by Marc Mulero
“You know nothing.” Eres seethed.
“And neither do they.” Dee held her chin high. “All those books you read, all of your skill, and you still don’t get it. Amazing how decision making doesn’t coincide with intelligence.”
“Oy, Eres, what in Mustae did you bring onto this ship.” Ilfrid covered the owin’s ears.
“Some things are bigger than us, Ohndee, and the Skrol’s secret is one of them. Tell me, do you think that the first Seer, a being documented to have lived over one hundred years, made his decision lightly? We, who can only glimpse into sections of what he experienced, pledge to do the same for generations. You cast all of that time and knowledge away so easily?”
“As easily as you accept it blindly,” Dee retorted. “You need to be challenged, otherwise you’ll reside in the same echo chamber as your ancestors without knowing why.”
“If I didn’t have to kill myself to bequeath you this esper, I would, right now, to show you how impossibly wrong you are.”
Ilfrid clenched his jaw at Eres’ words.
“Gushda is real, and it’s worth protecting,” Eres promised.
“I don’t doubt its reality, just whether or not you’re actually protecting anything. Perhaps you’re hiding something wonderful, that could further unite ulmanity.”
“You sound like Seren Night.” Eres turned away angrily.
“If Seren is a truth seeker, then I would be proud to sound like him.”
“Then you would be proud to be everything that has destroyed my family.” He whirled back, inches from her face.
Dee extended her neck, not backing down. “You told me of your mother’s addiction, remember? That was a hard duel won. Was that his fault too? Is it Seren’s fault that your father wasn’t around either? Are everyone’s choices that made your life difficult Seren Night’s fault? Or maybe it’s you. Your inability to separate emotion from fact… to clump all of your problems together because it’s easier to.
“Well, I’ll tell you what, Eres, I don’t care about Skrols, or Seren, or some Silent War that my parents used to whisper about. What I do care about is the Dawn who saved me from going crazy in this limbo that’s Elesion, and the pilot who freed us both from its shackles. I’ll fight for you, because even though that skull is thick, I know you’re good.”
“Phew.” Ilfrid sighed. “I thought I was going to have to dump you midflight.”
Dee’s gaze pierced Ilfrid’s like daggers.
“What? Well, I don’t have to now, so that’s good. Now will you two please get into your seats before the ambassador decides to hurl missiles at us? Thanks.”
Eres and Dee looked at each other sideways and reluctantly strapped into their chairs.
“Now, Eres, did you read Footprints of a Ghost like I told you to?” Ilfrid inquired.
“Yep. Twice.”
“Good! That book was labeled under fiction because the author didn’t want the Factions to know the truth: that her story was real. She was boundless, and explained all of the ways she was tracked and nearly caught. Tell your… friend… what you’ve learned.”
Eres cleared his throat to rid it of the scratchy anger that plagued his speech a moment ago. “It’s the underground piping system. It can measure vibrations so precisely that it can identify an individual by their weight distribution. Because of this, boundless generally try to stay airborne, or use special boots to avoid patterns and shift their momentum around…” an idea just slotted into his train of thought, “which must’ve been why my father was always in the storms. No sight, no sound, few footprints. He was a ghost, like Eloise in her story.”
“Right! Very good!” Ilfrid slapped the panel. “See Ohndee, he’s not so dumb.” Before letting her respond, he continued, “Now you must be ghosts. I have your flenos boots at the ready, and other gadgets that Agden wanted you to have.”
“But Ilfrid, you still haven’t answered my question. Why now?”
“Because Eres, you are the only one not on Seren’s radar. He knows not that Agden had a son, let alone a Dawn. He knows not that Agden has passed. It has to be you now, because there is no one else.”
Chapter 18
The Forever Run
Ilfrid spun two knobs to power on the massive shider. Rods on either side of the trio began to burn orange behind protective casing, followed by a rising smell of hot engine grease that prickled their nostrils. And then trembling underfoot commenced.
The pilot swung this way and that, checking gauges to ensure everything was in order for takeoff, all while the other two braced behind him.
Ohndee dropped the tough exterior she wore just a moment ago. Seeing the owin scurry out of Ilfrid’s arm and nestle itself in the small space between his back and the chair made her quite nervous.
“Does the ship have a name?” she asked timidly.
“’Course she does,” Ilfrid shouted over the shider’s humming. “Alga Menace Fie.”
“And how many times have you flown Alga?” she probed.
Eres looked over in disbelief. “All that bravado before, and now you’re scared? A superstitious Swul – I never.”
Dee reached across and whacked him over the head.
“Back in your seats! We’re off!” Ilfrid swiveled to the center of the cockpit and locked his chair in place. He gave one last look behind him, feathers quivering behind his head, smirk static. “You will be what was promised, Eres. I know it.”
Eres’ brow creased. “Wha-”
He was cut off by the abrupt acceleration of the craft. Heads thumped back, plastered against their cushions as Ilfrid leaned into the two levers wrapped by his hands. His knuckles were white as he carefully pushed them forward, and before any of them knew it, Elesion was at their backs. The cockpit adjusted the cabin pressure gracefully before shutting out the rumbling mechanical noises below them. It sounded like ten fire extinguishers going off at once as every hatch sealed shut.
Eres wriggled his jaw to pop his ears, Dee held her head with one eye squeezed shut, and Ilfrid, who was no stranger to taking off in this machine, kept his gaze to the sky. Their direction rapidly shifted, but the omnidirectional cockpit spun smoothly to make it feel as though they were stationary. Only their vision told them that they were actually moving.
“Well, Eres.” Ilfrid looked down to Elesion’s spears panning further and further away from sight. “You’re boundless now. Here starts your forever run.”
Eres clenched his jaw, thinking back to when he was younger, stuck in a chair where only his imagination could fly. How far he’d come. By the actions of his father, the guidance of his ooma, his proctors, friends - now he took to the sky, prepared.
The young student was nearly an adult – and the time he’d spent within his esper made him feel like he’d already lived five lifetimes, but this one was his. Ilfrid believed in him for whatever reason. Something Agden told him perhaps, maybe the fire in his amber eyes… whatever it was, Eres was ready to heed the call.
“Pull out your live map and give it here.” Ilfrid held out a hand without looking back.
Eres dug within his bag and handed it over.
“Mine too?” Ohndee asked, trying her best to regain her bearings amid flight.
Ilfrid unlocked his chair and spun with pursed lips, comically skeptical of the highborn Swul. “With that whole song and dance before… I’m not sure what to do with you.”
She was taken aback. “Excuse me? Free thought not allowed here? Are we in a blind cult all of a sudden?”
Ilfrid snorted, tapped the screen a few times, entered a code, and handed the map back to Eres. “Synced and ready. The orange blinking dot is Alga. Click her three times to ping me, and five for an emergency. Three pings back means I will come pick you up. Two means that you need to come to me. And one means that I’m tied up and we’ll have to reconvene later. Do not reassemble that UBS, you hear? No… oobs.” He struggled with the slang. “You’re both ghosts now. It is a priority to avoid underground tracking if
we can help it. I also have two pairs of flenos boots for you to throw off your weight distribution, which is your Faction footprint.”
“And where exactly are we going?” Dee held out her arm, map in hand, waiting haughtily for the pilot to take it.
Ilfrid snatched it from her reluctantly, and growled for good measure. “To the muggy jungle of Dundo-Ba, where Masarian Bo will judge Eres.”
“I’ve heard that name…” Eres retreated into his esper to find the memory.
“Judge him for what?” Dee asked.
“To find out whether or not he is worthy to become a Skrol.”
“He’s an incredible fighter and possesses an even better mind. Of course he’s worthy,” she declared.
“Hah,” Ilfrid yacked, “silly child.”
“Oh, real mature!”
“Well, if the shoe fits.” Ilfrid folded his arms.
“What does that even mean?”
“I don’t know, really. Agden used to say it, and Mustae knows where he got it from.”
“Ugh.” Dee rolled her eyes. “Well, why wouldn’t Eres be worthy. Hmm?”
“Well let’s see… the boy struggles with Reach, inherited an esper without formal training, and has seen what, four territories in Ingora’s vast spheres. Need I go on?”
“Then he just needs to be taught. It’s not like he’s asking to be inducted on the spot, right?” Dee looked over to Eres, who had fallen back into his chair with his finger aglow.
Ilfrid’s voice held a serious tone. “I see that you care for him, but you must know, time is against us in this war. It’s been a terrible game of keep-away, and the Skrols are losing. Kovella’s Quittance has grown in the years he’s been gone. Shooting up places of worship, ravaging the forests, and in some cases succeeding in finding us. You said it yourself, little Swul, the Skrols hardly communicate with one another because of their beliefs. It makes things tough. Now, with Agden gone, another must lead the Alliance before it’s too late… before morale plummets to nil.”
“And you believe Eres is that person to pull you up? A teenager?” Dee asked hesitantly.
“Who better than the son of a legendary Skrol?” Ilfrid grinned at her. “But again, Ohndee… time. Bo’s judgement will indicate much. Go with him. Help Eres until he reaches his trial of solidarity.”
“One question,” Dee leaned forward. “What if I’m right and the Skrols have been operating blindly, flying aimlessly in the wrong direction for eons?”
Ilfrid shook his head. “That’s a question of faith at this point. Put it where you want, challenge what you will, but make your decision in the next few minutes…”
Dee again gazed over at the Dawn she’d been falling for, and then grasped his limp hand. “Okay… I’ll do that.”
Eres unexpectedly jerked forward as if he’d been resuscitated back to life. “I found him! I know what to do.”
“Good.” Ilfrid patted Eres’ knee and turned back to the sky.
Ohndee squeezed his hand and smiled. “I’m coming with.”
“Alright.” Ilfrid rose from his seat and bounded for the hatch. “Ten minutes until dive. I’ll go get your boots. Strap on your Glite armor in the meantime. Eres, bring your map, fliser, blade, and impeller. Remember, landing a shider is impossible in the jungle… so you will have to find your way back to me.”
The owin left behind to pilot the ship peeked under the armrest, large eyes gaping as if it knew too much responsibility would weigh on its shoulders. In a sudden scramble, the chubby creature hurled itself off the seat, squeaked when it hit the ground too hard, and proceeded to scratch Eres’ leg to be lifted up. Ohndee squealed and held two hands to her heart, unable to handle how adorable the furball was.
Eres glanced at the two round eyes gaping back at him. “Alright, c’mon buddy.” He hoisted it onto his lap.
“Oohhh, can we take him with us?” Ohndee begged.
The owin looked back at Ohndee incredulously before it started shaking in place.
Eres chuckled. “I don’t think this little guy would like where we’re going.” He tickled its chin.
The hatch zoomed open, and in flew Ilfrid - feathers, stained clothes and all – dusting off his chubby belly to make it jiggle beneath his shirt.
He handed one pair of flenos boots to Ohndee first.
“Don’t you get lonely in here? I wouldn’t have taken you for a loner,” Ohndee said brashly.
“Lonely? I have women of all races locked up in compartments down there, in the shaft,” he responded a little too quickly, causing Dee to press herself back into her chair in dismay.
Eres rolled his eyes and Ilfrid could only hold back his chuckle for so long.
“Kidding, stupid.”
“R-right.” She relaxed a bit, but her cheeks grew pink with embarrassment.
“Okay Eres, three minutes until dive. Did you see the obols in your esper?” Ilfrid took the Dawn’s vacant eyes as a ‘no’. “Huge bubbles scattered in the Dundo-Ba sky.” He gestured to imitate what they should have looked like.
“Oh yeah. I saw one of my predecessors use them,” Eres affirmed.
“Good. I would suggest to conserve your impeller to the extent you can. Just use one click for landing. Okay?”
“Sie.”
Ilfrid shuddered at the use of Umboro tongue.
Ohndee looked back and forth between the two, feeling left out and confused. “Umm?”
“Just stay arm in arm, Swul brat. Honestly, I don’t know what Eres sees in you… uniformed, little boy haircut, even though it does fit your stupid face, I suppose.”
Ohndee was taken aback, her mouth ajar. “Just because I don’t subscribe to your side of things blindly? Fine! Fat, smelly prick. I hope you blast off to the Verglas Sphere and freeze!”
“A lot of good that would do you.” Ilfrid sniffed.
“Umm, can we go?” Eres hoped to stop the bickering even though he found it comical. “I’d like not to miss my first meeting with the Judicator.”
“You learn quickly, Eres,” Ilfrid noted. “An expert at navigating your esper already? I’m sure Masarian Bo will take that into account. Off we go.” He led them to the hatch.
The calmness of the cockpit disappeared once they fell into Alga Menace’s body. Gravitas beads led them smoothly to the wall, but communication was reduced to a lot of pointing and nodding as they followed the pilot to their dive point.
“Time to fly,” Eres yelled over the engine’s rumbling. He squeezed Ohndee’s arm and smiled, hoping his confidence would lend itself to her. “I’m sure there was worse in Sido camp.”
Ohndee nodded fully to accentuate how much worse it was. “I wasn’t in Dagos territory, though.”
“Pfft. I know they’re your mortal enemies and all, but they’re nicer than you think.”
They both unexpectedly looked up to Ilfrid, who was spinning around to tie them together with a flimsy rope.
“Uhh, no parachute?” Dee asked hesitantly.
The pilot smiled mockingly. “This is how I keep your dirty paws from coming back on my ship.”
“Ilfrid!” Eres yelled before turning to Dee. “It’s fine, just stay with me.”
“Are you familiar with serpent string?” Ilfrid asked in Eres’ ear.
“Yep, my father used it to scare me once… found it hilarious…”
“Hah! He would! Miss that guy.” Ilfrid shook his head. “Okay! I hope the Jundicator judges you well my boy. Here’s to hoping your father was right.” He slammed his fist on the button to open the hatch.
The amount of shrieking wind that suddenly burst into the shider made the two Dawns falter.
Ilfrid was bobbing, paying no mind to the intensity, instead likely counting down in his head.
Ohndee looked back at the pilot one last time with fear in her eyes, but he only winked back before kicking them out.
A whoosh sounded, and Eres’ ears popped from the change in pressure. It felt like suction cups were latched on to them to distort hi
s hearing and plastic wrap was being pulled over his face, hard. Then his eyes immediately dried out to the point where they stung, open hands felt like they were forced to push against solid ground, and when he opened his mouth, he could’ve sworn a gag made of spinning air was stuffed into it. This wasn’t like the long jumps with his impeller. The altitude changed everything, the heights felt impossibly high, and it was cold…
But in between all of these adrenaline-inspired thoughts, Eres was smiling. Such an impossible feeling had to be enjoyed… at least for him. Ohndee, however, a Swul trained to be self-sufficient, hated relying on another. It freaked her out. It was against her nature. But when Eres’ reassuring hand reached for hers, she was disarmed.
Once the initial rush subsided, surroundings were analyzed. Obols were expectedly scattered about the sky, carelessly rolling in place like oversized bubbles frozen in time. Eres cringed at their appearance – they were made up of some unknown translucent material and appeared as rounded jellyfish floating weightlessly. Otherworldly, to say the least.
In his esper, though, when he had gone in search of Masarian Bo, he found a previous esper wielder doing something just as daring. Maybe even more so. The woman was graceful, A Seedar Trainer, dismounting from a giant bird-like creature that he had never seen or heard of before. He melded into the memory in that instance, to experience everything as she did back when, and felt all of that again now. With this excitement came an instinctive knowledge of what to do. He abruptly twisted his body to make way for the closet orb, and leveled himself like a base jumper in a squirrel suit.
Air worked oddly in the jungle’s atmosphere. As the two strapped Dawn’s were about to crash into the first obol, it curved inward to match their momentum and eased their fall to a painless stop within it. It felt like comforting, warm gelatin massaging their skin as they were absorbed into it. They were lucky, really, because falling into anything else would’ve been solid ground. But alas, they were intact, staring through the wavy composition that they’d plummeted into.
