by Ava D. Dohn
* * *
“Let me out! You let me out now or…!” Ishtar hammered on the bedroom door with her fists, screaming out one insult after another. “All I wanted was to see God! Let me out now!”
Apollonius, just newly arrived to assist Hanna, leaned close to the door, calling back, “When you learn to behave, little lady, I might think to let you out. If you don’t, then I’ll be coming in and you won’t like it.”
There was sudden silence on the other side of the door. Ishtar had not realized Apollonius had arrived. She liked the man, but feared him, always had. The man was good-natured but no nonsense. If he said something, he meant it. Long ago she had learned not to get on his bad side. Finally, after the girl had shed a sufficient amount of crocodile tears, there came a whining reply to Apollonius’ rude threats, Ishtar complaining about the brutish ways she had been treated, so ungentlemanly and improper. Then she went on about the injuries received when hauled from the machine and unceremoniously ‘returned to this prison’.
Apollonius was bemused, the tone reflected in his reply. Ishtar swore in anger and flung herself on the bed, wailing in childish grief. At hearing this, Apollonius called through the door, “We could have let you run away and stay with those moon monkeys. It would have suited me fine.”
Lifting her head from the pillow Ishtar screamed, “Oh, shut up!”
Hanna called through the door, “I’m so sorry about your dress, dear. Drorli said that had you not resisted him so, you wouldn’t have been dumped onto the stony roadway as you were. He also said that in your struggle to get away, you tore out of your clothes, becoming half-naked.”
Ishtar screamed back, “He wanted to hurt me! Him and that ruffian Zadar… they enjoyed beating on me!” She then cried, “I wasn’t hurt’n nobody! Just wanted to look around a bit... You all said I was free… could go where I pleased. You got no right to keep me here against my will!”
When no one replied, she shouted out, “What are you afraid of me findin’ out, anyway? Who are you trying to protect me from? It ain’t Treston, ‘cause I already know about him. Who? I got a right to know.”
Apollonius laughed. “We’re not trying to protect you from anybody, couldn’t if we wished. We’re protected these fine people from you!”
Ishtar’s temper flared. “You just wait ‘til my uncle hears about this. He’ll defend my honor. I’m gonna tell Darla, too! She won’t be pleased at all.”
The humor left Apollonius’ voice. “They should have found out about now, and I’m pretty sure neither will be pleased to hear about your rude and infantile behavior.” Another scream rent the air, and then the sounds of sobs coming from beyond the door.
Apollonius whispered to Hanna, “Let it go for now. She’s not in any mood to listen. Merna’s going to be here soon. Let’s give it a rest. The child’s going nowhere. Let her work it out of her system. Then she might listen a bit.”
Hanna and Apollonius retired to the porch and sat down in some chairs, waiting for Merna to arrive. Hanna reached over, taking Apollonius’ hand. “She’s really a good child, a little spirited, but her heart’s in the right place.”
The smile faded from Apollonius’ face. “All that might be true, but it matters little at the moment. The child has to grow up, and soon. There are forces that none of us can control that have gathered the Fates together for what will come in future days - days that will arrive whether we are ready or not. If Ishtar doesn’t gain mastery over her emotions, then disaster awaits this world. That girl has a destiny to fulfill, even if it should cost all of us everything.”
“But she is so young...” Hanna countered, attempting to defend Ishtar’s actions.
“Young?” Apollonius asked, sarcastically. “Young?! When you were that child’s age, you were nursing a little one with another on the way. You got up before sun’s light to prepare your family for the day, then labored long hours preparing the meals and tending to family needs. I, for my part, worked on my father’s fishing boat night after long laborious night. I had been married, watched my wife die in labor, and saw my son pass away with a fever.”
He shook a finger. “Ishtar must grow up, and very soon! Her recent behavior has revealed a very serious flaw in the girl’s personality. If she can’t expunge it, then she must learn to control it, or it will be our doom if she does not. Drorli confessed to me these very facts only just yesterday eve. He said there’s nothing else for it.”
Hanna did not like the way Ishtar was being rushed. “You and I had at least little time to enjoy the world around us after arriving here. Why shouldn’t the girl be given the same? Weren’t we promised refreshment from our labors if we attained this world?”
Apollonius did not mince matters. “No, my dear… that is not what we were promised! Our lives of sacrifice, our works, were to go with us into these Realms. Our gift was to be given the weapons needed to smash our enemy, our refreshment to see our enemy slain across the universe. We - you and me - and that child in there have been delivered here to finish what has already been started, to rid this world of its satanic host.”
He pointed toward the doorway. “As for that child in there, it was told me by Drorli that Ishtar fulfilled some prophecy or other that Lowenah uttered long ago…well, long ago now, for us at least, back on the day Ishtar was murdered in the arena. I was informed that Lowenah and Legion had a faceoff somewhere in the Middle Realms, and that she said the child he murdered then would awake and bring him all sorts of trouble. Apparently Ishtar waked right during the Exchange, and Sirion told Legion as much. From what I learned, that Prisoner Exchange was a trigger used to set this world ablaze, no more resting for anyone.”
Looking past Hanna into the darkness of the room beyond, Apollonius sighed, resigned. “Drorli says that Ishtar has to grow up fast. The hour is already upon us… the reason for Lowenah’s meeting today. My dearest Hanna, the ending hour has arrived and there is no turning it back. I’ve already signed on for Marine duty, been given an officer’s commission.” He looked out toward the road. “Will be leaving with tomorrow’s sun for training school.”
Hanna bolted upright in her chair, but before she could make reply, the sound of a motorcar coming down the road fell upon their ears. In only moments, the auto was parked at the curb and a smiling Merna, all dressed up in new Army attire, pranced down the walkway toward the couple. They both stood in surprise, watching their friend strutting her fancy new dress uniform.
“Well, what do we have here?!” Apollonius exclaimed in wonder. “You went off and joined the Army or something?”
Merna stopped and snapped smartly to attention. She grinned. “Signed up a week ago, but waited to tell anyone until I got my new duds. You two are the first to know. Gonna go and kill some demon scum! Yep, gonna get some revenge, I am...” She hurried up onto the porch and gave Hanna and Apollonius giant hugs.
After inviting Merna to sit, the three carried on with a little friendly banter, Apollonius finally asking, “So what made you choose the Army? You caught me by surprise on this one.”
“Well…” Merna began. “I’ve been assisting Eurawha and Drorli out here in the village for some months before Ishtar’s arrival. Drorli is a master storyteller, and spun me some good yarns about a few of his adventures in the Army. I think that influenced me a bit.”
She took a sip of some tea Hanna had poured for her. “The biggest thing, though, I believe, is that Alba received a letter of invite to join up with the Army. They’ve arranged for her to attend officer training school. I…”
Apollonius bolted upright in his chair. “Alba’s leaving to be in the Army?! Does James know about this yet?”
Merna said it was so. “Yes, just two days ago she told him. We had a little party to celebrate. He was just beaming the whole time, thinking about his lady becoming an officer and all.”
Apollonius nodded approvingly. “They always were s
o close. I was so saddened back then. You remember hearing about, don’t you? Sure, you must have. Hanna would have told you about it back when the fever took Alba. It ruined James. Hey! Did he say if he’s going to join up?”
“Well, yes, but not with the Army.” Merna explained. “Wanted to bunk aboard a ship, but not have to swab the deck, so he’s accepted an invitation to join the Marines, doing ship duty.” She turned to Hanna, asking, “What about you? Have you made any plans yet?”
Hanna silently stared down at the floor in thought for some time, finally answering. “As you know, I’ve already been active in military affairs, at least from time to time, shipped aboard a bilander out of Stargaton doing border patrol for a few months. Although I was signed up for Navy, I was soon directed to temporary Marine duty.”
She blushed. “Made a good friend of the Marine officer in charge... Anyway, I got a letter from him a while back, telling me he was promoted to captain of the guard over the Marines on the imperial frigate, Sharon, and asked me if I would be willing to sign on with him as his 1st leftenant.” Hanna did not tell them she would also be his bunk mate. “A packet is pulling from Palace City Spaceport the day after tomorrow that will deliver me to the Fourth Fleet. The Sharon’s what the Navy calls a ‘ghost raider’, sails alone on patrol most of the time. When it rendezvous with the main fleet to resupply, I’ll hitch aboard.”
Surprised, Apollonius raised an eyebrow, exclaiming in question, “So, when were you going to tell us? Send us a letter after you’d left? And Symeon! Does he know yet?”
Hanna leaned forward, her hands clutching the chair arms, defending her silence. “I was going to tell you all tonight, after Symeon and Drorli were returned from the Special Meeting. No secrets. I just thought, knowing Symeon, that it was better for him if I waited until after today’s meeting.” She leaned back in the chair. “Besides, Symeon has already accepted King Mihai’s offer to serve on her council. He’s going off on some diplomatic errand to some place called… oh… ‘Tilgath City on Pilneser’, leaving in just a few days.”
She grumped, a jealous tone in her voice. “Didn’t even ask me to go along... Had some cutie hanging on his arm - a ‘Chuntay’ somebody or other - who was going off to be his aide-de-camp. Claimed Army Command wanted to set up independent operations systems in strategic locations across the Empire. Said this Chuntay was an expert in such things. Well, anyway, I didn’t get invited. So… so I chose to go my own way, and poof! Up arrives this letter.”
“What’s gonna happen to our girl in there?” Apollonius pointed toward the doorway. “Seems she’s being left alone.”
Merna piped in. “Not everyone’s leaving right away. I’ll be here a while. And Drorli says he has an entire team staying to help Ishtar until she’s off for military training, which will be soon if I understand what I heard.”
Apollonius shrugged, bewildered. “Sounds like he’s got little time before his team scatters across the Empire. What’s he planning on doing with the girl, rebuilding her in one of those machines to become a nice, obedient child?”
Hanna punched Apollonius in the arm. “You stop it now!” She scolded. “Ishtar’s been through a lot and is having a hard time adjusting.”
Rubbing his arm, Apollonius replied sourly, “Well she’s gonna have to adjust pretty fast! At this rate, Lowenah may send her back for someone easier to work with - maybe that governor.”
Merna stood up and began pummeling Apollonius. “Be careful or they may be sending you back for repairs!”
Apollonius held his arm up, crying, “Sorry! Sorry! I forgot, thinking of the fellow when I knew him. A changed man he was! A changed man!”
Merna’s face clouded. “He murdered my Hilen, and for that I cannot forgive him, at least not now... I saw him only as an evil old monster, see him so. Someday, should he return, as some of you believe, then…well, we’ll see. When I hold my little girl in my arms again, then we’ll see.”
Apollonius sighed, slowly moving his head from side to side as he peered down at the porch floor. “We all did things that needed living down, some of us more so than others. I… well… it took me a while to grow up. Then there’s Treston. He’s treated us all like gold, and…” He looked at Merna. “how many times has he begged your forgiveness? And you’ve seemed to have accepted him.”
Merna looked down, playing with her fingers. “I never really remembered him, so it was easier to forgive, plus I’ve had time to get to know him, see the kind of person he is.” Her face clouded. “The governor, I remember. He ordered the murder of my child… his command...”
For some time, the three sat in silence. Apollonius finally stood, suggesting they check on Ishtar. “It’s been a while. Let’s see how our girl’s doing. If she’s settled down a bit, we could offer to take her for a drive in that auto machine. There’s a farm not far from here that Ishtar might like to visit.”
The others agreed, and soon all had disappeared back through the doorway to check on their charge.
(Author’s note: Although Hanna’s role in the King’s War is of no little significance, she has become one of the lesser known figures of that tumultuous time. Early during the expansion of the Children’s Empire, at the beginning of the Fourth Age, Hanna departed with the Tarezabarian Fleet for the far reaches of the galaxy, eventually establishing a colony in a newly discovered star system.
When it came time for the Tarezabarians to move on in their ever-search for new and undiscovered star systems, Hanna and a few others remained behind, they and their descendants spreading out among the stars in that region. The distant mountain city of StolosisDistomissy [Lit: ‘The Twin Pillars’, or the ‘Gateway to Beyond’, named after the Pillars of Hercules, the passage point from the Great Sea into the open ocean beyond, the passage Hanna’s grandfather often sailed in his adventures] became the further-most outpost on the edge of the Frontier. To this day, the city is considered the last bastion of civilization before one enters the uncharted skies of the galaxy’s eastern quadrant.
The planet, TerasTereo, is home to the city of StolosisDistomissy. Its name means ‘Wonderful Keep’. In time, that name came to encompass the entire Dodeka Star Cluster (having twelve stars) and its four inhabitable star systems.
StolosisDistomissy was made the capital city over the entire Dodeka Principality, and Hanna was appointed its ArchonArchitriklinos (Lit: ‘Ruler over the sustenance of the house’). Her given name has long since gone out of common use, she being better known by her title of ‘Queen PoimainoDeDistomissy’, Shepherd over the Gateway, or ‘Queen Poimaino’, the Shepherd Queen.
CythereaNoah’ha included a lengthy account of Hanna’s heroic history in her exhaustive writings regarding select women of the early ages. From her accounts, I have borrowed liberally to help provide in-depth information about, and to flesh out some of my own accounts concerning a few of these outstanding people. With Cytherea’s generous permission, I include a small excerpt from her book about Hanna.
