by Lyra Shanti
Nervously, Seith drank his wine and shifted on his silken pillow.
Pei raised his brow and said, “Really? Family, huh? Then you must know of Dr. Hessen's family. According to the doctor, you were once rather good friends. Is that true?”
“Oh, um... that is true, yes,” Seith replied, clearly uncomfortable.
“So, you must know what happened to his children then,” added Pei.
“What makes you say that, Lord Erys?” Seith replied defensively, sweat beginning to slip down his dark forehead. “Why would I know?!”
Ayn didn't know what Pei was doing there, or with the medallion he thought he'd lost at the pawn shop, but he hoped the Gods were finally using their power to guide them together.
Almost a confirmation, Ayn felt his psychic feelings return as he now sensed the fear rising in Seith's mind. It made Ayn feel just a little stronger, and the Adin part of him felt ready to emerge the second he had the chance. In the meantime, Ayn stood in the corner, acting the part of obedient slave, but only for the moment.
Feeling the heat from Lord Erys, the governor broke out with, “Look, if Notama sent you here to grill me about if Hessen's children are doing well, I can assure him that I did my very best to treat them fairly. However, it's not my fault his daughter turned out to be so rebellious or that his adopted son turned out to be the... it's just not my fault! How would I know she would run away with that Sirini brat! I can't be held responsible for such things!”
“I don't have any idea what you're rambling about,” said Pei, “but basically, you don't know where they are, do you?”
“No! I don't!” Seith snapped. “Hessen's children are all freaks, and I shouldn't have had to take care of them in the first place! Notama can't hold me responsible!”
Ayn couldn't take it any longer, feeling Adin's anger growing stronger within him. It wasn't just Ayn becoming angry, Pei too began to lose his patience with this selfish, slimy governor, who was obviously lying through his eel-looking teeth.
Glancing over at Hynfir, who seemed just as impatient with Seith, Pei took a deep breath, quietly deciding the quickest way to proceed with their plan.
On their way to Xen, he and Hynfir had decided it would be best to sneak their way inside the governor's mansion through means of their old identities, thereby fooling Seith into a false sense of security. They had also hoped they might be able to get Hessen's children free without any bloodshed.
However, as Pei and Hynfir now watched Seith reach for his plasma controller, they both knew fighting would be inevitable.
“On my signal,” whispered Pei to Hynfir who nodded back to him, already slowly reaching for the Viha at his side.
Paranoid of Ayn's true power, Seith noticed Ayn glaring at him and retaliated by sending strong pulses of plasma into Ayn's body via his remote. It immediately made Ayn shake and fall to his knees.
“You see, my friends,” Seith explained to his guests, “sometimes, the father of his family must discipline his children in order to keep them in line.”
“I see...” Pei replied, holding back the urge to slice the governor's face in two with his sword. Instead, he calmly added, “I don't suppose you might allow me to take a quick look at that remote of yours. It's fascinating... and I thought I might like to purchase one for my servants back on Deius.”
Seith wasn't sure at first if he should allow his guest to handle such a delicate and powerful device, but there was something about the way Lord Erys spoke – so smoothly and with such a genuine smile. Plus, Seith's ego loved the idea of a Deiusian noble envying his technology.
“By all means,” replied Seith as he handed the controller to Pei, “just be careful with it. Not only is a plasma-remote such as this very expensive and hard to find outside of Ohr, but it is very powerful. One press too often or too hard of a wrong button, and you could possibly kill someone.”
Pei smirked as he held the controller, giving it a quick glance. “Yes, I see,” he said, pretending to be unaware of what he was doing, “or perhaps... free them?”
With one swift movement of his hand, Pei suddenly threw the remote onto the ground, and then sliced it with his Viha. Instantly, the remote shattered to pieces, subsequently dispersing its plasma throughout the entire room. For a moment, all the slaves felt the shatter, but then they felt nothing... except free.
That very moment, Ayn felt the power of Adin coursing through his veins. Getting up to his feet in the midst of the panic and the gasps, Ayn ripped off his plasma collar. It had been controlled by Seith's remote, and the rest of the wireless ones that Thotwa and Bolgara had in their possession all became absolutely useless.
Staring at Seith, Ayn yelled an intense scream, full of unchained fire and hellish pain. It was so loud that even Pei and Hynfir had a hard time hearing it without feeling the need to buckle to their feet. They didn't buckle, though, for they were too focused on the task before them, and their Lirhan training kept them strong.
Seith, however had no such strength, and he fell upon his knees, covering his ears and wailing in pain. Thotwa, seeing his master in danger, dutifully ran to his side and grabbed for his plasma-gun. “Get out of here!” he yelled to Pei and Hynfir. “You don't know what you have done! This slave is... different! Just leave now while you still can!”
Calling for the guards, Thotwa stood in front of the Governor like a loyal dog. The sight made Ayn sick. “You are a coward and a hypocrite!” Ayn yelled, looking directly at Thotwa.
“That may be so,” replied Thotwa, “but you'll have to kill me first before I let you touch my master.”
“So be it!” screamed Ayn as he ripped off the dress he had been forced to wear. Standing in nothing but knee-length, white undershorts, Ayn reached out his arms and formed a circular shape with his fingers. No one had any idea what Ayn was doing, not even Pei and Hynfir. Ayn himself was hardly conscious of his actions.
They all watched, hypnotized, as Ayn loudly chanted, “Adin Adin Adin Adin Adin Adin!” On and on, he chanted until the plasma around him became a vortex of radiating energy. It looked like a ball of fire hanging in the air. It swirled in front of Ayn for a moment, and then suddenly shot straight at Thotwa's chest. Upon impact, Thotwa fell backwards onto the wall behind him, causing the wall to break apart.
“Guards!” shouted Seith. “Stop him! Stop The Bodanya at once!”
Pei couldn't help but smile at hearing those words. Not only was Ayn actually alive, but he had realized his hidden power, which was all Pei had hoped for when he had been his Lan. Silently, Pei thanked the Gods as he and Hynfir flanked Ayn's side, protecting him from the oncoming guards.
As the guards tried their best to shoot their plasma-guns at them, Ayn deflected their shots with the plasma in his hands, which gave Pei and Hynfir the ability to slice the guards with their Viha. One by one, the guards fell until only two were left, leaving Seith and his remaining guards no choice but to run.
“Do we chase after them?” asked Hynfir.
“No, we have The Bodanya! Let's get him and the other slaves to our ship, and let's go!”
Hynfir nodded, then began rounding up the slaves, telling them to follow him, which they readily did in their confusion and fear.
As soon as Hynfir ran out with the slaves following close behind, the unbridled flux of plasma still in the room suddenly exploded like little bolts of lightning inside a fierce thunderstorm. It caught fire in midair, then, like unseen rivers of light, ignited in the pillows, and then the carpet. Soon, it became a wave of wild plasma, spreading throughout the room.
Pei looked at Ayn who was sneering and staring at Thotwa who still lay on the floor, unconscious.
“Ayn!” shouted Pei. “We have to get out of here!”
Unresponsive, Ayn looked at the door where Seith had escaped through.
“Ayn, do you hear me?!” yelled Pei as the flames intensified around them. “Ayn? It is you, isn't it?!”
Slowly turning to face Pei, Ayn shook his head and said, “No
t really, no.”
Pei didn't understand, but he had no time to engage Ayn in a lengthy discussion. “We have to get out of here!” he yelled as he held out his hand. “Come with me to Kri where you'll be safe.”
Ayn looked at Pei's hand, then back to where Seith had run from the room.
“There will be time later to get revenge, Ayn!” Pei yelled over the flames that were gathering strength. “Come with me now! Let's go!”
Coming to his senses, and feeling the Adin side of him slip away, Ayn nodded and took Pei's hand. Together, they ran as fast as they could through the room of fire. Then, they fled to the back of the mansion where the servant's quarters led to a large, forested area. Nearby was Hynfir's ship where he was helping the slaves board as fast as they could.
“You burned the place up?!” Hynfir asked as Pei and Ayn boarded.
“Not on purpose,” said Pei as he led Ayn onto the ship.
Hynfir threw up in his hands and mumbled, “Oh good, nice and discreet, just like Baran wanted.” He then ran into the ship behind them, and in a matter of seconds, he and Pei flew the ship away from Xen as fast as possible.
Ayn was nervous about sitting in the ship with a bunch of slaves, most of whom were women he hardly knew. He wasn't quite sure what happened, but he was extremely relieved to be with Pei and to finally feel free.
Chapter 9: Reunion
The priestess dressed in a black-hooded robe was obviously mourning the death of someone very dear to her, though Ayn couldn't quite figure out who it was. In fact, he wasn't even sure who he was. All he knew for certain was he had been following her through a misty graveyard in the dead of night and felt compelled to do so, as if he were a hunter's dog, sniffing out his prey.
She didn't seem to notice him following her, for she had something more important guiding her deeper into the graveyard. As Ayn tried to keep up, he became very aware of the strange sense of fear growing inside his heart. He wasn't sure why he was afraid, but he had a feeling wherever the priestess was leading him, it would be somewhere he didn't want to be.
She then stopped at a grave, marked by a large, pale statue of a warrior, extending his sword in battle. Kneeling down in prayer, she laid down a bouquet of purple and white flowers on a white marble tombstone which read:
Here Lies The Great Adin.
He Was the Mightiest of Warriors and the Mightiest of Thinkers.
May He Rest in Peace with the Gods Who Loved Him.
Ayn watched as the priestess took off her black hood, revealing her beautifully oval, pale-white face. Her long, black hair swayed in the midnight breeze as she began to cry, tracing the words of the tombstone with her fingers.
“Come back to me, my love,” she whispered.
Ayn felt awful and wanted to tell her a part of Adin still lived within him. This is Sri Unda! he thought. I have to make her realize he hasn't truly died!
Just then, the priestess held up her arms dramatically and yelled, “Forgive me for what I am about to do!” She then began chanting words Ayn had never heard before. They sounded like ancient Deiusian, yet different; they were older and more alien to him somehow.
Lightning struck nearby the grave as the priestess chanted even louder and more intensely. Ayn's heart raced, and he wanted to run away, though for some reason, he couldn't move his feet. His eyes were transfixed on the statue of Adin while the lightning cast an eerie shadow across the marble sword.
Standing up, the priestess wailed and swayed with her eyes closed. She then reached into her robe and pulled out a red and fleshy looking object from her bosom. It appeared to Ayn as if she pulled out a piece of her own flesh! Was it her heart? That's impossible! thought Ayn. He wanted to run, but he couldn't tear himself away from watching her, though he was absolutely disgusted with what he saw.
“Stop!” yelled Ayn uncontrollably. “Don't do this!” he yelled. She didn't seem to hear him through the thunder, however, and she continued her bizarre ritual as though Ayn wasn't even there.
Next, Ayn saw something even stranger than her bare heart. He saw the ground shaking around her feet with bits of dirt and stone cracking and rumbling beneath where Adin lay. Ayn knew what he saw was impossible, but his logic couldn't stop him from staring at the ground.
It began raining, and the priestess laughed while her bloody heart dripped onto the grave. Suddenly, she turned her face to Ayn, and he saw her eyes glowing bright green in the moonlight. Terrified of the wildness in her eyes, Ayn wanted to run, but his feet wouldn't move.
“Run, boy!” she cackled at him. “Run before Adin sees you!”
Ayn wasn't sure what she meant, but he didn't want to find out. He was about to run away when an arm reached through Adin's grave. As another arm pushed through the dirt, a dead thing pulled itself out of the ground and roared with anger. It was a warrior with pale, green skin and half-eaten flesh. He was certain it was Adin.
Mortified, Ayn saw the undead God-king push the priestess away with his arm extended, the plasma inside his being causing her to fly backwards.
Turning to face Ayn, the reanimated king screamed, “I am coming for you, boy!” He then ran toward Ayn at an unnaturally fast speed. Ayn instinctively knew that if this undead version of Adin were to touch him, he too would become infected, yet there was no way Ayn could outrun the horrid creature. All he could do was scream in terror as Adin lunged for Ayn's throat.
“Leave me alone!” Ayn shouted, darting up from his bed in a pool of sweat. Breathing erratically, he looked at the large, beautifully adorned room he was in, and soon realized he'd only been dreaming.
Reality soon came back to him in a flash; he had arrived on Kri the night before with Pei, Hynfir, and the ex-slaves from Xen. Despite it being the dead of night, Baran had graciously taken them into the palace. However, the newly appointed minister didn't want to wake anyone, especially not the princess. So, he quietly gave Ayn and the rest of them rooms to sleep in, then told them all to relax. Ayn wished he could have followed Baran's advice, but his brain wasn't cooperating.
Knocking on the connecting door to the room, Pei asked, “Ayn, are you alright?”
Ayn rubbed his eyes and said, “Not really.”
Pei opened the door and peeked inside. “Do you need to talk?”
Ayn looked at Pei with a drowsy, almost sad expression. It made Pei smile, for he hadn't seen that lovable pout of Ayn's in almost three years. Swallowing back his emotions, Pei said, “I'm here... if you need someone.” He then sat on the bed and reached for Ayn's hand.
Much to Pei's surprise, Ayn pulled his hand away, then cracked his neck, saying, “It's alright. I'm not a child any longer, Pei. It was just a bad dream. I've had many of them, trust me. I can handle it.”
Pei wasn't sure if Ayn was saying that just to seem strong, but he respected Ayn's words and kept his distance.
“Um... do you need anything? Do you want some water?” Pei asked as he got up to pour Ayn a glass from the rose-colored pitcher of water sitting on the night table.
“Yes,” Ayn quietly replied, resigned to the probability that Pei still thought of him as the boy who once needed to be protected at all costs. “Thank you, Pei.”
Giving Ayn the glass, Pei stood by the bed. He wanted to reach out to Ayn and hug him tightly, but could sense his once brother-in-spirit was not at all in the mood for such closeness, so he kept himself back. Instead, he attempted conversation.
“Do you want to talk about the nightmare you had?”
“No,” replied Ayn, monotone. He drank a few sips of water, then put the glass down by his bed. Lying back against the thickly pillowed bed-frame, Ayn tried to relax. He needed to clear his mind and calm down, but Pei's hyper energy wasn't helping.
Pei, feeling nervous and kept at a distance, paced a little, then said, “Look, Ayn... I know you've been through a terrible time...”
“You have no idea,” Ayn replied in a low groan as he rubbed his eyes with his fingers.
Pei nodded, though confused,
and said, “I know I don't. I was hoping you might tell me a little of it... when you're ready.”
Ayn shrugged, not knowing when he would ever be ready to talk about the pain and torture he endured on Xen.
“Can you at least tell me if you were the adopted son of Dr. Hessen whom Governor Seith mentioned?”
Ayn winced at hearing Seith's name, but then nodded silently.
“So... you had been living all this time on Xen?”
Ayn again nodded, looking at Pei with cranky eyes and a grimace. “I'm not sure you'd call it living, but yes.”
“So, you were with Hessen, posing as his son?”
“He adopted me, yes. Dr. Hessen is a great man. I can only hope he's alive.”
“He's alive, Ayn. I spent time with him on Deius, though he's being used for Notama's experiments.”
Ayn looked at Pei in confusion, his brow arched downward.
“Don't worry,” assured Pei. “We're going to save Hessen, and everyone else too. But what about Hessen's daughter? Seith mentioned she had escaped on her own. Was that true?”
“Yes...” said Ayn, wishing Pei had not brought her up, “but she wasn't alone. She escaped with another man – a Sirini named Kren. I'm not entirely sure where they are, but I have a feeling they're safe. I don't know what happened to Zin either... but I want to believe he's alive as well.”
“Prince Zin Ra was with you as well?”
“Yes... he's the reason I'm alive.”
I see...” said Pei, still fighting the urge to grab Ayn in a strong embrace. “You have been so very brave, Ayn,” he said with a comforting smile. “I told you the Gods would watch over you.”
Ayn couldn't help but laugh sarcastically. “You still believe in the Gods?” he asked, looking at Pei with skeptical, pained blue eyes.
