her feet. She felt water ripple around her feet. She was standing in a lake. She looked towards the other side of the lake and saw Tyson standing there. He waved, and she smiled. Then the water rose from the lake and crashed down on Tyson, sending him into a whirlpool that sunk him deeper and deeper until he drowned.

  Katie’s eyes opened. There wasn’t a sudden jerk or jolt that woke her. There was not even a feeling of dread or upset. She simply woke and stared at the ceiling, the shadows once again just shadows. She got out of the bed and into the hallway. She knocked on both Tyson’s and Cyrus’ hotel rooms, and when there was no answer so she made her way downstairs.

  In her rush, she almost knocked someone down the stairs. Something let out a squeak. Looking down, she saw him. He was short, a little less than four feet tall, and had pointed ears that looked like they had been squished downward. His nose was about three inches long and curved upwards.

  “I’m so sorry!” Katie exclaimed. “I didn’t see you there!”

  “Not your fault!” he spoke in a high-pitched voice that had a slight croak to it. “Is there anything I can get you, miss?”

  “No, I’m alright, thanks,” Katie said, taken aback.

  “Well then,” the small man said. “I’ll just be on my way.”

  With that, the small man hopped up the stairs and out of sight.

  Katie finished making her way down and found Cyrus and Tyson at a table in the corner of the main hall.

  “Ah, Katie,” Cyrus said as she walked up. “It’s nice to see you. Are you all settled in? Not that we will be here for too long.”

  “I am,” she said. “What were you guys talking about?”

  Cyrus started to answer but Tyson jumped in. “I was asking him a lot of questions about life here.” Cyrus smiled.

  “Yes, he was. And I hope I’ve answered most of them.”

  “Eh, sort of,” Tyson laughed.