by M. Arcturus
Murky shadows formed in all of the cells as if the sun rested under the jail ceiling. Dark black firebirds of all shapes and sizes were pulled from the shadows, and they swirled around Campanula. The feathers of the birds touched Resheda’s face as they flew past. They were cold to the touch. She instinctively turned her head to the side in response to the cold, burning sensation. They kept screeching and crying from what sounded like the deep crevices of Hell and Earth.
Kajaka finally understood when he saw the shadowy Bennu birds pull themselves out of the new shadows that had formed in his cell. Juron had taken some of his blood and gave it to the female who was screaming down the hall.
“What’s going on?” Pandora shouted over the Bennu cries.
“The woman down the hall must be some form of vampyre. They don’t react well to Bennu blood. It’s like a drug to them.”
“How long will this last?”
“It depends on how much blood she was given. One little drop can cause an episode that lasts for twenty minutes.”
Pandora’s head slumped back down to look at the floor, giving in to the situation, which could not be controlled.
Selené took a sponge bath and had just brushed her hair. Sitting in front of her vanity, she braided her long sea-green hair and thought for a moment. Then she walked over to her window. Looking out her window, she stared at the straight drop down into the waterfall. It wasn’t as grand as the waterfall near Guardian’s Gate, but it roared with strength and glittered in the sunlight. The sun was high in the sky, and no one was watching her window from the courtyard, so she acted on her idea. She took out Kajaka’s shadow cloak from her wardrobe. It looked recharged, but even in the split second of exposing it to the sun, the light took a lot of energy out of it.
She tried it on in front of her mirror and noticed that she became as light as a ghost. Selené was sure she had finally figured it out. In the sunlight, shadows grow stronger, like the dark shade of a tree on a bright summer’s day. However, if the sunlight hit a shadow directly, it disappears. Since her quarters were filled with indirect sunlight, the cloak made her appear as light as a ghost, but she knew full well that once she jumped from the window, and immersed herself in direct sunlight, she would be completely invisible. Lifting herself up onto her windowsill, she looked back into her chamber one more time. If I don’t survive the jump, it will be a long time before I come back to my quarters, she thought to herself. She gave a faint smile to the play on words, but death was the one thing she was trying push to the back of her mind as she drew in a lasting breath and pushed off the windowsill.
As she fell through the air, the cloak rippled frantically against the wind and the will of gravity. Mist from the waterfall beaded on her face and in her hair. Before she hit the water, she straightened herself out and angled her body for proper entry. There was only one problem—her injured ribs. She didn’t know if what she was doing was right, or if she should curl up in a ball, but it was too late. In less than a second, she made contact with the water. A nice sized rock was waiting for her deep under the water. Even though her hands were out in front of her, that was not enough to stop the impact. With the current pushing up against it, and her instinct to curl up after re-inflicting her ribs with pain, her head grazed the rock. Still curled up in a protective ball, she rolled with the current beneath the surface, barely strong enough to stay awake. She screamed silently as the initial impact with the water echoed throughout her aching ribs.
The water pushed and pulled her around, smashing her into rocks. She could hear the sound of her ribs cracking with each hit. If they weren’t broken before, they certainly were now, and the pain was agonizing! The current tried its best to keep her from surfacing. She couldn’t tell if she was sober enough to discern between reality and possible hallucinations, but for some reason, it felt like a lot of tiny little hands were touching her skin. They heaved with all of their might. Their efforts were not made in vain. Selené surfaced shortly, not knowing what happened to her as she blacked out and was left to the mercy of the Universe. Once they got her to the surface, they figured someone would help her, so they dove back into the depths with a flick of their purple fins.
Time lapsed as she lay on the shore. Her head barely touched the sand, which was the only part of her anchored. Due to the cloak, her body remained invisible. She looked like a head without a body. Selené was aware that the cloak could be damaged if it was exposed to long periods of sunlight, but she was too out of it to remove the cloak. As she drifted in and out of consciousness, the rest of her body moved wistfully with the tide. Too hurt to move and too tired to figure out where she was, she kept her eyes closed, facing skyward, confronting the remaining rays of the sun.
Seth looked around his watercraft searching for things to inspire Shadow to formulate a plan of action. He reflected on the day’s events and was thankful to have a moment away from Shadow. They had sat on the beach, discussing their situation all morning and well into the afternoon. Under normal circumstances, they got along just fine, but now, they were both wet, tired, hungry, and covered with sand. It took a lot of energy for both of them to keep their temper under control. Neither one of them dared to think about going home to bathe and change clothes. They were pretty sure that their homes were under surveillance. If Juron had his way, they would have been taken in for questioning just like the others, and there was a good chance that Juron had sent a team of guards to find them.
Before Seth left the beach, a Bennu brought them an emerald-green feather. It was one of Kajaka’s. Once Shadow accepted the green feather, he asked Seth to leave him. Shadow needed some time alone with the feather. Seth didn’t hassle him. In fact, he was thrilled to go to the small fishing pier to scrounge around on his vessel for supplies. It gave him some breathing space and made him feel productive. All he needed to put his mind at ease was to know that Pandora was all right, and the presence of the feather was proof enough that she lived.
Seth started to regret that he hadn’t ask Shadow about the girl he was trying to take from the pirate ship. It seemed like a touchy subject, and Shadow didn’t mention her at all when they were talking about a way to free their friends. However, one question burned in Seth’s mind. Was she The Destroyer? That one simple question plagued him as he rummaged around on his watercraft.
He had just gathered his black warrior’s shroud, ceremonial tunic, turban, and both of his swords when out of the corner of his eye, he saw something ever so slightly bobbing up and down in the water. He picked up his things and grudgingly decided to investigate. Seth was well aware that this could be a trap set by Juron’s men. He would have to proceed with caution.
Carefully and quietly, he laid his belongings on the pier and climbed over the side of his vessel. He used the hull of his boat for cover as he strapped on his swords. He cinched one sword onto his leg, and the other onto his back. Seth stared at the tree line bordering the shore as he picked up his clothes from the pier. Not seeing any movement on the beach or in the trees, he slowly stood up and walked as silently as he could. Much to his dismay, his boots clacked on every board he stepped on. In reply, the boards of the pier moaned and groaned. Seth hadn’t noticed how old and creaky that pier was until now. He stopped trying to move with stealth. If there was anyone watching him, his cover was already blown.
Seth was pleased when his boots made contact with the sand. He raised his hand to his brow to shield his eyes from the sun and was shocked by what he saw. Realizing what the object was, he dropped his belongings on the sand and ran to Selené’s side. She was beaten up badly. Blood had become crusty in her hair. Her lips were split, bloodied and bruised. He noticed multiple red stains on the bodice of her robe, and her clothes were all tattered and torn apart. Seth noticed a thin, almost transparent smoky-colored cloth wrapped around her body. He had never seen her wear that before, but he dismissed it. There were more important things for him to take care of. He knelt down a
nd picked her up out of the water. His eyes examined her wounds. On his way back, he stopped to pick up his warrior’s shroud, tunic, and turban and laid them on her stomach. The trek wasn’t easy carrying everything, and he was just sure that Shadow was just going to love this!
Shadow was still sitting in the sand where Seth had left him when he returned with Selené. The wind rustled the sparse blades of grass, which caused the grass to tug at Shadow’s hair. His eyes were closed as he felt the energy around him. Ignoring all, he took the time to feel, smell, and occasionally view the surroundings about him. He wasn’t ready to be disturbed when Seth came running up to him. He waited a moment before taking his attention off of the feather to acknowledge Seth, who was intruding on his moments alone. Once he saw Selené, Shadow released his agitation and went straight to work. Shadow motioned for Seth to place Selené on the sand, and with the heel of his foot, he drew a circle around her. He called out to the northern winds, the eastern fires, the southern mountains, and the western waters.
The wind started to pick up, and a dust eddy formed around the outskirts of the circle in the sand. Shadow walked through the curtain of sand and dust, into the calm eye of the sandstorm he had summoned. Selené’s body was in the center, levitating four feet off the ground. He raised his arms skywards and started chanting in his native tongue.
Sitting outside the miniature sandstorm, Seth listened to Shadow’s chanting and snickered when he heard a series of screeches and chirps escape his friend’s mouth. It took some time to collect himself, but when he did, he started one of his own spiritual fires. Once the fire roared with life, Seth stared deeply into the golden light. Spirits of his ancestors swayed translucently in the smoke. Hearing their voices rise above the crackling pieces of driftwood, which he used to fuel his ritual fire, he began to ask for their help.
Deep within the center of the flames, a hissing sound echoed through the spiritual chorus of his ancestors. Snakes of all kinds and earthy colors slithered toward Seth. They encircled him, and with one quick strike, they bit him all at once. Clenching his fists and raising his face to the heavens, he closed his eyes and endured the pain. Through that selfless act, he took Selené’s pain. Once she regained her consciousness, she would only feel half the pain she had experienced before.
Seth always carried a tube of homemade antibiotic cream in his turban. One of his military instructors had encouraged it. To hide the bites, Seth covered them with the taupe-colored ointment, which matched the color of his skin perfectly. He finished applying it right before Shadow exited the cyclone of dust with Selené in his arms. He quickly tucked the ointment away back into his turban. Shadow eyed Seth, who was now sitting by his fire, turning a small dagger in the palm of his hand. The small blade reflected the light from the sun onto his face. Seth stared at the shiny object almost as if in a thoughtless trance. Looking at the blade closely, Shadow realized it was a Kit-Lar.
Ackrids carried two swords, one for blocking and defensive maneuvers, and the other for taking lives. The latter of the two swords was shorter and was the traditional hiding place for the Kit-Lar, which was buried in every handle of these swords. The Kit-Lar was no longer than ten inches and about a half-inch wide, which tapered down to a point. The hilt of the Kit-Lar was the pommel from the hilt of the short sword. One could either pull on the pommel to release the Kit-Lar or push the button on the sword’s hilt up near the hand guard to trigger a type of spring release. Using the spring release, the Kit-Lar would immediately pop out of the sword’s hilt ready to use at a moment’s notice.
The Ackrids believed that these particular daggers had the power to strip their enemies of reincarnation. Driving the dagger into the enemy’s heart would send the soul straight into the bowels of enigma, which was a form of continual limbo. These particular blades were designed with a serrated edge, which caused even more pain when being pulled out of the heart. They were to be used on those who required personal judgment. Shadow’s view was that the justice was based solely on vengeance and didn’t see the point for the existence of the Kit-Lar.
Seth looked up at Shadow and put the blade away. Laying Selené on the sand, he sat down beside Seth and summoned one last Bennu before his energy was depleted. Shadow dreaded what he was about to say to Seth. Seth’s response was not going to be easily tempered, and he contemplated if there was another way to say it, but Shadow couldn’t think of one, so he blurted it out. “We need to wait a while longer before taking any form of action. I understand Pandora is important to you, but it is imperative that she remains in captivity.”
Seth looked at him trying to hide his hate, but was not very successful. He spoke as politely as he could, but the venom in his voice betrayed the cool, calm words he spoke, “I don’t see the point in her remaining in captivity.” He stood up and started putting on his shroud. “You can either tell me where they are, or I can find out for myself.” Compared to his usual off-white tunic and brown pants, the black shroud and the embroidered black tunic made him look very mysterious and sleek, like a death-delivering wrath.
Patiently waiting to see where the situation was headed, Shadow released a soft sigh, “She is being held hostage with Kajaka beneath the Council chamber. The feather Kajaka sent was designed for two purposes. It has allowed me to see that they’re alright for the moment, and it is a request to deliver a message to Pandora’s father.”
Seth stared deeper into Shadow’s turquoise eyes. Still burning with fury, Seth started to get his swords ready. “You can wait here and bury your head in the sand,” Seth said, “but I’m going after her.”
“And that’s the problem, Seth. We can’t just rush in; we need some war tactics and a good strategy. I have something in mind, and I need your help to pull it off.”
Seth looked at him questioningly.
“I completely understand how you feel, but we need more people, outsiders, non-Atlanteans who will have an unbiased opinion, to witness Juron’s actions. The Council members would be perfect for that. They are outsiders who will not be easily persuaded by Juron. We need the Council members to see what Juron is doing, to see how he has mistreated and imprisoned innocent people. We cannot afford to take matters into our own hands without letting other people see what’s going on first. The more support we have, the easier it will be to remove Juron from power. I don’t like Kajaka being there in that cell any more than you like Pandora being there. However, if this feather reaches Avalon, and it will, we will not be alone in our cause. When her father hears what has become of her, he will arrive with such force that the earth will quake in his presence.”
Shadow beckoned to the bird he had summoned earlier. It cocked its head up and eyed Shadow with a mischievous glint. The Bennu had been listening to the whole conversation and was ready to take his part in the plan. Shadow smirked as he peeked into the feather one last time to observe more memories from Kajaka’s childhood. He then erased all the memories, except for the most recent. He opened his hand up to the bird, and it took the feather sitting in his palm. The bird flew off to the northeast, toward Avalon.
He turned his attention to Seth and saw that Seth was easing up, but his temper still flared beneath the surface. “The next Council meeting starts early tomorrow. That’s the longest she will be kept in captivity. Even then, her father will arrive much earlier to surprise Juron and will try to catch him in the act. She’ll be set free shortly after he arrives or during the meeting. If not, Juron will cease to exist. Even at that rate, Juron’s actions will be brought before the Council. We just need patience.”
Before Seth could interject with his opinion, his attention was redirected to Selené when she began to stir. Still stiff, she sat up slowly and started to look at her surroundings. Her eyes locked onto Seth and then onto Shadow. She smiled at both of them, but it quickly faded when she remembered why she left her chamber to begin with.
“How are you feeling?” asked Seth making sure that he wasn’t bi
tten by snakes for the hell of it.
“I feel much better now,” Selené said. “For a while there, I was wondering if the medical center had even tried to heal my ribs.”
Shadow crinkled his forehead out of confusion, “Lift the bodice of your robe just a little bit please, so that I may examine the bandages.” She raised her bodice just high enough for him to see the wrappings. “They’re not even turned on!”
“What?”
“These are self-healing bandages. They’re waterproof, flame resistant, and virtually indestructible. In fact, if you are wearing one during a disaster, it might outlive you. But for all intents and purposes, once they’re turned on they should heal you up nicely.” He ran his thumb over what looked to be a rectangular shiny silver sticker on the end of one of the bandages. Immediately her body was flooded with a warm fuzzy sensation. “You have never gone to the medical center before, have you? This is your first time in bandages?”
“Yes, that obvious?” She smirked. “I don’t usually get hurt because I hardly ever leave the palace.”
“Weren’t you locked up like the others?” asked Seth.
She wasn’t quite sure how they knew about Kajaka and Pandora’s situation. It even sounded like they knew more about what happened to them than she did, but this was not the time to ask.
“Not exactly. I have a lot to tell you and not much time to do it. I’m not even sure where to begin—my mind is still blurry.” Now it was her turn to crinkle her forehead out of confusion. “Originally, I was planning to leave the palace and stay with the two of you, once I found you, but I’m afraid of what they will do to Kajaka and Pandora if I don’t return. So, I will tell you what I know, and then I need to get back to my chamber. They will be looking for me soon.”
