Kings of Ghumai- The Complete series Box Set

by D N Meinster

  As the pieces of the metal egg slid back together, and Hatswick disappeared from his line of sight, Aros was less sure the Bellish were right about this. He shouldn't have been doubting his friends or the Goddess. They needed to take the third Key.

  Chapter Five

  Halfway Into the Sky

  Lestrapel escorted the trio back to the outdoor platform. At every opportunity, he gave them a disapproving look, but refused to waste additional words on the matter. When they finally stepped outside, the sun was still peeking over the cityscape.

  "I assume you'll want to visit the other directors," Lestrapel said. "I'll get you a transport."

  Doren hoped that the other directors would be more accommodating, but he assumed they would all turn them down. That meant they would have to find an alternative means of taking the Key, probably through some combination of shifting, stealth, and an offensive. Of course, given their earlier battle with the peacekeepers, they might have been outmatched, but at least the next time they'd be better prepared for the encounter. That first attack had taken them by surprise. They would be the ones to surprise the Bellish next time.

  "Who are the other directors?" Doren asked, following Lestrapel to the edge of the platform.

  "You've already been introduced to Director Talap and Director Fantom, unless I was misinformed," Lestrapel said as he waved his hand at the parade of AGTs. "That means you have yet to hear of Director Trustt and Director Cron." He faced Doren as a transport started toward them. "Now you have."

  "You never gave us a chance to ask questions," Aros complained as he and Rikki neared.

  "Are you quite sure?" Lestrapel asked. "Because I can count several questions you three have asked, including one from a minute ago."

  An AGT came to a stop when it was adjacent to the platform, and the doors slid open and waited for the trio to enter. This one was nearly identical to the one they had arrived in, though its insides lacked carpet and the cushions on the seats were worn down.

  "But about this place," Aros went on. "Like, what are the peacekeepers? And why don't your buildings have doors?"

  "The eDat can provide you with the answers you seek. And luckily for you, all AGTs are equipped with eDat access."

  "EDat?" Doren repeated. There were so many words the Bellish used that he didn't understand. This must've been how Aros felt all the time. How was he even coping here?

  "Electronic Database," Lestrapel explained. He poked his head inside the AGT. "Activate voice search for eDat."

  "Confirmed," a disembodied voice relayed from inside the transport.

  "There you go," Lestrapel turned back to them. "Ask it whatever you please."

  "I suppose it can tell us where to find the other directors?" Doren asked. This did not look like the place one could wander aimlessly and find who they were looking for.

  "That is correct," Lestrapel said as he straightened his outfit. "Do not expect a warm welcome from them. I was warned you were coming. They will not be."

  "You could tell them," Rikki suggested.

  For the first time, it seemed like he may laugh. "And perhaps give them cause to change their mind? I think not. You three can handle that. Now if you'll excuse me." Lestrapel fled down the platform before they had even entered the AGT.

  "If you don't miss Faunli, Aros, I certainly do," Doren said. He was nearly kidnapped twice and involved in a war in the other kingdom, and yet he still felt like they had treated him better.

  "I miss home," Aros said, and he hopped into the AGT.

  Rikki and Doren went in after and took their seats.

  Doren shuffled around on the seat before he realized he would never get comfortable. He wondered if Lestrapel had summoned them an objectionable transport on purpose. He certainly hadn't taken a liking to them.

  The door of the AGT slid closed, but it hovered in place as it waited for them to tell it where to go.

  "How do we access the eDat?" Aros pondered.

  "Maybe it's like how you closed the windows before," Rikki said. "You just say it."

  "Where are Directors Trustt and Cron?" Doren asked, testing out Rikki's theory.

  "Director Trustt is currently at her residence," a smooth voice that was neither male nor female answered. "Director Cron is on duty in the tropical zone."

  "Whatever that means," Aros added.

  "Well those are the only two directors we haven't met," Doren said. "I say we go to the one that's not busy, which sounds like Director Trustt. Um..." How was he supposed to tell the AGT where to go? "Take us to Director Trustt, please."

  "Proceeding to destination." The AGT soared back into the procession of vehicles and presumably headed to the requested locale.

  Doren watched through the window as the AGT picked up speed but somehow avoided crashing into other transports and buildings as it zipped along. The Bellish had always been advanced, but the technology he saw was absurd. Was it possible Rikki had shifted them into the future without knowing it? She was still new to shifting, and she had never done it with anyone else before.

  He glanced at her. She looked rather fearsome in her new armor, and almost too much like the chrome men. But no matter how off-putting her attire was, he could not squelch a desire to get closer to her. He wanted them to be back on the roof of the Imperial Palace, watching fireworks as they lay next to each other, with no space between them. Would it be inappropriate if he tried to squeeze into the same chair as her? It couldn't make the seats less terrible.

  Her eyes found him, those deep green eyes, and they stared at each other for far too long.

  "Why don't the buildings have doors?" Aros nearly screamed to get an answer from the eDat.

  Rikki grinned at Doren before she turned her attention to their friend.

  "All buildings have doors," the eDat replied.

  "We know that's not true!" Aros protested, but the electronic voice did not respond.

  "Is this what it was like when the Goddess was speaking to you, Aros?" Doren asked. He'd never thought he'd be in a position when a disembodied voice would be speaking to him.

  "If it was a little more bossy, it'd be exactly like that," Aros relayed to his friends. "I didn't get many answers from Her either."

  "How about this?" Rikki began. "What is an automaton?"

  "An automaton is a moving mechanical device made in imitation of a human being," the eDat answered.

  "Did you understand that?" Aros asked, scratching his head.

  "It's a machine," Doren tried to clarify, "shaped to appear human." He was having a hard time making sense of it as well.

  "Try this," Rikki said. "Imagine I carved a man out of wood, and then used magic to bring him to life. The Bellish did the same thing, except they used metal and science."

  Doren smiled sheepishly at her. That was a clever way of explaining it.

  "Wow," Aros said, staring up at the ceiling of the transport.

  "Why do you need chrome, er, peacekeepers?" Doren asked. Did the eDat catch his question?

  "A peacekeeper's function is to maintain law and order throughout Cortex," the electronic voice replied.

  Doren let out a snippy exhale. That was hardly what he had meant. He'd try something simpler. "What year is it?"

  "It is the year Three Hundred, After the Parting."

  Doren nodded, quietly relieved. So they were in the right year, meaning the Bellish really had advanced that much in so short a period.

  "What is the plague?" Aros asked.

  Doren shot his friend a concerned look. He wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer to that question, though they probably should learn more. They could be stuck in Belliore for longer than expected. They should be aware of what was going on.

  "Information redacted," the eDat replied.

  "I don't like the sound of that," Rikki said.

  "What's redacted?" Aros asked.

  As Rikki explained what it meant, Doren tried to remember what they had called their plague. He'd only heard it once or twice,
and it wasn't something easy to remember. It was letters. They called it by an abbreviation, like they did the AGTs.

  Finally, it came back to him. "What is the MR?"

  "Information redacted," it said again.

  "So much for being helpful," Doren whined. Was the eDat supposed to be as difficult as the rest of the Bellish had been?

  "How about we get a better idea of who we're going to see?" Rikki proposed. "Who is Director Trustt?"

  "Maevus Trustt is the Director of Implementation."

  "Implementation?" Doren repeated. What exactly was she in charge of implementing?

  "Now arriving at your destination," the AGT spoke.

  Whatever it meant, they were likely to find out soon. The AGT slowed and dropped straight down, sending Doren's stomach almost up through his throat. The door slid open, and all three of them rushed to leave the downtrodden transport.

  "Whoa," Aros said as he took in where they were.

  They had not been left off on a tiny platform this time. Instead, what was before them was an entire street, constructed in-between the massive buildings, with numerous stories both above and below them. And this street was bustling, with hundreds, maybe thousands, strolling along, packing the area so tight that Doren didn't know how they would get through. This is what he would've expected to see when they had first arrived. He would've never thought to find this here, halfway into the sky.

  "So how exactly are we going to locate this director?" Rikki asked, her staff out and ready in case of trouble. Ji-Ji had taken his spot on her back, the denhare's teeny arms clinging to her neck.

  "We could ask someone," Aros put forward.

  "That might be our only option," Doren replied. He watched as endless amounts of people passed by them, grabbing an AGT and departing for who knows where. Someone had already taken the transport they'd arrived in. As he continued observing, he saw a window in one of the high rises open up, and someone standing in a glass cylinder zoom out and join the parade behind them. "What is the point of that?" he wondered aloud.

  "Excuse me," Rikki called out to someone nearby. But they ignored her and kept walking. Another did the same. No one was answering her plea. "I can turn them into stone," she barked as she became more frustrated.

  Doren joined in calling out. "Hey! Excuse me! You!" Not a soul was answering. "What is with these people?"

  "Maybe someone inside the buildings can help," Aros said.

  It was worth trying. "Sure, let's go."

  The three of them squeezed through the crowd, shoving their way forward. The clothes most of the Bellish wore were plain and monotone, though their hairstyles more than made up for it. Doren had never seen such a variety of hair colors, and he couldn't even identify some of the shades. Mixed between the rainbow of hair were the peacekeepers, maintaining law and order between people that didn't even seem to recognize the existence of anyone besides themselves. There were so many jammed in the street, and some so similar that he became convinced that he was seeing the same faces over and over.

  They finally made it to the front of one of the buildings, and, fortunately for them, there were doors exactly where they would've expected them to be. Given all the men and women rushing through, the doors remained open, and the three of them walked inside and were immediately disappointed. There were only more people in a rush, zipping out of the circular rooms that could ascend and descend, and heading to a place that must've been important enough to ignore the Kytherans that needed assistance.

  There must have been ten climbing rooms, with their entrances lined up on each side of the entryway.

  "We could get inside one, and if they're stuck in there with us, they'll have to answer," Rikki recommended.

  Doren didn't have a better plan, so he followed Rikki into one of the rooms, with Aros just making it inside before the doors shut.

  "Excuse me!" Rikki shouted at a young lady with blond hair so light it was almost white.

  The woman turned, blinked at her a few times, and then raced through the doors as soon as they opened.

  "This is a friendly bunch," Doren sarcastically noted.

  "We could always start threatening them," Aros said, taking his hands off the walls and reaching for his blades.

  Doren put his hand on Aros' shoulder. "Let's not." He didn't want to risk Aros losing control again at the wrong moment. His friend was better, but he wasn't sure how much better. Instead, Doren submitted a more sophisticated idea to them. "We need to find a way to ask the eDat where Director Trustt is."

  "Accessing eDat," a voice said from nowhere.

  "That is very creepy," Doren said as his body tensed up. How exactly did it work? Was the eDat everywhere?

  "Director Trustt is located on the 151st floor of Directorate Building 32," the eDat notified them.

  "Directions would be helpful," Aros mumbled.

  The room ceased moving and the doors slid open. "Please proceed to the nearest individual passenger transport."

  Aros, eager to leave, jumped out of the room, with Doren and Rikki following. There were fewer people in this area, and Doren took the brief opportunity to stretch his arms, as he had felt cramped since they left the Key Chamber. The white hallways in this section were wider than any they'd explored since arriving in Belliore.

  "That way," Rikki said, directing them with her staff.

  The trio proceeded to a door at the end of the hall, which opened as they neared. Within were rows of glass cylinders, each taller and wider than an average person, with bulky gray disks serving as the top and bottom for every one.

  "I've seen people in these," Doren recalled.

  "Me too," Aros said.

  They glared at the transparent transports, but no one was eager to get in.

  "Are you boys just going to stare?" Rikki asked. She winked at Doren before approaching the nearest cylinder, which opened to let her in as she got closer. After she stepped inside, the cylinder sealed her within, but instead of flying off, it remained in place. She looked at Doren and Aros from behind the glass. "Are you two going to get in one, or am I going to see the Director myself?"

  Doren mimicked Rikki and got inside a cylinder next to her, and Aros got into one next to him.

  "What now?" Aros asked.

  "We do like we did before," Doren said.

  Rikki nodded. "Take me to Director Trustt please."

  "Error," a harsh voice replied. "Express travel to the Directorate is not permitted."

  The crystal on Rikki's staff started glowing red. "You think I can change its mind?"

  Doren looked at Aros, who already had his clawblades out. "I'm with her," he said.

  "I don't think we can intimidate it," Doren told them. "How about this? Take me to Directorate Building 32."

  There wasn't even a reply from the disembodied voice. Doren's cylinder lifted a foot off the ground and then zoomed forward. Doren screamed as it sped up so that it might crash into an approaching window. But the window opened right before the transport could shatter it, and Doren soared into the sky above.

  Once the initial shock wore off, Doren turned around to make sure Rikki and Aros were behind him. Rikki was standing calmly as her cylinder trailed his own, though she still had her staff in hand. If she was being overly cautious, he couldn't blame her. He could make out Aros a ways behind her, who appeared to be bouncing off the sides of his cylinder as it bobbed along. Doren couldn't resist a chuckle.

  He peeked below, the density of the crowds beneath making them appear as one elongated creature, not thousands of individual people. It was fascinating how they all moved together, without anyone directing them or giving orders. How did they do it? Did it take so much focus that they couldn't perceive three strangers asking for help?

  While the throng below captured his attention, a forceful thud echoed in his cylinder. Doren looked up, but the metal disk blocked his view. While he wondered if that sound was typical for these transports, he slowly reached for his shield.

  A slight
yelp was followed by the sound of breaking glass, as whatever had taken refuge atop his transport fell over and slammed into the side.

  Doren was taken aback when he spotted a silver cloaked individual hanging off the vehicle, his sword sticking through the glass as he tried to keep from falling further.

  Doren's shield was out now, as he recognized this man. The Roamers had found them. Though perhaps they hadn't expected where they would find them.

  Yuurei was hanging off the transport, his face mostly concealed by a silver hood. His cloak swayed wildly in the breeze, and he squealed every time he tried to get his bearings.

  Doren looked beyond Yuurei and saw M'dalla was on top of Rikki's cylinder, smashing at it with her flail. Rikki was below, trying to figure out why the glass on top of her cylinder kept cracking.

  "Roamers!" Doren shouted, hoping she could hear him.

  Rikki glanced over and nodded, and seconds later the top of her cylinder popped off and soared upward. M'dalla reappeared inside the glass tube with Rikki, and the two struggled with each other while Doren watched, unsure how to help.

  Well, there was one thing he could do.

  Doren slammed his shield into the tip of Yuurei's sword, dislodging it and ejecting it from the transport, which sent the Roamer falling helplessly toward the street.

  Seconds later, Yuurei was back, this time standing inside the transport with him. The Roamer must not have felt like talking, for he started swiping at him right away.

  Doren blocked and pushed back against him. There was little room to maneuver and no easy way to get a hit. As they swung ineffectively at each other, they caused more cracks to form in the glass.

  "Can't you come back later?" Doren asked before thrusting his shield at Yuurei's chest.

  Yuurei hit the glass with a rather loud clang, but swiped his sword out in retaliation. It got stuck between Doren's shield and the cylinder. "This is embarrassing," he said.