He could remember the day he lost her well. A couple of older Rilkers were pushing him about in the local drinking hole—a dark and dirty place full of tough old spiders. They were laughing, encouraging the beating. The worst thing was the smell of the two louts putting their wooden skin hands on him as they bounced him between themselves. Jonas didn't care though, he hoped that maybe if he tolerated the shoving and amused them for a while that he would be allowed to join the famous ship-spiders; that's why he had walked in there in the first place. It seemed the best fit for a boy with no home and no mother or father. The bigger of the two Rilkers took it too far though. He picked up a fork and stabbed it into the skin of his own hand as the surrounding spiders pounded their fists on the tables, laughing as their filled cups spilled klag onto an already sticky wooden floor. Then it was Jonas's turn. The spider pulled the fork out of his hand, held Jonas's flat on the table, lifted the fork into the air, raising the excitement in the room and thrust it down into his hand. Except the fork didn't go into his hand; the prongs were bent and his hand was unharmed. The laughter stopped and that was the day that Jonas became a spider.
Spectrum knocked Jonas from his trail of thought. "Jonas, what do you know about planet Aquilla?" he asked, as a turquoise sphere came into view in front of the windshield.
"Nothing would just about cover it," Jonas replied, eyeing the planet in wonder.
"What could the king want with him?" Menace said.
Jonas broke his gaze from the planet, shifting his eyes to Menace. "King?" he said.
Cortex smiled at the minor panic. "King Uly. I'd rather spend those fifty years on Kroyto than be in trouble with him," he teased.
Jonas turned back to look at the glowing planet outside. Curiosity filled his mind with the possibilities as to what a king could want with him.
Chapter V
Truth
Skylark flew in above the city of Enterra with eight dekapod fighters beside her wings, escorting the transporter and its precious cargo safely home. Looking out of a small window in the side of the ship, Jonas took in the sights of the city below. As they drew closer to the ground his eyes were fixed on the city's tranquil aura of street upon street of well-constructed, clean and uniform metal and stone framed houses, all dressed with glass. The gardens were alive with trees ripe with fruits and freshwater streams ran along the bottom of every neatly rowed hedge. Small transports whizzed about the place, and everyone either strolled along in a casual burgundy uniform or marched in pairs and ranks wearing what looked from high up like an armour suit, again burgundy in colour. It seemed to Jonas that everything had a purpose here, a far cry from the mess of a hole he had known on Rilk where the most organised thing he could recall was the accurate measure of the barmaid's eye when filling a glass of klag.
Out of the windshield and in the closing distance, Jonas saw the centrepiece of the city, a large domed roof made of one giant bending pane of glass. They were heading straight for it. A little way beyond the glass roof was another eye catching building, a fortified palace with a towering back wall separating the city from a dense forest on the other side. Jonas wondered why such a great wall was blocking out the beauty of the forest beyond. And had a sweeping mist not tangled with the trees in the far distance he may also have caught a glimpse of the silver claws of Mercron. Anyone that saw such a fearsome structure would have concluded it a good enough reason to build a wall so high from a forest so beautiful.
Skylark glided into an open hangar inside of the glass-roofed dome. Jonas took in the size of the place, keeping his eyes on the unsupported curved roof that went on forever above them. Whatever army this planet was home to, Jonas could see why they weren't afraid of taking on the bhurka wardens on Kroyto with only four soldiers; there were thousands of fighters in this one hangar level alone. He guessed the building was a head quarters, home to fleets of ships, transporters and fighters, with storage for uniforms, weapons, food and every other type of supply required for war.
War? Jonas thought. Perhaps these people needed him to steal something; something they needed for whatever war they were fighting. Stealing was all he was good for, but no matter what his thoughts he had a feeling he'd soon be finding out once he met this king who Menace and the loud mouth had been talking about.
The ships ramp slid down and the protectors led Jonas onto the landing bay as he glanced around at the glaring whiteness of the place. Witakker walked towards them, kicking the loose pleats of his grey skirted vestment and smiling at the sight of the arrival.
"Young Jonas, welcome to the city of Enterra. Take those off him will you," said Witakker, waving away the hand restraints. Spectrum de-energized the cuffs.
"Some of you are friendly then!?" said Jonas, stretching out his wrists.
"Some more than others," Witakker gestured, clocking the stern look on the protectors faces. "This way!" he said, turning to walk off. The protectors nudged Jonas along and followed on behind him.
Witakker had on his back a larger version of the cross which the others wore on the hearts of their armour. "What does that stand for?" asked Jonas, speaking to the grey-haired man.
"I presume you're looking at the sigil of the Cytherean Guard on my back?" said Witakker. "The cross of the cythereans is a symbol to remind us all who we are."
"And who are you?" asked Jonas.
"You'll see!" Witakker smirked, upping his pace along a glass-covered passage way.
Having seen nothing but glass walkways and long corridors since he arrived, Jonas walked side by side with Witakker into a room. The high, picture-painted ceilings stank of grandeur, something Jonas had never known existed until he walked through the double wooden doors he'd just passed by.
A crowned man stood close to the window overlooking the palace gardens. His back was turned to the other men who sat at a long table in the centre of the room. Witakker slid a chair out for Jonas. Taking a seat at the head of the table, Jonas looked around at the men in the room. Hawk, Wingrise, Spirit and Tempo, all had their names written across their chests, Jonas looked at each one as they all stared back at him. Cortex, Menace, Goldheart and Spectrum shut the door behind them and stood guarding the exit.
All of the possibilities as to why he'd been brought here ran through Jonas's mind. Was he here to work for them, steal them some blackfire or something else they desperately needed? Perhaps it was just a misunderstanding; he probably wasn't the person they were after. But when he saw that the man with "Hawk" written across his chest plate was holding a pair of deactivated energy-cuffs in his hands, his nerves demanded to know what was going on. He shifted his eyes around the room; there was no way out. He was some way away from the edge of the table and so dragged his chair across the wooden floor. The floor creaked as he did so. He looked down at the timber, assessing the aged cracks in-between each pane of wood, then he sat and waited for someone to speak. The silence was torture. There was not a single sound, just everyone's eyes glued to him, except for who he presumed was the king, who still stood with his back to the room admiring his gardens.
"So what kind of trouble am I in?" Jonas said to the room.
What was only a few seconds delay seemed like a thousand heart beats until someone responded to his question. The king answered but without the grace of looking around at the boy he had gone through so much effort to bring here.
"More trouble than you can possibly imagine!" Uly said, as composed as if he was commenting on what a beautiful day it was outside of his window.
"What have I done exactly?" Jonas asked, eager for answers.
"You killed my wife," the king responded, quicker this time but just as calm.
Jonas burned a look into the back of the kings head. His lack of courtesy to look his captive in the eye when accusing him of killing his wife was intolerable. "That's strange," said Jonas, "I don't recall having ever met a queen, or killing one for that matter!"
Uly turned to the boy, his eyes raged with disgust. "You killed your mother!" he blazed
, with no control over his anger.
Jonas shot out of his chair, his mouth held wide open.
The king affirmed the accusation. "I watched her die as you tore out of her body."
Jonas looked down. His soul was crushed. In the moment of those words he understood that if they were true then he would never meet his mother. The woman that gave him life, the woman that he craved the most to know about her life and her past. His body weakened as he cursed the strength inside of him. Without thinking it through, he blamed himself for what this man told him. He stood there feeling more alone in the world than he ever had before. His mother was dead and he had killed her.
The king didn't know what rushed through the boys mind, he saw only a look of shock upon the boys face. "Yes—you are my son, Jonas!" Uly said, wishing to make sure Jonas had understood.
Doubt crept into Jonas's mind. This can't be true, it can't be? he thought.
He looked back up to Uly. "You are crazy - I'm a nobody from Rilk!" Jonas said, raising his voice.
"You are prince and protector of the cythereans and the next in line for the power of the Elementis."
The Elementis? Where had he heard of that before? In his dreams somewhere, yes, he had heard the name in his dreams… He didn't care, this man was mistaken. "I am a ship-spider, serving life on Kroyto for murdering some half-dead organoids."
"Both of those lives are behind you now," Uly told him.
"Why have you brought me here? What do you want from me?" Jonas asked, not allowing himself to believe that this king could be his father.
"You are the blood and soul of a cytherean, the strength of a dydrid and a mind which we hope surpasses both," Uly said.
Jonas walked over towards the king. He looked out across the gardens. They were dressed with hedge-rows and cutely primmed trees with shaped edges and statues of naked stone that spouted water in the courtyards below. Jonas was hesitant but it was very necessary for him to say what he was thinking. "I have seen this place. I have seen you, in my dreams. Who is Calyx?" he asked, confused, looking up to Uly with an energetic fear in his eyes.
"He is your brother. It seems you dream through each other's eyes."
"This is impossible," Jonas muttered, screwing up his face, shaking his head. It was too much, Jonas could not comprehend what he was being told.
"I realise that this is not what you were expecting," Uly expressed.
Jonas regained some clarity and composure from all of the thoughts rushing through his mind. "It wouldn't have been my first guess, no!" he remarked, with all the smarts of a son answering back to his father.
Jonas realised then that this man had done a terrible thing to him as a child. "How could you send me away?" he said, with a cutting look in his eye.
Uly shut his eyes. "I had no choice," he told him.
"I was a baby, you had every choice!" Jonas trembled. "But you chose a life of solitary for me, a life with nothing! All I ever knew of my family was this pendant around my neck!"
"It belonged to your mother," Uly confirmed.
Tears made their way down Jonas's cheek. He wished that this king could feel the pain that he had felt his entire life. Having no family, fending for himself, always left to wonder.
"A kind woman called Lina raised me. She died when I was five. She was the only family I ever had. Her last words told me that if I ever wanted to, I could find my family with this pendant. I thought she was crazy!" said Jonas.
Uly firmed up his tone, not forgetting who the authority in this room was supposed to be, "We can talk about everything, Jonas, but for now…"
Jonas cut him off. "I can guess why I'm here, Father. Calyx has been taken, I've seen it."
The kings voice softened again. "Yes Jonas. I need you. We all need you. You are now the only one who can protect the Elementis and destroy the Zohr and his armies."
Jonas didn't hesitate to respond. "Not for all the blackfire of Jahara would I help you."
Uly grew impatient. "This is your chance Jonas—to make it up to your mother. To make it up to me," he said.
"You got rid of me when I was a child, as if my mother dying was my fault—how could you blame me?" Jonas was incensed, and full of hate for this man. "And now you ask this of me! What would make you think that I would accept?"
"Because I am your father, Jonas, and once again I have no choice," Uly said, reaching out a hand to touch his son for the first time. Jonas brushed his arm away.
"No, perhaps this time you don't have a choice, but I do!" said Jonas.
"You defy me then!?" Uly said, looking down his nose at his child with disapproval.
"I will not protect your Elementis or pretend to be any kind of prince or destroy any armies!"
Uly's complexion turned a fiery red. "Then you shall be returned to Kroyto, and never leave!" he threatened.
King Uly looked across the room and nodded at Hawk who returned the nod and activated the energy-cuffs held in his hands. He got up and stepped towards Jonas.
Jonas looked at Uly. His heart emptied of all feeling and all hope that he had once desperately had for wanting to know his father. "It was nice knowing you, Father," he mocked.
With no idea what he was doing, the room watched on confused as Jonas jumped high in the air. Coming down straight-bodied from his jump, he smashed his feet hard into the creaky wooden floor, flexing his muscles as he landed. Hawk stopped a few feet away not knowing what Jonas would do next. Jonas jumped again, only this time when he came down he didn't land on the floor, he ploughed right through the wood and down into a corridor below. He didn't look up, he just ran. He wasn't going back to Kroyto and he wasn't going to be forced by a father who had sent him away as a child into doing anything that he didn't want to. He had been alone his entire life and maybe there was no going back from that. His father hadn't even said sorry, that at least would have been a start. Perhaps he wasn't sorry, and if he wasn't then Jonas would try his best to make him feel that way.
After a few twists and turns sprinting down corridors, Jonas burst through a door. An armed Cytherean Guard stood watch outside. The Guard looked at the boy, surprised. "Who are you?" he said, with a curious lowering of his brow.
Jonas grabbed a hold of the soldier's blaster. The Guard gripped onto it as Jonas had hoped he would. Jonas yanked the gun sharply towards him, the Guard came with it and knocked his face straight into Jonas's head-butt. The Guard fell, sprawled out-cold on the floor.
"Prince Jonas, apparently!" he said, thinking the name actually had quite a nice sound to it.
Hawk's voice blared out of the forearm of the Guards uniform. "All Guard seek and capture—stun and restrain—do not kill!" his voice ordered as a holographic image of Jonas in the rugged red top he was wearing materialised in mid-air from the communications system. "I repeat. Stun and capture—do not kill."
Jonas looked up to a noise in the distance. He saw three Guard pounding across a courtyard. He burst into a sprint not knowing where to run, only thinking anywhere was better than here. He headed towards the taller buildings in the distance, running past street turnings, as more and more Guard joined in the hunt. He knocked down two that got in his way as he made a turn down a street. Stun-shots flew dangerously close to him, freezing a Guard caught in the line of fire who collapsed as stiff as a falling tree scraping his armour along the floor with his momentum. Jonas was faster than all of them. He turned down a narrow alley sandwiched between two tall glass buildings. He turned down another alleyway and another, testing his speed to its limits until everything was quiet. He hid in the shadow of a pillar that ran up alongside one of the glass towers. Footsteps came up fast. A Guard stopped right in front of him. He looked into the shadow. Jonas closed his eyes and heard more footsteps coming. He braced to be stunned.
"Come on he went this way," they called as they ran along past. The suspicious soldier peering into the shadow saw nothing in the shade and continued his chase. The silence returned and Jonas blew a breath of relief.
&
nbsp; More footsteps came. They clunked along like metal instead of sounding like the boots of an armoured Guard. And these feet weren't running either. A kid, a few years younger than Jonas hovered along the alley, gliding along on a bike. Just behind him walked a heavy-footed droid.
Twain walked straight past Jonas. Lynk turned to face him, "Hello friend," he politely gestured with a nod.
Twain stopped and turned back to see who his droid was speaking to. He saw no one. "Lynk, there's nobody there! Hurry along. We've lots to do when we get back."
"I was just greeting the fugitive, Jonas Knight. I didn't mean any harm," said Lynk.
Twain reversed his bike and squinted into the shadow. He could just make out the shape of someone. He jumped off his hoverbike and drew a small cylinder from his tool-belt, demanding to whoever it was to come out, and put down their weapons.
Jonas stepped forward, holding his hands in the air. He left the Guards blaster strapped and hanging around his shoulder. He saw what the boy held as a weapon. "That's a drill handle," he smirked. "Does it shoot as well?" Jonas laughed.
Twain put a hand out to Lynk. The droid yanked off his own hand as Twain pulled Lynk's forearm out of his elbow socket and attached it with a twist to the top of his drill bit. He shot a blast past Jonas's ducking head. "Yes it shoots as well," Twain said. "I'm just not allowed a blaster yet so I had to combine my drill and Lynk's arm, works pretty well and Mother will never figure it out."
"Clever kid," said Jonas, with the smile wiped clear from his face.
Elementis 1: The Heir to the Stone Page 5
