Aeternum

by Lawrence A. Votee

  “So…are we ready?” Connor asked.

  Ryaal smiled at his friends and stood.

  “Head back to the house. I need to speak with Etria.” He answered.

  They tossed their makeshift weapons to the ground and began walking. Ryaal walked over to Etria.

  “You’ve done an excellent job with them. However, I would be interested to know how you taught them to hit so hard.” He said.

  “A girl’s gotta have her secrets. Besides, I don’t think they would have done nearly as well if they hadn’t been doing it for you.” She responded.

  The two looked on as Connor and Alina walked through the field. Ryaal felt a great sense of pride towards his friends, not because they had become so skilled so quickly, but simply because they were his friends. He had also felt a great sense of sadness that they would so eagerly and selflessly put their lives on the line for him.

  “In the short time I have known them they have changed the way I look at their whole race. I see why you are so protective of them.” Etria revealed.

  She smiled, knowing she too was becoming protective of them and with that knowledge there came an intense sadness at the thought of what could become of them. She began to realize a small bit of what Ryaal felt daily and she began to hurt for him too.

  “Where is this place?” He asked.

  “It is about a day’s travel from here. We should leave tonight.” She answered.

  Chapter 18

  “What’s it like?” Connor asked as the two readied the truck for their trip to the gate.

  “What is what like?” Ryaal replied staying focused on the task at hand.

  “You know, combat…war.” Connor answered.

  Ryaal stopped and turned towards his human friend. “Do you really want to know?” He answered.

  Connor saw the expression on the warrior’s face and thought for a moment.

  “Yes.”

  “Sit. I will tell you what I know of war.” Ryaal instructed as the two sat down on the stonewall lining the driveway.

  “It is something only a warrior can truly comprehend, as it is many things. At times it is exhilarating. When you face death at every second…you’ve never felt more alive. Realizing what you are capable of when trying to survive can make one feel…godlike, but terrifyingly small at the same time. It does at times, feel surreal. When you step back and take in the scope of battle throughout history, you realize that you are part of something larger than one could ever truly understand. But above all else…it hurts.”

  Ryaal’s eyes diverted toward the ground, as if remembering a specific time.

  “When I would head off to battle, I would often look upon my friends and fellow warriors and wonder if they would still be there tomorrow. I would watch them laugh and joke with one another. I would try so hard to etch the sound of their laughter into my mind so that if they were not there tomorrow, my memory of them would be one of their happiness. But far too often, they were not there the next day and the memory of their laughter was instead replaced by the sounds of their screams. There is no more godlike feeling when that happens. There is only the feeling of hopelessness.”

  Ryaal fell silent for a moment as he remembered the fallen.

  “When the battles are fought, the war is won, and we return home, it does not end for the warrior. The memories do not stay with the fallen on the battlefield. They are with you always and they weigh so heavily on the warrior’s soul. The nightmares always come. The questioning and second guessing of my actions are always present. The faces of both enemy and friend are there to greet you when you close your eyes and the sounds of battle can be heard long after the fighting is done. For the warrior, war is not temporary. The madness of it becomes a part of you. I consider it both a benefit and a curse.

  Benefit, because I am in a constant state of ready. Throughout my mind, throughout every day, I run countless scenarios preparing myself for every possible situation I can imagine.

  Curse, because it is so completely exhausting, often to the point of physical pain. There are times when I feel I’ve already died and the nightmares and memories are the penance I must pay for all I have done.

  However, for the truly fortunate, there is something to look forward to. You may one day meet someone who changes your entire life. Someone you never would have thought existed. Someone whose mere smile can make all that pain go away.” Ryaal looked to the sky with a slight smile as he remembered her.

  “Someone who consumes your thoughts so completely, there is simply no room for pain or hurt.” He added.

  “Someone like Kara?” Connor interjected.

  Ryaal looked at his friend with a slight smile. “I must ask you something now my friend.”

  “What is it man?” Connor replied.

  Ryaal hesitated for a moment before continuing. “I must ask you to stay behind, you and Alina both. It is not right for me to put you in such danger. Please…do not come with us.”

  Connor looked at his massive friend confused and after a moment stood and faced Ryaal.

  “Sorry man. No can do.” He answered.

  “I would rather die a thousand times helping you get her back, than live once here, in safety. You’re my best friend, as a human or a big ass alien, and if there is anything I can do to help you get back what you love most, what makes you happiest the most, then I’ll do whatever it takes. And I know Al would do the same.”

  “Ryaal!” Etria interrupted before he could offer any resistance to Connor’s decision.

  “What is it Etria?” He answered while still looking at his young friend.

  “It is time to go.” She informed.

  Chapter 19

  The steady growl of the old Ford Bronco’s engine brought a soothing sound to the group as it headed purposefully over the barren road leading out into the desert. Ryaal turned and looked at his friends in the backseat, who had fallen asleep leaning against each other. His thoughts had become consumed with Kara, more now than ever. He felt tidal waves of feelings swirl about inside him. Anger over what his father and brothers had done, sadness of losing his grandfather, a nervous uncertainty of what might become of his dear friends, but what he felt most was pain, crippling, and searing pain for his beloved Kara. He knew full well that he may not come out on the other side of the battle he had sought. He also knew that by the end of it, she would be safe. He would see to that.

  “How much further is it?” He asked Etria, quiet enough to ensure he didn’t wake his friends.

  “A few more hours, you should rest Ryaal.” She answered.

  He took Etria’s advice and shut his eyes, but instead of the rest he so desperately needed, all that came were thoughts of his Eternal. He remembered their last day together. Sitting atop the cliffs overlooking the vibrant valley, this was their spot. For them it had become the one place in time and space where everything else silently slipped away. In this small nook between knowing and forgotten, she rested her head on his shoulder as they spoke to each other without saying a word. All their emotions felt by the other. They smiled and were so incredibly content in one another’s company, they could have stayed in that spot for eternity.

  Ryaal stared out over the lands at all the beauty they offered and thought how they paled in comparison to the magnificence resting on his shoulder. Kara lifted her head stealing his attention. He looked over at her and noticed her eyes, glistening a brilliant rose gold, something he hadn’t seen before. Then he felt it.

  A great surge stopped his breath. His eyes widened and his entire body became weak. The feeling lasted but a moment but he knew what it was. In her deep gaze, she gave herself to him completely. She had bonded to him completely. Ryaal felt a deep peace and immeasurable warmth wash across his entire being. He placed his hand on her silken cheek and kissed her so deeply the two of them no longer existed as separate beings. They had become completeness, two halves of the same whole.

  Kara felt a surge similar to that she had giv
en him and with the same breath taking, body weakening feeling, she felt something else as well. She felt overwhelming strength and safety. Ryaal had given himself completely to her in return. She realized that a part of his soul had now become part of her and she felt more love in that brief exchange than she’d ever experienced in life or in all the knowledge of life she had ever acquired.

  “Would you go somewhere with me?” She asked her warrior.

  “There is not a place in existence I would not go to with you.” He answered. Kara smiled.

  “Where do you wish to go?” He asked looking back out over the valley.

  “Anywhere…let us leave here and find a place that is just ours. A place where none would find us and we could spend our days wrapped in each other’s arms. Could you do it? Could you leave everything behind?” She asked.

  “Everything I hold dear is with and within you and could never be left behind.” He told her.

  She smiled as her eyes sparkled even brighter and asked, “What of your people my love?”

  “My grandfather and I have chosen a path for our people. He will lead them as guardians. He will work side by side with Larak and the Ishra. No more wars for conquest, only as a last resort, if needed, to protect and enhance life.” He answered.

  “Ryaal that’s wonderful.” She said sitting up and giving the topic her full attention.

  “There is a wondrous future in store for our people…for all throughout the universe. He does not need me for this. You and I should leave this night. Our days are for us now and what magnificent days they shall be.”

  Her body began to glow a radiant violet pink.

  “I love you Ryaal. With everything I am, I love you.” She told him.

  “I love you Kara. With all that I am and all I could ever hope to be…I love you.” He kissed her, not knowing that it would be the last time.

  “I must speak with my father and tell him of the decision my grandfather and I have made, then I will meet you back here.” He told her.

  “I too shall speak with my family and then we will leave together.” She responded with a glowing smile.

  Ryaal’s body jerked violently, waking the two in the backseat.

  “What the hell was that?” Connor asked half awake.

  “Oh no!” Etria exclaimed.

  “I think he’s remembering something, something bad.” She informed.

  In Ryaal’s unconscious state, dreams of sitting with Kara and their plans to leave together had quickly changed to flashes of her in chains. He began thrashing violently, almost tearing the vehicle apart from the inside.

  “Ryaal!” Etria yelled swerving erratically while trying to control the vehicle. He awoke with a terrible scream.

  “How much further is it?” He asked ferociously.

  “Less than an hour.” She answered. “Are you alright?”

  Ryaal stared out the window at the desert landscape racing by, his chest heaving as he tried to regain control of himself, giving no answer to Etria’s question. The next 45 minutes passed in uncomfortable silence, each traveler contemplating the events that lay before them.

  “That’s it, on the other side there.” Etria motioned toward a massive boulder in the middle of nowhere and far back from the main road they had been travelling.

  “That’s just a big ass rock.” Connor observed loudly.

  “It’s meant to look like that.” Etria answered.

  “It is in fact a gate. These are scattered throughout many worlds and it is how I got here. It is how Ryaal’s Grandf…” She stopped and looked at the warrior. She didn’t mean to mention his grandfather.

  “It is alright.” He told her, staring at the huge rock.

  “I remember this place. It is hazy, but I remember being here…with him.” His attention was averted by a rather large and seemingly unnatural formation of rocks only yards away from the monolithic boulder.

  “I remember that.” He said motioning structure. “There’s something there.”

  “What do you mean?” His two friends asked in unison.

  “I don’t know, I don’t remember exactly. I just know that something is there.” He answered.

  Ryaal stepped out of the truck and headed toward the rocks. Seeing his massive frame walking through the barren landscape gave his friends the first glimpse of what he might have looked like on an alien planet.

  He approached the pile and dropped to his knees a few feet away from it. He sat there for a moment or two, completely still. Suddenly, he began clawing at the ground, heaving dehydrated chunks of dirt from the Earth. After a few minutes he stopped and was again motionless. He bent down into the hole and pulled out a large silver box.

  “Did the big guy just find buried treasure?” Connor asked jokingly from the backseat.

  “No.” Etria stated.

  Connor could see a slight smile form on what he thought were her perfect lips.

  “I believe he just found his grandfather’s war chest.” She stated proudly.

  Alina now saw the expression Etria held and asked what that meant.

  “His grandfather must have planned for the possibility that he or Ryaal would one day be compromised. What is in that chest are their weapons and battle wear. Ryaal will not be walking into this fight unprepared.” She answered.

  The three exited the vehicle and approached their friend who had not yet opened the chest.

  “Whatcha got there big guy?” Connor asked, already knowing thanks to Etria.

  “It is one last gift from my grandfather.” Ryaal answered scanning every inch of the large trunk.

  He opened the chest and in it they saw two Arc staffs, which began to glow a brilliant blue light as though they were happy to see him. Each staff had a symbol that seemed to be emblazoned at their midpoint. One symbol was that of a golden triangle with what seemed to be a silver thunderbolt inside it and on the other, a platinum shield with a crimson crescent shape in the center. They were identical to the one Ryaal had taken from his brother with the exception that the symbol on that one was more of an ivory shield with an onyx band around it, the entire symbol trimmed in silver. Ryaal took them from the chest and stood. He turned to Etria and extending his hand he said,

  “I want you to have this.”

  “Ryaal, that belonged to your grandfather…I couldn’t possibly…” She started.

  Ryaal interrupted. “Had it not been for you Etria, my brother would have killed my friends, myself, and who knows how many others. My grandfather gave his life…” Ryaal paused.

  “…to protect me. I know he would be honored, as would I, if you would accept this.”

  Etria accepted and said, “I am honored to wield the weapon of one of the greatest Akirian’s who ever lived. Thank you Ryaal.”

  Upon that she began to bow to him as she had once bowed to his grandfather. He stopped her.

  “You are Etria of the Ishra, you are sister to my Eternal, making you sister to me. You bow to no one.” He told her.

  She stood as a tear befell her cheek. Not a tear of sadness…but one of pride.

  He then turned to Alina. He again extended his hand and in it was his own Arc staff.

  “I’ve known countless warriors throughout the universe and few have fought with such a poetic ferocity as you. Since I first met you, I’ve known you to be fearless, brave, and compassionate, all the things that make a truly noble warrior. It would be my great honor if you would accept this.”

  Alina looked at the amazing weapon and then to her giant friend.

  “The honor would be mine Ryaal.” And she gratefully took the weapon from him.

  He then turned towards Connor with his brother’s staff in hand and began.

  “My brothers and I were once very close. The combination of power, battle, and my father has corrupted them. The weapon I hold belonged to my brother and with it he caused immeasurable pain to innocent beings. With this weapon…he killed my grandfather. You have been my brother for some time now and I know, that sho
uld you accept this weapon, you would return the honor, the courage, and the strength it deserves. Brother, would you do me the honor of accepting this?”

  Connor looked his friend in the eyes and gave his answer.

  “Absolutely. I won’t let you down.” He added.

  Ryaal put his hand on his friends shoulder. “That is the one thing you could never do.” He told him.

  “Now, I must ask the three of you to do something.” Ryaal continued.

  “Whatever you need Ryaal.” Etria answered for the group.

  “Close your eyes and with a firm grip, imagine that the weapon you hold was created specifically for you. Feel it as an extension of you. Believe that it has always been a part of you.” He instructed.

  The three did as they were told and within a moment they all began to cry out in pain. They all attempted to drop their weapons which were burning into the hands that held them. The weapons did not budge and the burning continued for another moment and then suddenly, all the staffs fell from the open hands to the ground. In their hands, branded forever, were the symbols of their weapons and as quickly as they burned themselves into the hands of their owners, they healed over, leaving a painless scar in the shape of their respective symbols.

  “What the hell man!” Connor shouted.

  Ryaal gave no answer and instead picked up the three staffs and threw them far out into the desert sand.

  “Dude!” Alina spoke up.

  “Hold out your hands and call to your weapon.” Ryaal instructed.

  “Do what?” Connor asked, surprised.

  “Hold out your hands and in your mind, call to them.” He instructed.

  The three did as they were told and within a few seconds, each heard a swooshing sound getting louder and closer. Within an instant each weapon quickly found its way into the hand of their owner.

  “Are you kiddin’ me man!” Connor exclaimed excitedly.

  “That is so friggin’ awesome.” Alina added.

  “No matter where they may be, call to them and they will find their way to you. They will never fail you. Now, imagine any hand to hand weapon. See it in your mind then see it in your hand.” He instructed.

  Again, the three did as they were told and within seconds each staff morphed into the weapon its owner called for. Connor’s changed into a dagger, Etria’s changed into a katana and when they looked over at Alina, were not surprised to see a massive battle axe larger than her body.