by T. Z. Leigh
"Yes. It was a place your parents could live undetected and among the most trustworthy allies. They were so little..." Sven's heart ached as he remembered when the children would cry for their mother or father. I promised them they would be back with their parents when they were older. I promised them. And I failed. He took a deep breath before continuing, "...two of them were only babies, and the other two were three and four years old. It destroyed your grandparents, having to send them away."
"Did our parents know where they were from, or who they were?" Jamie questioned.
"The older two did for a certain amount of time, but children usually forget the beginning years of their life. Their history escaped them, eventually. Like a bad dream."
"That's out of order, isn't it?" Zachery accused. "Sending their children away with no memories, never to be seen again?"
"I made the decision to give them to couples who couldn't have children of their own. It's easy for you to cast judgement because you weren't there. It was I who had to watch them cry for their parents day and night. Especially the babies, they cried so much at first. Is that any way for a child to live? To be denied a mother and father's love just because the world needs them?"
His question was met with softened silence, so he continued.
"Also, it wasn't supposed to be kept from them for as long as it did; we couldn't have anticipated what would happen."
"What did happen?" April asked.
"A big mess. Your parents were supposed to build a life in the Sewasphere and marry humans. To make sure everything went according to plan, we decided all would be revealed to them after you four were born. When Zachery's mother died, we had suspicions but concluded it was a terrible though genuine death. It was only due to this that we thought it was best not to reveal their true heritage to the others. It was after Jamie's father died that we had no doubt a traitor was among us. We did everything we could to find out who was betraying us. A few years later, Sam's father was murdered too."
"Voklav said my mom died after she divorced my dad. I want to know what happened to her," April said firmly.
He hesitated. "That is, in fact, a lie. She was the only one of the four who remembered their past. She came to terms with it and carried on with her life, while we all assumed that she had forgotten. We discovered later that once, when she was on holiday with friends, she realised Irisena had found her, so she disappeared. She didn't want them to find out about you and tried her best to cover up your connection. You were very young then; your father was not yet famous. When you were older and had your own Facebook account, she could send random messages, maintaining minimal contact to keep you safe. However, this plan of hers didn't work. They found her five years ago, and she met the same fate as the others."
While he was talking, April felt a crack forming down the middle of her heart, and by the time he had finished, it had split in two. There were so many words left unsaid, so many questions that will remain unanswered. More than anything else, she wished she could tell her mother that she was sorry. Sorry for all the times she called her selfish and cruel and a multitude of other names when her mother first tried to contact her. Now, too distraught to do anything else, she covered her face with her hands and let her head fall to the table.
"I truly am sorry," Sven said, "to all of you."
"One thing I don't understand is...if our parents had so many skryts watching over them, how were they able to be found and killed?" Jamie inquired.
"That's the part we couldn't have anticipated. We still don't understand how, but Voklav and Jedsen, one of his partners, developed a way to use their abilities in the Sewasphere. It was only in the last few months that I realised the scope of what they had accomplished. Over the years, they had disposed of the skryts protecting your parents slowly, one by one. We didn't catch on because when Voklav needed to, he took on their appearance and impersonated them. It wouldn't have been difficult. Your parents were all in different locations, so the skryts guarding them were hardly ever in the same place at once. When he found out that our plan was for you four to go to Hergetson, he disguised himself and posed as the headteacher. He needed your trust if you were going to go with him to the Skrytosphere."
"It was planned that we'd all go to the same college? Why, so it would be easier to watch over us?" Sam queried.
"Yes, that's the most obvious reason, although the significant reason being something else."
"Which is?" Zachery prompted.
"This will be difficult for you all to accept, but it doesn't change what you must do. Our worlds' existence depends on it."
Sven could tell by their expressions that they were more worried than ever, but he had to explain the mantle of supremacy that was being imposed on them.
"I need to clarify something first. In the Skrytosphere, there is a rule that one can only marry of the same kind. In times past, skryts have gone against this and have paid the price. Think of it as a human who turns insane overnight, although we don't know why this happens. The vast majority of skryts have kept to this rule, fearing they will spend the rest of their life in a mindless prison. Now, on discovering Irisena's ultimate goal, your grandparents turned to the sacred, historical texts for an answer. They came across a secret account of a woman born of a skryt father and a human mother. She faced hardship after her mother passed away and returned to the Solkateen District in the Skrytosphere with her father. She later fell in love with a Dolat and married him, knowing the risks involved. However, she was shockingly unaffected by the combining of abilities. She had children and lived here until she died, but she and her husband kept the truth hidden to protect their family. It was concealed by ancient kings, who decided that it was better for it to remain a secret, so the races and the two worlds were kept separate. It was this account that gave them the idea to send the children to the Sewasphere. The Year of Xaybor was still fifty sewian years away, so there was enough time."
"Hang on, they just expected that our parents would marry each other without question? With no choice?" Jamie countered.
"No, not your parents. You."
Chapter Fifteen
"What?" Jamie shouted, oblivious to Zachery's blank stare, April's mortified expression, and Sam's face contorted in anger. "Who the hell do they think we are?"
"You are...the only beings in either world who can save them both."
There was complete silence. Jamie was struggling to take in what he was saying. Marry Zachery? The desire to be with him had been simmering in her gut for months. But being forced into marriage at their age wasn't what she had in mind.
"Why is that the only option? What will happen if we marry?" Zachery enquired.
"After consummation, you will share each other's abilities, the benefits of which are unparalleled in nature."
"How disgustingly insensitive of you skryts! I can't believe this!" April cried incredulously.
"If there are other skryts who have this double power, why do you need us?" asked Zachery.
"The twofold ability died with the woman I spoke of. It didn't pass onto the next generation." After a pause, "Permission to speak freely?" he asked, before turning to face April and Sam. "From what I understand, I don't think Zachery and Jamie will complain about this union. For them, it will be easy. For you two it will be more like...doing your duty."
"Oh, how lovely, Sven, thanks for the explanation!" April retorted.
"There's something I want to know," Jamie said, trying to change the subject. "Where are our grandparents now? How do we know they're okay?"
"They are fine, although Voklav escaped. Your grandparents are in another safe location."
"How do you know?" she demanded.
"Let's just say that the Royal Guardian has a special privilege; an ability to communicate like no other. Although I can't do it all the time, unfortunately, it's not exactly constant or reliable. The other skryts stationed in the Sewasphere gave me the nickname, 'Royal Mail'...anyway, I know what happened after we left."
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"I don't get it...if our grandparents are the strongest in the Skrytosphere, why do they need to hide? Is Irisena that powerful?" Sam asked.
"Yes. They used the common tactic of power by numbers. They gathered an army almost twice the size of ours and therefore had the advantage, as the Year of Xaybor was far away. Only at this time can the keys be activated and enable the holders to achieve temporary, yet extraordinary abilities."
"And this would have been enough for our grandparents to defeat them?" Zachery questioned.
"Yes, so your grandparents were put in a very difficult situation. When sending your parents to the Sewasphere, they decided to send a key to be kept with one of the children. The goal was to end the possibility of Irisena obtaining all four if they ever came close enough to steal them. I was to guard the child who had the key in his possession...Qayto's son."
Sam was taken by surprise and sat up straight. "I've never seen a special key. Where would my dad have kept it? What if it's been lost?"
"It's perfectly safe, for now. You're wearing it around your neck."
"The necklace?"
Sam pulled it out from under his shirt. It wasn't glowing at that moment and looked tacky like someone could have picked it up from a market stall.
"That's what's gonna save the world?" April scoffed.
"In part, yes. As I was explaining...with the children and one key hidden safely, their biggest worries were temporarily put to rest. The keys can only be activated in the Year of Xaybor on what you all know as the Summer Solstice. There was nothing else to be done at that time except to carry on fighting the war to reduce enemy numbers. Irisena planned it very well, starting the war early enough, allowing them time to significantly weaken our defences and infiltrate our ranks undetected."
"I would applaud Irisena's strategy if I didn't feel like killing them," Zachery admitted.
"Yes. Unfortunately, even some relatives of the royals had been corrupted and revealed your grandparents' positions in a major battle. They had no choice but to flee and regroup at Qayto's home in the Mezatica Territory. That happened seven sewian months ago, not so long after all the royal spouses had been assassinated by undercover spies. Ryor and Qayto's wives and Teselda and Ana's husbands all died on the same day."
Sam's voice was quiet. "That must have been so hard. To have lived through years of war, only to lose your wife or husband too."
"Hence why I speak so highly of them. They persevered through the worst of times, caring only for the safety of the world. After they had reached Qayto's home and gone into hiding, they contacted me, explaining the situation. They disclosed their location and sent communications over time, giving me updates on what was happening and to check if you four were alright. Just before you started Hergetson, I had to keep watch on you all. There were only a few skryts left who hadn't been compromised."
"Our grandparents have been through so much. It's not fair," April said.
"They have...and it would be a shame for them to have suffered in vain if you refuse to marry."
April didn't reply, just turned away, uncomfortable. Jamie changed the subject again, because her stomach insisted on bubbling whenever any variation of the word marriage was said.
"So skryts have been watching over us all our life? That sounds a little creepy."
"Well, not constantly, no, but every day. People do need their privacy, too, of course. Roughly six weeks ago, I received an emergency communication from your grandparents. Something had gone wrong and I travelled to the Skrytosphere to find out what had happened, as the signal is much stronger when I'm there. As I journeyed to their last known location, I was captured and imprisoned by Irisena, where they interrogated me, but to no avail. It is my sole duty to keep all of you safe, even if it means sacrificing my own life to do so. While there, I managed to grasp their master plan and how bad the situation was. They knew where you four were, and they were preparing to make their move. They had perfected the procedure for creating the tesrars and were going to carry out their attack immediately."
"They're the ones who made the teachers turn like that?" Zachery asked incredulously.
"Yes, unfortunately. Jedsen is a Dolat and can alter a skryt's anatomy at will. However, I've never heard of a mutation performed on a human. I knew you were all in grave danger and had to find some way to break out. The troops stationed to guard my cell were in a drunken stupor, too busy celebrating when they heard the attack was about to be made. It was a perfect time to sneak the key from one of them and escape. Once I was free, I sent a message to the royals telling them I was going back to protect you and prayed it would reach them. I was so relieved when I received a reply confirming all was fine on their side. Once I was safely back in the Sewasphere, I contacted all of you and told you to leave the school. None of you listened, of course."
"That was you?" Sam burst out.
"I thought that was a prank," Jamie said, finally realising why Sven's voice sounded familiar.
"Me too," April agreed.
Zachery didn't look so surprised. "Voklav told me that he called. I thought it was a trick or something to make us believe him."
"It was me. I made my journey, having to travel carefully and without detection, hoping to reach you before the tesrars were released. Another ability of mine is that I'm somewhat connected to the royals and can detect changes in their energies. I felt it when Zachery had been attacked and could sense his consciousness dimming. It enabled me to make contact and provide him with the method to kill the tesrar. I wasn't far from the school at that point in time, but the school grounds were being heavily guarded. I had to wait until dark and when the coast was clear."
"Were you near enough to the college to see the fence?" Zachery asked.
"Yes, why?"
"Because this has been bugging me since we were there. Did you see electric wires at the top of the fence? Ones that weren't there before?"
"No. I suppose that must have been one of Voklav's illusions, so you all didn't try escaping over it. A skilled Solkateen can create almost any illusion to fool those of other races. Their ability is, in a sense, the most dangerous, as they can perform illusions from a distance."
"That must be what happened to the signal around the school," Zachery said. "I find it hard to believe that they would've created interference from the cell tower or damaged it if they could've simply fooled us."
"You're thinking like royalty already," Sven told him with a smile.
"Do you know if Voklav or the other guy can control the tesrars?" April asked. "It seems stupid to put us in there when we could be killed at any time if they needed us."
"From what I heard, I wouldn't be surprised if they could. Anyhow...just as I was preparing to make my move, I felt a sudden, unmistakable surge in energy. I knew you had travelled to the Skrytosphere, most likely with Voklav or Jedsen. Your grandparents' last known location to Irisena was in the Mezatica Territory, so I guessed that you were being taken there. Irisena is devious; if they couldn't find the royals, they must have thought Qayto's home might give them some clues. They were probably hoping Sam might find a way inside."
"They guessed right, then," Sam told him. "I opened the door straight away."
"You are a royal heir, after all. I received a message from Ryor shortly before rescuing you, saying he heard us enter the passageway, thanking me for 'safely bringing the children.' I flew like my life depended on it. There was no time for being cautious anymore. All your lives were at stake. I got there just in time."
"Sven, how long ago did you bring our parents to the Sewasphere?" Zachery enquired.
"Forty-nine…" His straight expression suddenly faltered, "…sewian years ago."
"Are you kidding me?" Zachery yelled, propelling off his chair.
"What is it?" Jamie asked him.
Zachery was livid. "We only have one year until we have to defeat a whole army and save the world?"
"You're joking, right?" Sam directed at Zachery, then glared at S
ven. "What exactly do you expect us to do in that short time? Are you crazy or something?"
"I know it's unfair to expect so much of you so soon..."
"You're damn right it's unfair! It's bullshit. That's what it is! Why didn't anyone tell us this before, so we had more time to prepare?" April retaliated.
"It wasn't possible for you all to enter the Skrytosphere until recently for safety reasons. And even if it was, the marriage ceremony cannot occur until you have come of age; Zachery doesn't turn eighteen until August. Although I must say, if I hadn't been captured, I would have revealed everything to you a couple of months ago." He sighed heavily. "Not that it would have made much of a difference. I know this is a lot for you all to take in. Try to have some sleep. It might be a long day tomorrow."
"It sounds like it's gonna be a long year, Sven! Like, what the hell, are you actually serious?" Jamie raged.
Jamie still couldn't believe it. The idea was too ridiculous to consider.
"I can understand your anger, Your Highnesses, but sadly, you have been charged with something much bigger than yourselves. Living a life of servitude for the greater good is an honour, whether you currently deem it one or not. You all have the choice of either saving the worlds or carrying on with ordinary lives. No one is forcing you to do anything. You decide your fate. We are only here to assist and guide you." He stood up and smiled hesitantly, "Have a think about it. You might feel differently tomorrow morning, once you've had a night's sleep."
He left, and they stayed still for a long moment before heading to their rooms. Jamie's brain was running in overdrive, so if there was any more information Sven had to tell them, it could wait. She had heard enough for a lifetime.
After a long debate in his head, Zachery had made up his mind and strode purposefully to Jamie's room. He knocked on her door and felt a pang in his gut when it opened. She waited expectantly, peering at him with her beautiful brown eyes and he cleared his throat with the hope that he wouldn't stutter.
