by Kyle Perkins
“Well, so far under his lead, we lost the mothership, three men are dead, he has labeled one of our own a traitor, and he has broken protocol to go out on his own without backup. He’s not exactly doing a bang-up job. I say we let Caius out of this cage until the captain can come back and give his side of the story.”
“Then you would be charged with treason. Besides, the cage was locked with a retina scan,” Erikk says, crossing his arms defiantly.
“I’ll take my chances.” Siriuv walks over to the charging stations and drags a few back to the cage.
“I can’t let you do this.” Erikk attempts to intercept his path.
“You can’t stop me, doctor.” He pushes Erikk aside and into the crowd of soldiers. They hold him back, which gives me a glimmer of hope. Looks like more than just Siriuv sees things my way.
“You’re making a huge mistake; the captain will see you hang for this!” Erikk shouts.
“Can someone shut him up?” Siriuv asks as he begins plugging all of the stations into my suit. One of the soldiers hits Erikk in the jaw, knocking him unconscious. He slumps down in silence.
With the connection of the stations to my suit, I instantly feel the power begin to build – power like I have never felt before. In theory, these suits are built to withstand ten times our normal operating power, but it’s just a theory. None of us have ever gone beyond normal parameters.
My onboard targeting system comes on, and my battery meter reports back one hundred percent charged before the numbers and letters onscreen start to glitch out. It feels like an adrenaline rush, almost like when we entered the atmosphere, but somehow different. Almost like a high.
I look down at my hands and start to see the metal on my suit vibrating… or maybe it’s my vision? It’s hard to tell.
I grab the metal bars of the element and begin to pull them apart. At first, it’s hard to do and they barely budge, but as the power surges through my suit, the bars give way and begin to bend.
“That’s it. Channel it.” Siriuv smiles.
I let go of the bars and pull my fist back. With all of my might, I punch the side of the cage and my fist goes clean through the metal. The force causes the other bars to bend around the site.
“Well, done. Now, let’s go find the captain,” Siriuv says as the men behind him drop the doctor.
I step out of my cage with my new-found power, and the vibrant color of the world fills my vision. My thinking is clearer; my vision, crisper. I am left wondering why we never tried this in the suits before now. With it tied into our nervous system, the power surge does more than improve our strength; I feel… more intelligent. I am at one with space and time.
Though, I could possibly be high. Hard to tell anymore. Whatever it is, I like it.
No, I love it.
“Thank you, Siriuv. Let’s go get our answers,” I say as I begin walking towards the east, passing the unconscious fool that Windhelm left behind to guard me.
Chapter 6
Aya
“What do you mean ‘fair fight’, Ricon?” Fear replaces the relief I felt only moments before when I found out Ricon was alive.
He stands in front of me with his hands on my face. “Aya, I don’t know much, only that I was told to light the fires and not to ask questions.” I can tell he is holding something back, maybe for my benefit.
It seems that surviving the cave was the least of my concerns. I am now considering that my safety in the cave lent me a better chance at survival. There is a small part of me that feels distant from the dark abyss; I feel the need to return.
There’s no way I want to return… Do I?
“Are you listening to me, Aya? We need to tell the others. You need to tell the others,” his tone is direct, yet laced with fear. Ricon knows more than he is telling me and I can feel it even more now.
“Why me?” I ask as he moves away from me. He turns to look over the bluff.
“They didn’t listen to me, none of them. I told them to stay, I did. They didn’t and they are all dead. All of them, Aya.”
Dead? What in the world is he talking about? There were survivors; I saw them. They were hurt, but they had survived the attack. He runs his hands through his hair and down his face, leaving streaks of soot and ash in their wake.
“Have you been to the trees?” I ask as he breathes a sigh of frustration. “There are survivors.”
Standing to his full height, he turns to me. “Not the Vaklarn; the Hardez.”
Hardez is a neighboring village along the water. For protection, we are not to leave our boundaries of the trees. The hunters make their way across villages, allowed to see the beauty that many of us only dream about.
My mother used to tell me stories of the beyond and the people of our past. Her adventures to places filled with both light and dark. Sitting at her feet, I would listen to her as I imagined that I would one day be free enough to pick flowers in the meadow and swim within the larger water sources without fear of being caught and punished.
With memories of my mother’s words drowning out everything Ricon is saying, I shake my head to hear him, “…that’s why I had to light the fires.”
“What do I have to do?” I am tired of trying to understand everything he is unloading on me.
I want nothing more than to return home, but I won’t make it back without a fight from Garret. Ricon smiles as I agree to whatever he has asked of me, unknowingly giving me a task that I am sure to fail. I will never make it past my betrothed, or my father.
Before I can explain the predicament that I am in, he interrupts me, “First, we need to get you cleaned up. You are a mess.”
Looking down to my dressing, I am reminded of the cave and the stones deep within.
“I need something before we go.” I turn back to the cell that I was sure to meet my end in, pulling the binds from the structure and swinging the gate open. “I won’t be long.”
Following my footsteps past the blood-stained wall, I still my movement and wait. The wind is blowing, but the screaming whispers have ceased to torture me. Kicking a stone down the darkening path to the end of the cave, I wait for a response; nothing. Trying again, I send another rock through the darkness of my hell only to achieve the same result.
Closing my eyes with a sense of serenity, I hope for direction as I walk towards the shadows. My arms, instinctively, reach to the side, brushing the tips of my fingers along the tempered walls until I find what I am looking for. The changing temperatures of the stone assure me that I am not crazy; that everything I experienced was real.
Free of the torturous wind, I open my eyes to the same stones that I found so intriguing not long before. What I am looking at now is not the same thing I saw during my forced stay in the cave. The heated stones are glowing. I have never seen anything so beautiful before. The swirls of light reflect off of the others as I touch them, before fading to black as I back away.
“Aya, we have to go. Someone is coming,” Ricon yells into the cave as I grab a small glowing rock from the wall, expecting resistance, but met with none. I tuck the weightless stone into my dress and follow the echoes of his voice.
As soon as I see him I call back, “I’m ready.”
My eyes adjust to the lighting, quicker this time than the last, as I nod to Ricon, agreeing that it is time to leave. He grabs my hand and leads me away from my home.
“Wait, I thought I had a message to deliver?” I say as he continues to lead me away from where I assumed I was meant to go.
“You do and you will. You have to get cleaned up first.” He is determined and confident in his steps, just as a hunter should be.
With every step, I am reconsidering how brave I think I am and my ability to be strong enough to protect myself.
“I am taking you to the springs. I found clothes for you to wear, but you must clean up first.” Shaking his head and rolling his neck, he continues to himself, “You need to be like your father if you are going to be strong enough,” he whispers.
>
Without directly saying what he meant, I know that I am weak and not strong enough for this. I will do as he asks and I will surrender to my fate. As much as I have tried to fight to be strong, there is nowhere for me to go. I can’t shake the nausea as I imagine my future with Garret as his doting wife.
No, I can’t. I have to fight to avoid that, if anything.
Weaving through trees that I have only seen by the water, I spot the blue petals of the barren bush begin to open, reminding me of their intention. Above the bushes, small droplets of crimson are released from the blood tree. Ricon manages to weave us through their natural attack on a feared predator.
“Through those trees, you will find the springs, clothes and a cleansing cloth. I know you have no idea why this is important because you weren’t listening, but I need you to be quick, okay?”
Leaving me no choice, I nod to him as I walk through the trees that I was directed towards. After a few steps, I come to a clearing. Large boulders circle the heated spring. The colors are breathtaking as I scan the secluded sanctuary. Our wash rooms are nothing like this and I am shocked that Ricon would know of this place. He has never mentioned it before.
The mist that hovers above the water is begging me to move closer. I pull the rope from my dress, dropping it to the dirt floor. I look over my shoulder to make sure that Ricon kept his distance before I disrobe.
Falling from each shoulder, the dirt stained material is removed as I step into the water. I want for nothing but to stay here, but I have to be haste. During the warmer months, we are promised warmer water for bathing. The times that we are granted a cleansing are sparse to conserve nature’s greatest resource; the giver of life. Water is something we have been taught to not take advantage of.
Scrubbing the remnants of the cave from my skin and hair, I lie back into the water, floating above the surface before exhaling the air from my body, causing me to fall below. The depths of the water cradle me as I rinse the layer of sand and dirt from my body. With a swift push of my arms, I break the surface, gasping for air. I stand from the water, ringing its excess from my long, dark hair. The color seems lightened by the springs from the normal mud color. I tie my hair back with a hanging vine as I make my way to my new wardrobe.
Hanging from a branch that I passed on my way in, I see a dress, not like anything that I have ever seen before. From the springs, the dress looks simple; virginal. As I make my way closer in awe, the intricate detail along the skirt is breathtaking. Floral designs layer the white fabric below it. I pull the dress over my wet hair, allowing the garment to fall into place, as if it was created for me.
“Ricon? Where did you find this dress?” I whisper, as I have never seen anything so beautiful worn by a Vaklarn woman. Wherever he retrieved this from, it was at a great cost.
“It was a gift. Finish up and I’ll explain on the way back to the village.” He doesn’t make a move to cross the threshold that separates him from me.
Reaching into the pocket of my old dress, I grab my stone, placing it in my new pocket. I have no way to carry my old dress without destroying the beautiful gown that I have been given.
Ricon breaks through the tree line, staring at my hands and gives stern direction, “Leave it, let’s go.” As we move, he keeps his head held high, scanning the area for threats. He always taught me to be aware of my surroundings. “Listen, look and feel.”
Moving along the connecting paths, I find myself disoriented by the turns and twists that Ricon is leading me through at such a quick pace. He isn’t talking and I don’t want to push him. He needs me to be like my father and I fear that is the one thing I cannot do. My father is strong and brave; built for power and control. Much to my dismay, I am easily overlooked, remembered as deja-vu at best. Now, he wants me to convince people to listen to me.
“Stop.” I reach out for his arm, but he shrugs it off and keeps marching forward as if I didn’t say a thing.
Not moving from the dirt path, I start to take notice of the small creatures moving alongside me. Camouflaged by the deadly branches, I watch as they continue to move while surviving the path they are on. Beautiful.
“Why are you stopping? We have to move,” Ricon says while walking back to me.
“Tell me. Tell me what you want from me,” my voice intends to sound stern and direct, but I am afraid it is whiny and small.
Clenching his teeth, I can see he isn’t sure of what to say.
“What do you want from me, Ricon?”
“I know you were in the meadow because I asked you to meet me there. I tried to get back to train, but there was an attack. Being in the meadow, you must’ve seen them fall. I had never seen anything like it,” his tone deepens as he stares over my shoulder in thought.
“I saw it, too,” I reply, confirming to him that what he saw was real.
“I didn’t see what it was, but I heard about it. You need to warn everyone. Your father wouldn’t listen to me, he was too worried about the hunt attack. I am sure that was caused by the falling pods.” I saw the same thing that he did, but that doesn’t answer everything.
“Why aren’t you telling me everything?” I am becoming impatient with his callousness.
“What do you want to hear, Aya? That every woman of Hardez is preparing their death stones in honor of every man that isn’t alive anymore? What you do need to know is that none of them survived, and Vaklarn could be next.”
That’s impossible. No-one could take on an entire tribe and succeed. “How did you…”
“I don’t know as much as you think I do. There was an Elder of Hardez waiting for me at the second signal fire. She told me that you were the one that would need to deliver a message. I didn’t believe her at first. She kept going on and on. I needed to start the fire and I was running out of time.” He begins circling me as if I am invisible to him, as invisible as I see myself.
Ricon stops directly in front of me, lowering his gaze to my height before continuing, “It wasn’t until she mentioned your mother, Aya.”
His features soften as tears fill my eyes. “What does this have to do with me?” Trying to keep what strength I have is proving difficult.
“You are the daughter of the light, Aya. I have no idea what it means, but the Elder told me there would be everything that you need to be prepared for your future. The spring, the dress; everything. You need to warn everyone, Aya. No-one is safe from the stars.”
I slide my hand into the pocket of my gifted dress, taking the stone into my grasp. Feeling the warmth of the stone reminds me of the time in the cave. The pain, the sorrow, the loss, and the strength. The strength I need to… be me.
“Okay,” I begin walking in the direction of the glow in the sky. I don’t know my way through the paths, but I can follow the one constant in my life, the reddened star.
Ricon follows me as I maneuver my way gracefully over the fallen trees and overgrown brush. As a hunter, Ricon is quick and quiet on his steps as well.
With time working against us and familiarity of the path I guided us to, I turn from the meadow and run towards the center of the trees. The closer I am, the louder the cries are heard. The women are mourning their losses at the rocks. I break through the clearing, halting in front of the pedestal. The same one that my father commands power and dedication from.
The cries have turned to whispers as I make my way up the steps slowly. I am feigning bravery as I ascend to the middle of the center.
My presence doesn’t go unnoticed. The families begin to gather as they do for my father. The devastation is apparent as I scan the crowd, noticing only one thing. Where are the men of the tribe?
Many women scatter the area, but most of the men have vanished. There are a couple of them guarding the tree line. That’s when it hits me. My heart beats faster than before and my blood stills.
Maybe I was too late. Maybe the tears are not of the loss of the hunt, but of the loss to the stars.
I have a message to deliver; a warning for every
one. My words leave me faster than I can contemplate what I am saying, “Attention Vaklarn. The signal fires have been lit, the beasts have attacked and the men are chasing a threat that is sure to guarantee one thing. Failure.”
Before I can finish, Ricon grabs me by the arm, pulling me to the side. “What are you doing? You can’t do this.”
Accepting my fate and the death of many more, I fear for the worst as I smile back to him. “I can do this and I am not done, yet.”
Shaking his hand from my elbow, I proceed with my speech, “Go back to your tree and wait. Wait for your man, wait for your family, wait for your turn. I am afraid that there is a bigger threat than the beasts and they are wasting no time, and allowing minimal survivors.” I wait a moment for the message that I had delivered to make sense. “Go! Now!”
The women bow and start to move towards their tree. I am relieved that they are taking to heart what I said. Many compliment my dress as they hurry to safety.
Deciding against crawling the steps to my own tree, I sit at the podium and wait for the inevitable, the unexpected and the unknown.
Chapter 7
Orrin
I don’t know how long I’ve been walking, but it seems like hours. On the ship, the lighting cycles are set to mimic Earth, which is odd because everything else was designed to prepare us for this world. The scientists said that our bodies would adjust, and our circadian rhythm would catch up, but they didn’t specify how long that would take. The light never stops shining, and I’m starting to feel sluggish, even with the suit enhancing everything about me.
Well, almost everything. Some things will never change, no matter how much advancement we have.
Part of me wants to take off the suit and take in the fresh air, the awe-inspiring beauty around me. Feel the grass and dirt between my fingers. It’s something I’ve never done outside of the labs, and even then, it was all artificial. This world is more real than anything I have ever known.
