Kholvaria (The Color of Water and Sky Book 2)

by Andrew Gates

  But that did not happen.

  Seconds turned to minutes. Minutes turned to half an hour.

  When Dan finally returned, it was dark and cold. Jallah shivered by the waterside. Margery sat next to him. She had not moved in a while. Jallah assumed she was asleep.

  Dan held a dead rabbit in his right hand and his pockets looked like they were stuffed full of something.

  “What did you find?” asked Grey, standing up.

  “A rabbit and some mushrooms.” Dan tapped his pockets.

  Mushrooms! Jallah felt his mouth water.

  “How did you catch a rabbit in the dark?” Grey wondered.

  “It wasn’t a fair catch. The animal was wounded.”

  Dan walked to the middle of the group and pulled the mushrooms out from his pockets. He distributed them to everyone, making sure each person got an equal portion. Jallah accepted his and devoured it as fast as he could. It felt strange suddenly having something in his stomach again. He hiccupped.

  Margery stood up and got her own portion of mushrooms. I guess she wasn’t really asleep, Jallah thought. The only one who did not move was Selena. Instead, Grey got her mushrooms for her.

  Dan collected dry sticks and piled them up for a fire. It took him several tries to ignite the first spark by briskly rubbing the sticks together, but after several minutes, everything was ready. The fire lit up the forest, casting shadows all around.

  Jallah scooted closer to it just to feel warmer. He looked around at his fellow survivors. It was strange seeing the group so small. He had grown used to a group of nine, then 15, then 12, then back to nine again. Only seven left, he thought. At this rate, none of them would last a year. West, we have to go west, he reminded himself. The more we move, the safer we’ll be.

  After a few silent minutes, the rabbit was deemed ready to eat. Dan pulled it off the wood and started ripping the meat apart. Once again, he distributed equal portions to everyone. Jallah had never tasted anything so good in his life.

  When the cooking was all over, Grey kicked at the firewood until it fell apart. Then he went into the creek, cupped his hands and brought some water over, pouring it onto the wood until the fire was no more.

  “I got some rest while you were hunting,” Grey explained to Dan as he stepped away from the firewood. “I can get first watch if you want second watch.”

  Jallah could no longer see anything with the fire gone, but he heard Dan shuffling.

  “That works for me,” he said, addressing his brother.

  “Alright guys, let’s try to get some sleep,” Grey urged the group.

  Sleep. How will I do that?

  Jallah found a comfortable patch of dirt and closed his eyes. It felt good to finally have some food in him. He hoped he would be able to sleep through the night. He was definitely tired enough, but the stress of the day was still fresh on his mind. After witnessing death and nearly dying himself, he knew it would not be an easy night.

  Iris is really dead, he finally accepted. Damn.

  Cold. Dark.

  Nothing.

  Jallah rolled over, hoping a change of position would help. He felt comfortable and relaxed, but his mind was racing.

  He rolled over again. And again.

  Visions of Iris getting ripped apart replayed in his brain. He tried imagining the scene with different endings. Sometimes he would rush in at the last second and distract the mantises. Other times, he would throw rocks or sticks to get their attention.

  I should’ve done something, he realized. I should’ve done anything!

  Despite the cool air around him, Jallah could tell he was starting to sweat. He tried to put the thoughts out of his mind and rolled over again.

  Birds cawed. Insects chirped. Wind blew through the leaves. Every sound around him seemed so heightened and loud.

  He flipped over to his back and covered his ears with his hands. Though muffled, he could still hear the sounds of the nighttime forest. It was like the world was impossible to ignore.

  It must have been hours of tossing and turning. Jallah felt no closer to sleep than he had when he finished dinner.

  His mind started to drift. He imagined himself in another world, far away from all this danger and stress. This world smelled of sweet syrup and fruit paste. Men and women sat at tables around a large room. They feasted with smiles on their faces. Jallah sat at a table of his own. Margey was with him.

  Atlantic Waffles, he realized. He recognized it right way.

  Margery smiled at him and he smiled back. He felt safe. He felt in control.

  “Let’s go!” Margery said with a grin.

  “Go? Okay.”

  They got up and headed for the door. Jallah pressed it open. Instead of returning to the green zone, the door opened to a dark classroom. The grey walls were barely visible in the dim light. Jallah could hear commotion nearby.

  Jallah did not like this place. He wanted to turn back into the waffle shop again. He reached for the door and pulled on it, but it only opened to the station’s grey halls. Iris suddenly ran in as he stood by the open doorway. She was soaked and practically naked.

  “Come on, we’ve got to go!” she shouted.

  Jallah and Margery instinctively followed Iris through the halls. Mantises tore the place apart around them. They fired their cannons every which way and smashed anything in sight with their claws.

  “Down!” Iris shouted, pointing to a wide pit in the center of the dark hallway.

  Jallah jumped inside the hole. When he reached the bottom, he was outside on the surface. It was daytime. The sun shined down upon them.

  He smiled as Iris and Margery stood before him. This moment was pleasant. They were no longer running. Here on the surface, they were safe and happy. Jallah wished this peace would last forever.

  Out of nowhere, a mantis emerged from the trees and stabbed Iris from behind, straight through her stomach. Blood seeped onto the mantis claws and onto the ground. In an instant, his happiness was gone. Nothing remained but emptiness and fear.

  Jallah opened his eyes. He was sweating profusely now.

  It’s just my imagination, he told himself, trying to stay calm. It’s just my imagination.

  He felt so tired. His body was as stiff as a tree.

  Go to sleep! Go to sleep! Stop thinking bad thoughts!

  The boy closed his eyes again and took a deep breath.

  The world seemed to stop. He ignored everything, isolating his senses and his mind. There were no longer noises echoing through the forest, nor cold air taunting his skin.

  He was floating.

  The next time Jallah opened his eyes, the sun replaced the stars above. He even had to shield his vision just to avoid going blind.

  Sleep. I can’t believe it!

  Jallah sat up. Moving was painful. His back, his legs and his arms were all as sore as could be. Apparently he was not the first awake. Dan, Grey, Margery and Kaitlyn were already up and about.

  “Good morning,” Dan said as he saw Jallah stir. He kept his voice down.

  Jallah nodded back and stood up. He could not help but moan.

  “Mantises?” he asked.

  “No sign of them,” Grey replied. “The fighting between them must’ve broken off the hunt. We’re safe, for now.”

  “Zombies?”

  “No sign of them either,” Grey answered.

  “And I haven’t seen any footprints,” Dan added.

  Good. All good news.

  “So we’re safe here?” Jallah wondered.

  Grey shook his head.

  “We’re safe for now. It doesn’t mean we’re safe forever,” he replied.

  “If we continue west, we’ll put some distance between them and-”

  “Don’t even continue, Dan,” Grey interrupted. “I can’t believe you’re bringing this up now. It’s the morning. The day hasn’t even started yet.”

  “What you do mean?”

  “Do you really think we’ll be any safer if we keep moving li
ke this?”

  “Yes, I do.”

  Grey sighed.

  “We should’ve stayed in the Megastructure,” he said. He sat down and placed his head in his hands. “I don’t know how I could’ve been more clear.”

  Dan did not respond. He simply looked at his seated brother and sighed. He slowly bobbed his head for a few moments and then turned away.

  “I liked the Megastructure,” Kaitlyn said, breaking the awkward silence. “It was big and there weren’t any mantises.”

  “See?” Grey asked.

  “She’s a kid. What does she know?” Dan replied.

  Grey threw up his hands and shook his head. He did not bother responding.

  “What’s for breakfast?” Jallah asked, changing the subject.

  “We found more mushrooms while you were asleep,” Margery replied.

  She pulled some from her pocket and walked over to him. Jallah accepted the mushrooms and tossed them into his mouth.

  “Grey and I will go out hunting soon,” Dan added. “We need something substantial in our stomachs.”

  Jallah was glad to see that they were not fighting anymore.

  The boy nodded and turned away. He followed the creek downstream.

  “Where are you going?” Grey asked as he walked away.

  “I need to pee,” he answered.

  Jallah walked until he was out of sight of the group. He stood in the center of the creek and started unzipping his jumpsuit when he suddenly heard a noise. It sounded like human steps. He paused, turning to face the source of the sound.

  Splash, splash, splash!

  Whoever was walking was in the creek now. Jallah had just come from upstream so he knew no one was there. He took a few steps further downstream now, keeping a watchful eye. As he rounded a thick tree trunk, he saw another person garbed in a grey jumpsuit.

  It was a woman, or a girl.

  Jallah leaned forward, studying the figure closer. Suddenly he recognized this person.

  “Ophelia!” he shouted.

  The girl looked up to face him. A smile lit up her face in an instant.

  “Oh, thank the Lord Beyond Both Seas!” she exclaimed as her muscles gave out and she dropped to the ground.

  A SOLDIER WAS NOTHING WITHOUT his uniform. That’s what this soldier was taught at a young age.

  Ikharus was almost ready to go. The heavy armor covered his body like a second shell. He finished the final straps around his arms and held his helmet in his claws. There was no sense putting it on here, but leaving it at home would be dishonorable.

  He rubbed the wound on his arm. It was healing nicely. He no longer felt the pain, but it still had a way to go. The falling debris had left quite a mark.

  Ikharus exited his chamber and entered the dark hallway. This hall seemed to go on forever. Doors lined both sides. He smiled at the one directly across from his. It temporarily housed his new squad, Evirak, Ukhrani and Khreznor. He turned back to his own door and checked to make sure that it was locked before moving on.

  For unknown reasons, Under Chieftain Kho Veznek ordered every Kreed to temporarily relocate to this ship. Ikharus thought the order was strange. After all, having all the military’s greatest in one place at once posed a security risk, but it was not his business to question. The Under Chieftain must have good reason, he told himself.

  Ikharus was still getting used to the space here. Vigilant Behemoth, the Kholvari mothership, was the largest ship in existence. Not only were the rooms here wide and spacious, but also in great abundance. It was as if this ship went on forever and ever.

  It took him several minutes just to leave the barracks. His walk was lonely. It was too early for most to be awake at this hour. Ikharus welcomed the calmness of it all.

  The soldier stopped at a guarded door. To his surprise, two honor guards stood at attention, not normal military. They gripped their spears tightly.

  “Honor guards?” Ikharus said as he approached. The guards dropped their spears down in an X shape across the door. “To what do I owe this honor?”

  “We cannot disclose such details until your identity is confirmed,” replied the guard on the left.

  “Understood.” Ikharus presented his credentials. The holodisk in his suit lit up.

  The guard on the left examined it.

  “Welcome, Squad Leader,” he said. The guard stepped back and they both raised their spears. “With your identity confirmed, I can now disclose that the Under Chieftain himself is present in today’s meeting.”

  “The Under Chieftain? What business has he with this congregation?”

  “I do not know. It is not my place to ask,” the honor guard answered.

  Ikharus smiled at this response. Here was a soldier who knew his place.

  “Understood,” was all he said back. Ikharus faced the door as it slowly opened.

  The room on the other side was vast. A circular table marked the center of the chamber and the walls were lined with screens. Several ranking members of the military were already in attendance, including Ezenkharam, the special operations commander. Ikharus found the Under Chieftain almost immediately. As was tradition, he wore a long crimson cape, which made him easy to spot. He held his scepter with one claw, the red jewel at its tip shimmering in the light.

  Two more honor guards stood motionless behind him.

  “Ah, welcome, Kho Ikharus. We have been expecting you,” greeted Ezenkharam as he entered. She stood on the opposite end of the circular table, facing the door.

  He bowed.

  “We are waiting on just one more,” she continued, “Kal Jakhu of Kreed Echelon.”

  Ikharus looked around. It seemed all the other squad leaders were already in attendance. He had not realized how late he had been by comparison.

  The door suddenly opened. Ikharus turned as a female Kholvari entered. Like Ikharus, she wore her full armor and held her helmet by her side.

  “Kal Jakhu, welcome!” Ezenkharam said. Jakhu bowed.

  Ezenkharam held her arms out, addressing the whole room now.

  “This is everyone. I applaud you all for coming so early. As you are now aware, we have a special guest with us in today’s meeting.” She turned and motioned to the Under Chieftain.

  “Good morning,” he greeted.

  “Good morning,” the room replied in unison.

  “We shall waste no time,” the special operations commander continued. “There is much to discuss today. The Under Chieftain has requested that he personally update you all on the status of our dealings with the evolved-ones.” She turned to him. “Kho Veznek, you have the floor.”

  Veznek nodded and took a few steps forward. His honor guards remained where they were.

  “Thank you, Kal Ezenkharam,” the Under Chieftain began. “And thank you all for attending. The special operations commander is correct. We have much to discuss today.”

  Ikharus was surprised to see how much the Under Chieftain moved and talked exactly like he did in all the videos. It was as if he were the same person both on and off camera. Somehow Ikharus felt like he was on a set just by being in the same room as this hierarch.

  “Two nights ago, four ruor hunters were out on a simple patrol. They encountered what they believed to be a pack of ruors, but were in fact evolved-ones living on the surface. These evolved-ones attacked the hunters and managed to kill two, including one dropship pilot.”

  So the evolved-ones are hostile after all. This news was concerning, especially given the Supreme Chieftess’s apparent empathy for their race.

  “The evolved-ones used simple ballistic weapons like these,” Veznek continued. He motioned to the guards behind him. One pulled out what looked like a rudimentary cannon, only much smaller. Ikharus studied it. “We confiscated numerous weapons like these from their escape pods. It is safe to assume the evolved-ones are well armed.”

  The guards passed the weapon around. Everyone in the room took time to examine it. When it got to Ikharus, he was surprised to feel how li
ght it was.

  “Word of this attack reached only a select few. The Supreme Chieftess, her Majesty, Kal Khtallia, was one of them. Upon hearing this news, she ordered the hunters to stand down. She ordered them not to pursue more evolved-ones,” he explained. Veznek started slowly pacing back and forth. “The hunters, of course, furious with vengeance, refused her order and continued the pursuit until dusk. The Supreme Chieftess was not happy about this defiance. She ordered a squad to make sure the hunters complied with her demands. When the squad arrived, the hunters and the evolved-ones were actively in combat.”

  Defying the Supreme Chieftess was not only unwise, but acted blatantly against the hierarchy of the Chiefdom. Ikharus had no tolerance for defiance.

  “The squad allegedly pleaded with the hunters, urging them to stand down,” Veznek continued. “The hunters refused this order and killed an evolved-one before their very eyes. The squad was then forced to take action and exterminate the traitors. None of the hunters were left alive. Their punishment was death.”

  Ikharus was glad to hear this news. For defiance to the Supreme Chieftess, there was no more appropriate punishment.

  “You may be wondering why I am delivering this news today, not Kal Ezenkharam. As many of you know, the Supreme Chieftess and I have different philosophies about these evolved-ones,” the Under Chieftain continued as he paced around. “These creatures are nothing more than vermin in my eyes. They are murderous and dangerous. Were it my choice, I would have let the hunters exterminate every last one of them.”

  Those were bold words. Ikharus was surprised to hear Veznek speak so strongly against Khtallia. Now I see the true side of him away from the cameras. Suddenly he no longer felt like he was on a set.

  “I am not happy about this decision, but I respect it. And as soldiers, you all should do the same. Your Supreme Cheiftess, leader of all Kholvaria, wishes no more harm to come to the evolved-ones. Should any ill fate befall them by your doing, the result shall be your death. Is this understood?”

  “Understood,” the room repeated in unison.

  The Under Chieftain paused for a moment. He stood still.