by J Hawk
And then, it reached them. The sound of the same hover car’s engine, slowly loudening as it reached them from within.
A new excitement ran through the group of cloaked men like a current. They backed away from the tunnel, giving room. The hover car’s engine loudened to its very peak, before it shot out of the tunnel. It soared a few metes into the air before swinging over and sinking back to the ground. It settled to a soft stop on the ground beside the tunnel.
The batch of Xeni waited, all of them mounting with anticipation. And then, as the doors swung open, they saw Zardin and the three other Xeni emerge … but with another person.
At the very first sight, the man invoked a surge of terror which almost matched that which Zardin himself awoke in some of their eyes. His bone like, skeletal structure was almost terrifying, and the colour of his skin was a bright boiling red. A mass of tangled hair hung on both sides of his face, a face contained with a massive hidden prowess and fury like nothing. And his eyes were bead like and crimson red.
Redgarn stepped out of the hover car along with Zardin and the other three. He slowly turned about, letting his gaze carry across the large group of Xeni. His eyes sank right into every one of the men he saw there, examining them in the split second they paused on him. Then, feeling a smile spread over his face, he turned to Zardin, who stood still beside him.
“We have quite a good force, here.”
“Better.” Zardin held his hand out to point to the cruiser sitting a few hundred feet from them. “There is an entire battalion of armed forces. And that would amount to almost a tenth of a single planet’s army. All at our disposal. Consider it your welcome gift.”
Redgarn stared at the cruiser for a few seconds, and then released an outburst of laughter. His hideous, rasping voice echoed across the large expanse. The rest of the Xeni stood just as still, watching the proceedings quietly.
“An entire battalion of armed forces.” Redgarn repeated softly, transfixed as he stood watching the cruiser. “That … is truly magnificent. We are now placed at a greater position of power than I would have dreamt…”
The look of delight in his features faded, and a mounting rage filled them now. “I have waited eight thousand years. Suffered for eight thousand years. And now, it is time. At long last. I don’t care how long I have to wait … or how hard I have to work, but I will find the Nyon, and crush them once and for all. They would be impossible to find as of now, but soon … I will find them, and burn their entire temple to the ground and kill every one of them.”
“Something we would all love.” said Zardin. “Incidentally, the Nyon are now in possession of our crystal. The key to the dimension storing the forces of Mezmeron … the demon army. The Nyon acquired the crystal, and are now in hold of it.”
Redgarn turned to Zardin, and the fury in his red eyes blazed wilder.
“Those cursed fiends!” he roared. “The crystal contains everything for us. Everything we’ve worked for … I worked for. We need it to finish what I started!”
A tense silence gripped the place as Redgarn stood where he was, his fists curled in anger. He was quiet for a few moments and Zardin waited, letting him pore over the situation.
“We have everything right now.” Redgarn growled, turning to the cruiser parked across the rough hands. “We have an entire battalion of armed forces. We can crush them like an ant beneath a boot. But we don’t have the one thing that matters. The location where they now hide.” He paused for a moment’s thought, and his frown sank deeper. “And after eight thousand years of heavy prosecution against mystics, they would have gone far into hiding. It would impossible to find where they are now.”
Zardin allowed a small pause to trail his words, before heaving a breath and speaking in a completely calm tone:
“The Nyon temple is located in the planet Farnor, in the seventh level of the outer spectrum.” He thought for a moment and added, “Just thought you’d like to know.”
A stunned silence dropped over the entire place.
The entire batch of cloaked Xeni had their eyes strapped to him, widened in shock. Redgarn slowly turned to face him, his jaw hanging wide open. Looking as though wondering if he had heard right.
“There are enchantments placed to protect it,” went on Zardin, completely unperturbed by the effect he had made on the others. “but they are meant to protect against non mystics. The masters would be alerted if any non mystical energy force enters the planet. And the temple is invisible to all non mystic eyes. In other words, they saw a threat only from the Naxim … and not from us. Sadly for them.”
Redgarn continued to stand on the spot, gaping at Zardin through the stunned silence. Then, taking a step forward, he whispered, “How the hell did you know?”
Zardin gave a casual shrug. “I just took a wild guess.”
The shock drained from Redgarn’s face, and a look of savage fervour came upon his red features.
“Well, it seems that fate has evened the pains of my past with a new pleasure for the future.” He turned and gazed across the rough lands at the cruiser. “We’ll take everything we have and attack them.”
As the shock of Zardin’s announcement passed, the cloaked figures looked about at each other with a new excitement. A steady anticipation could be felt climbing over the air.
Redgarn turned about the entire batch of Xeni and called in a loud, commanding voice:
“Men, prepare yourselves, and get armed. We’re attacking the Nyon temple. Take everything you have, from bows and arrows to Sparklers and spears. Arm up for the single most important event in the history of our order.” He turned and looked about the entire group of Xeni standing around the tunnel. “Today, we attack our long hated enemies and scour their existence forever from the face of this world. And when we’re done, there will be nothing of the ancient brotherhood but ashes…”
He turned to Zardin. “How far away is Farnor from here?”
“Just a few minutes’ space jump away.” replied Zardin, giving a moment’s thought. “I’d estimate not more than four.”
A mad smile lit Redgarn’s face. “Excellent … we’re getting there, and showing them that we’re back with a bang.” He turned and boomed for the entire lot of them to hear, “Let’s head out!”
And together, the entire group of them, Zardin, Redgarn and all of the Xeni, boarded the large cruiser. And less than a minute later, the giant vessel was ripping through space towards Farnor, carrying the Xeni order and an entire battalion of armed forces that they now commanded. To attack and bring about the fall of the brotherhood of Nyon at long last…
7
Ion looked past the greenery sprawling at the far end of the green expanse. The three of them now stood outside of the temple. Resting right before them, tranquil and beautiful, was the lake that they had crossed earlier on.
After showing Ion all over the temple, the other two had brought him here. Ion was struck by an air of calmness and serenity unlike anything as he stood here amidst the natural wonder, feeling his messy crimson hair ripple in the gentle evening breeze.
The sun was still high on the clear blue sky, but waiting to dip towards the canopy of trees on the other side with the approaching dusk. Hazy white clouds were frozen around it, some of them drifting across pleasantly.
The cluster of trees across the other side of the lake was pressed together in a dense green clog, with nothing visible amidst the thick tree trunks. Little could be seen through the faint spaces between the trees in the feeble light slitting through the gaps in the jungle of leaves above.
The only meek sounds heard were the rustling of the wind, and the flapping of wings as occasional groups of birds went streaking past the sky.
The beauty of the place was spellbinding. For some reason, Ion was drawn back to those days he had spent with Jedius. A time where he had found a short glimpse of peace amidst an entire life of chaos.
“This is awfully good for meditation.” said Qyro, looking at him.
Ion gazed at their reflections on the lake in front, as still as it would have been in a mirror. Not a ripple broke out over the water surface, which glittered and sparkled in the light from the sun above.
“Yeah,” admitted Ion. “I thought it would be.”
Vestra was looking past the canopy of trees opposite to them, her gaze thoughtful.
“Mantra looks strangely troubled off late.” she said, sounding worried.
Qyro, who was also looking ahead, nodded slowly.
“I noticed too.”
“Why, is that bad?” Ion asked the two of them.
The only sound heard for a long moment was the gentle rustling of Ion’s cloak in the wind.
“Very bad.” Vestra said finally.
Qyro shook his head. “Mantra’s the one mystic you don’t wanna see troubled.”
“What do you mean?”
“You remember him taking you back to the age of the empire,” Vestra asked Ion. “when there were Nyon who had the ability to sense trouble and rush to stomp it out?”
“I do.” Ion nodded.
Qyro looked at Ion with a grave smile. “Well, Mantra’s one of them. He’s got the power to sense trouble brewing around.”
“He’s got the power to sense more than just that.” Vestra looked at Ion and Qyro. “There are times when he can tell exactly what happens in another far off place.”
Ion gazed past the lake, feeling an eyebrow lift on his face. Impossible.
“But even for his powers, he can’t pick up everything going on elsewhere.” Vestra shook her head. “Sometimes he can make out bits of an event happening somewhere far off.”
“But how?” asked Ion.
Vestra frowned. “I don’t know how these powers of his works, nor do I think I ever will. But basically, he can sense shifting energy fields. I’ve known him for many years now. And I can tell you, his mystical powers are more attuned than imaginable.”
“Well, considering that our most dreaded nemesis has returned,” Ion shrugged. “I’d be disturbed too if I were him.”
But Qyro shook his head. “No, it’s not that. I think it’s something else.”
“What do you mean?” Vestra asked.
Qyro looked at her, his fur rippling faintly in the wind. He gave a soft sigh.
“He’s the only master remaining from the age of Sirengard. He’s the oldest of our brotherhood and it’s his responsibility to keep the Nyon alive, or so he believes … the dwindling of students in the brotherhood’s upset him, I think.” He looked ahead, scowling. “I remember him talking about an earlier student of his. And it made him rather … well, emotional.”
“An earlier student?” asked Ion. “Where is he now?”
“He isn’t one of the Nyon, obviously” Qyro said, folding his arms.
“He was trained by Mantra, but he isn’t one of us?”
“Unlike me and Qyro, not all the students trained here stay here after the training, Ion.” Vestra informed him. “The masters can only train the students. But the students have the choice as to whether or not to then carry on and serve our brotherhood … or to leave. Most of the students that are trained by the masters decide not to join us. If that wasn’t so, if all of them stay behind and help the Nyon, then we’d have ten times the members we’ve got now.”
Qyro ran his eyes over the grassy ground, in search of something. Hopping two feet away, he bent down and picked up a small flat stone. He spent a few seconds to examine the stone, looking at it intently.
“Most of them believe they’re safer without joining us.” he said, still examining the stone. “They think the Nyon are more trouble than the already troubled life of a mystic needs.” Looking up at Ion, he gave a shrug. “Well, guess they’re right. Half of our number’s been either tracked down and killed by the masters, or died from missions to the inner spectrum.”
He held the stone it clenched in his hand and shook his wrist heavily, before sending the stone flying across the lake’s surface. Ion followed it as it skipped one, two, and three … seven times over the water, before sinking. Ripples burst out across the water surface, distorting the serenity of the lake.
“I’ve been living a lot in the inner spectrum in the last few months.” Ion said, still watching as the seven waves of ripples slowly spread out across the lake’s surface.
The two of them looked at him, the same surprise reflecting in both their expression.
“Well, you’re pretty lucky to be breathing, in that case.” said Vestra.
“How’d you manage it?” asked Qyro.
Ion flashed back to those days, the days coming after Jedius’s training. Where he had vowed to tear down countless infamous crime organisations, terror groups … and do his part in amending the evil of his past with good.
“It wasn’t easy, I’ll guarantee that.” he said finally, heaving a deep breath. “And yeah, there were a dozen or more times where I’d been found and chased by the Naxim. But I kept moving from cluster to cluster. I travelled in the shadiest public transport systems, where they’d have almost zero security.”
Qyro bent and scooped up another small rock, examining it for a second, before looking up at Ion.
“I made sure to keep my tracks hidden as best as I could.” Ion paused, his tone now falling a shade darker. “Because I knew what I had to do … and if I died doing it,” He shrugged. “I figured it was hardly very far from what I’d deserved.”
The two of them continued to quietly look at him for a few seconds.
Sighing, Qyro turned, shook his wrist and tossed the second stone across the lake. Ion watched as it skipped nine times, almost reaching the very other side of the lake.
Vestra’s eyes lingered on him, and Ion felt the same tenderness reflect within her deep black eyes as that day two years back, when they had met.
“You’re making up for it, Ion.” she said softly. “And I that, in the end, is what I believe counts.”
“If there was a true reason to hate who you are now,” Qyro said. “we would have killed you.”
Smiling, he thumped Ion on the back.
Ion nodded absently.
Qyro walked back up, and picked up a third rock. Ion wasn’t watching how many times this one skipped. Inside, he felt a glow of true happiness unlike very many instances in his life. This was a moment where he had discovered something he had been quietly asking for, over all his life. He had discovered something in his life that would remain precious to him all throughout…
Friends.
Real friends.
Smiling to himself, he joined Qyro in tossing stones across the lake, and the two of them competed with each other in the number of times their stones skipped, while Vestra watched and held count.
If there was one moment, Ion paused to think, as he gazed at the swath of greenery spreading at the end of the lake. It would be now…
__________
Lurking behind the trees across the lake, stood a giant group of cloaked, hooded Xeni. They were standing concealed behind the thick tree trunks. Having arrived in the planet just less than a minute back, they had parked the cruiser closeby and crept up till here.
They were all hungrily watching the large temple standing across the lake and the three youngsters tossing stones across the lake happily. The same brutal thrill filled them as one as they stood there, armed and ready for the kill…
Some of them strung arrows into their bows, while others held their razor edged spears out, pointing.
At the very front of the group, one of the men kept his hand raised, gesturing for the others to wait…
And for a few seconds, they all stood hidden behind the trees, gathering themselves. Preparing for the attack which would end everything…
And then, the man at the front of the group lowered his hand, turned to the men behind and hissed, “Time to move.”
And at once, all of the men could be heard rustling their cloaks in mild motions, moving their weapons in
to aim … towards the three Nyon sitting right opposite to them, their first three casualties.
__________
Ion felt a moment of wild incredulity, his eyes flying wide, as he saw it…
A shower of arrows burst towards them, from the other side of the bank.
“Look out!”
Without a flicker of conscious thought, he threw both hands out and shoved Qyro and Vestra to the ground by either side. He threw himself flat on the grass not a moment too early: a crisp slice of wind hit his face, and then one of the spears shot across less than an inch above him. All around them, spears and arrows buried themselves into the grass field.
