Dissolution

by Kyle West

  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Also by Kyle West

  Map

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Chapter Forty

  Chapter Forty-One

  Chapter Forty-Two

  Chapter Forty-Three

  Chapter Forty-Four

  Chapter Forty-Five

  Chapter Forty-Six

  Chapter Forty-Seven

  Chapter Forty-Eight

  Chapter Forty-Nine

  Chapter Fifty

  Chapter Fifty-One

  About the Author

  Also by Kyle West

  Glossary

  DISSOLUTION

  The Xenoworld Saga, Book 6

  Kyle West

  Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2018 Kyle West

  All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever.

  First e-book edition, October 2018

  Want to know when my next book comes out? Sign up for my mailing list!

  Also by Kyle West

  Post-Apocalyptic/Dystopian

  The Wasteland Chronicles

  Apocalypse

  Origins

  Evolution

  Revelation

  Darkness

  Extinction

  Xenofall

  Post-Apocalyptic/Fantasy

  The Xenoworld Saga

  Prophecy

  Bastion

  Beacon

  Sanctum

  Kingdom

  Dissolution

  CHAPTER ONE

  WHEN I AWOKE TO COLD reality, every terrible memory returned to me. Mia was dead, and we had left Isandru behind in the Hyperfold with Rakhim Shal. If he wasn’t dead, he was probably much worse than that – a prisoner.

  The vision of Mia falling from Isaru’s blade played itself over and over in my mind. Over and over, I was tortured with the image of her falling dead, the shocked expression on her face, her being absorbed by the light of the Hyperfold’s point of origin. I watched as Isandru himself was pulled in by that light, likely to never see the real world again.

  And here I sat in the cold dark forest to the dead city’s west, unable to do anything. We cowered in the shadows while Isaru and his dragons were likely beginning a new rampage on the Red Wild.

  It couldn’t get any more hopeless than this.

  * * *

  Isandru had commanded us to run, had practically pleaded with us, but running didn’t feel good, even if it was the right choice. How great was our hubris? How could we have ever thought we could dissolve the Hyperfold, to beat Rakhim Shal at his own game? Twisted with the images of Mia’s death and Isandru’s disappearance was Rakhim’s insane, gloating face. That face seemed to say, Better luck next time, kid. If there is a next time.

  Here in these woods, I could do nothing but ask questions of what might have been. Was there any reason to go on? Did Isandru have a chance of destroying Rakhim, even if he was alone? Would it be possible to attack the Hyperfold again? We had foolishly shown our hand before we were truly ready.

  Stop blaming yourself, a voice seemed to say from inside my head. No one could have predicted this.

  The voice didn’t seem to be my own, though it spoke with my own voice.

  Anna. She was just feelings, usually. She had never talked to me directly like this.

  And I wasn’t sure if I liked it.

  Ignoring me, then. Well, knowing myself, I don’t blame you. I have always been stubborn.

  I couldn’t resist responding. Why are you talking to me? Why not speak up before?

  The voice seemed to be amused. At what, I didn’t know. I was weak, Shanti. I’ve been a silent watcher all my life, not even knowing I existed. Until you entered the Xenofold for the first time. It became clearer, then. I watched the world pass through your eyes, though at times, I slept, too. I’ve tried talking before. But maybe I’m buried so deep that you never really heard me.

  I swallowed a nervous lump in my throat. I’ve felt you. You’ve been speaking to me all this time? About what?

  Nothing for a long while. I had given up after you failed to notice the first few times. And I tried a few more times after that, just to see if anything changed. A pause. Nothing had.

  But I can hear you now.

  Yes, Anna answered. I wonder why.

  I wondered why, too. Perhaps it was because, for the first time, I could focus on nothing more than my thoughts, even if my thoughts were the main thing I wanted to escape from.

  Whatever the case, Anna said, the impossible seems possible, now. We’re in this together.

  A strange thought formed in my mind, and I wondered if Anna could read it. My body was supposed to have been her body. The Xenofold had been too weak to bring her back in her full power. But a kernel of that power had remained, all the same . . . a kernel which had grown once it received nourishment from a connection to the Xenofold.

  If that theory was true, then it was no surprise Anna could talk now.

  Did that mean the more I used the Xenofold, the more power I drew, the greater Anna would become? Would it be me watching from the shadows one day, a prisoner in a body that had once been mine?

  I got a chill at the mere thought. Anna did not speak to me again, at least, not for the rest of the night.

  * * *

  The wind rustled the boughs of the shadowy, ominous trees as I faded in and out of sleep. The darkness of the forest was near absolute. The air was cold, far colder than it had been when we first entered the Hyperfold. The leaves we used to cover ourselves did little to keep us warm. I could feel the heat of my friends sleeping beside me, and if not for that, the night would have been far more miserable.

  Isa could start a fire almost anywhere, but even she was afraid of being spied by a dragon circling above. No doubt, they were searching for us on silent wings. If there was to be a fire, it would have to be during the day, and perhaps not even then.

  Hunger twisted my stomach, and exhaustion set deeply into my bones, an exhaustion only exacerbated by the cold. The wind blew like ice, bearing with it drops of sleet that had found their way through the forest canopy.

  I pushed thoughts of Isandru, Mia, and survival from my mind, instead focusing on the day ahead. Somehow, I had to lead everyone to
the western side of Ragnarok Crater, the place I’d told Pallos to meet us if we ever became separated. It had been at least a month since that conversation, possibly even two. For all I knew, he had given us up for dead.

  All the same, it was our only hope. We had to reach the western Ragnawall or die trying.

  * * *

  Over a century ago, the forests surrounding Hyperborea were a treasure trove of nature’s bounty, shaped by people to feed the population of the Red Wild’s greatest city. Though its orchards, farms, and groves had not been maintained for decades, their crops still grew wild within the forest that overran the crater in its entirety. Food wouldn’t be an issue here; the main concern was exposure.

  I clenched my teeth to keep them from chattering and sheltered my hands within my cloak. My fingers were numb, all the same. Isa, Fiona, Shara, and I lay side by side, the only source of warmth. No one kept watch; the forest was too dark, and all of us were so exhausted.

  Since sleep would not find me, I sought Silence instead, maintaining a thin connection to the Hyperfold, for no other reason but to dim the discomfort. Though the connection itself was small, I could still feel the vastness of the Xenofold encompassing me. Though the city of Hyperborea lay in a reversion, the Xenofold could still be felt, and used, out here in the forest.

  I tried to use Silence to get a sense of our surroundings. Despite the cold and darkness, life pulsed within the surrounding forest. Countless trees grew from the pink xen, undisturbed by human hands for over a hundred years. Small rodents and birds ate the fruit dropped by trees, while deer dashed through the undergrowth. I even sensed bears and wolves tromping on the xen, though they were nowhere near us. They were wary of human intruders and their strange scent, not remembered for many of their generations.

  Last of all, I sensed the comforting presence of my friends around me – Fiona’s dreamless sleep, Shara’s twitching, and even the tiny trickle of the Xenofold’s power that had manifested in Isa just recently. It remained to be seen just how much that power would affect a change inside her.

  The Xenofold was still here. There was still strength left . . . perhaps enough to resist the coming storm.

  * * *

  Eventually, enough light seeped through the forest canopy to stir me from my doze. I opened my eyes to see Shara sitting on a fallen log while peering into the shadowy woods. Like me, she was using her connection to the Xenofold to give her strength.

  Shara sensed me looking at her, and turned. She watched for a moment, neither of us feeling the need to break the silence.

  The woods were very quiet and still. Even the wind had died down in the night, leaving a crisp coolness. A sheen of frost covered all; tree bark, boughs, leaves, and undergrowth. The orange sun filtered through the treetops and did nothing to warm the forest, though the light stirred Fiona and Isa from their sleep.

  We all sat quietly for a moment, remembering the dreadful day before. But there was little time for mulling; we needed to get moving, and the sooner we did, the better.

  “We need to find food and be on our way,” I said. “And I’m willing to risk a fire, if the rest of you are.”

  “I could do with a fire,” Isa said, her teeth chattering. “If Isaru hasn’t followed us.”

  “He hasn’t,” Shara said. “We would know if he had.”

  “I heard a few dragons flying overhead last night,” Fiona said. “Though they didn’t cry out.”

  I’d heard nothing. Perhaps I slept more deeply than I realized.

  “No doubt he’s looking for us,” Shara said. “These woods are good cover as long as we stay in the thickness of the trees.”

  “I suppose a fire is too much to hope for, then,” I said. “The smoke would be visible for miles.”

  “I can make a small, smokeless fire,” Isa said. “If I can find the right kind of wood.”

  All looked to me for the final decision. Though I wanted to linger and warm up, I knew reaching the western Ragnawall was far more important. Moving would have to do the warming up while the trees could be counted on to provide shelter from the wind.

  “We can’t risk it,” I said. “We need to head west for the rim of the crater. Food can be found on the way. We passed lots of fruit trees in the night, and no doubt we’ll pass many more on our way.”

  “Fruit,” Shara said, a bit disdainfully. “What I could go for is a nice stew with a lot of meat.”

  “We can have all the stew we want once we’re out of here,” I said.

  “If we get out of here,” Shara said, grumbling.

  “We will,” I said. “Pallos will still be searching, and if he is, then he’s bound to notice the increasing activity of the dragons. Maybe that’ll tip him off that we’ve come out of the Hyperfold.”

  This was enough incentive for everyone to stand and brush the leaves from their clothes.

  Fiona untangled a twig from her wavy, red hair. “I wonder how much time has passed while we were in there. Lucky we didn’t come out in the dead of winter. We might not have survived the night.”

  “It’s either October or November,” Isa said. “This is about how cold it is in the Northern Wild during those months.”

  October or November meant we were in the Hyperfold for two or three months. How much had the world changed during our absence? What mischief had Isaru been up to, before he had come to rescue Rakhim?

  Those questions would have to be answered later, and only once we got out of here. We had to survive the cold long enough for Pallos to find us in the appointed spot. From east to west, Ragnarok Crater was about eighty miles across. We probably ran five or more miles through the forest last night, and Hyperborea was almost exactly in the middle of the crater.

  That meant we had some thirty miles or so ahead of us – a distance that was doable in a couple of days if we didn’t run into trouble.

  I felt along the top of my head, noticing for the first time that I had about an inch of hair there. So, my body wasn’t the same. My hair had grown in the intervening months, if not as much as it usually would.

  I threw on the hood of my cloak and tried not to think of how horrifying I must look to the others, not only because of my hair, but because of my marred skin.

  It was at that moment that a sharp pain cut through my stomach, causing me to grunt and fall to my knees.

  “Shanti?” Shara asked. “What’s wrong?”

  The blood rushed from my head, and I inhaled deeply to keep myself from fainting. Though my injury was months ago at this point, my body was still acting as if it were only yesterday. Seeker Karai had warned me that I would need food – lots of it – to complete the healing process. Somehow, my body had sustained itself in the Hyperfold, but now that we were out, its demands needed to be met.

  “She needs to eat,” Fiona said. “Seeker Karai said that the healing would cause her metabolism to spike. I’m afraid we have no choice but to find food here. She’ll need something more substantial than fruit. Perhaps Isa can . . .”

  “I’m on it,” she said, hefting her bow. “I’ll see what I can find.”

  And like that, she was off into the woods. We waited there in the quiet for about ten minutes, with me grasping onto Silence to keep the worst of the hunger at bay. I’d never been this hungry. My stomach felt as if it were twisting itself into the tightest, most painful knot imaginable. The others kept me company as they gathered wood for a fire, and fruitlessly tried to forage nearby.

  Ten minutes later, the undergrowth shifted as Isa reappeared, carrying two rabbits that she held from their hindfeet. She dropped them to the ground.

  “Lucky you have me,” she said.

  “That was quick,” Shara said, impressed.

  “There’s so much life in this forest,” Isa said. “I saw three more fat ones just like that, too fat to even run. I’d have killed more if we could build the fire bigger.” She looked at the wood gathered, getting rid of most of it while leaving a small remnant. After rearranging the wood, she gave a nod
of satisfaction and began striking her flint to make some sparks.

  “This shouldn’t smoke too bad,” she said.

  “Shanti needs to eat regardless,” Fiona said, with a tone saying that the decision was final. “Karai said she needs to eat two or three times her normal amount, until she has fully healed. We still have fifty miles to go, and all of us just spent a cold night outside. The fire will do us all good.”

  Isa nodded her agreement, just as a flame sprung to life. Not long after, a cheerful flame was blazing. Its warmth was welcome on my face.

  “There’s a stream nearby,” Isa said. “And plenty of forage just a few steps away by the stream. I found some edible roots, blackberries, mushrooms, and a few hazelnut trees. Seems we camped out right next to an old grove.

  “No wonder the rabbits like it here,” Shara said.

  Isa nodded. “Between the four of us, we should have enough gathered by the time the rabbits are cooked for a healthy meal, plus some for the road.”

  “Things are starting to look up,” Shara said. “Where is this forage, exactly?”

  “The blackberry bushes are toward the stream, that way,” Isa said, pointing. “I’ll get these rabbits cleaned and cooking.” She frowned. “Wish we’d thought to bring a pot . . .”

  None of us had brought our packs; we couldn’t take them into the Hyperfold, so we left them behind.

  The rabbits would have to be skewered or cooked on stones in strips of meat, but I was so hungry that I didn’t care.

  Despite my protests, Fiona and Shara insisted I remain sitting, which was probably for the best. They went in the direction Isa indicated.

  As Isa skewered the rabbits, I couldn’t help but be impressed with Isa’s survival skills, earned from growing up in the Northern Wild, where hunting and gathering was just as much a part of daily life was farming.