Worlds Without End: The Prophecy (Book 3)

by Shaun Messick

  Koroan coughed and choked for a few seconds, clutching his throat. “I am sorry, my Queen,” he said.

  Humbled and humiliated, he staggered to his feet as Macaria turned and pointed to the top of the tree. “There, at the top of the tree; do you see the one remaining fruit?”

  Koroan’s eyes scanned up the tree and stopped at the large, glowing fruit. It was the last that the ancient tree had produced and its brilliant white light indicated that it was ripe. “Yes,” he replied.

  Macaria, using her telekinetic ability, plucked the fruit from its branch and lowered it into her hands. She turned around and handed the fruit to him. “Secure this fruit in the vault; we will need it for a later time.”

  Koroan bowed his head in reverence and said, “Yes, my Queen.” He then turned and walked out of the pyramid. As he strolled to the nearby vault where he and Macaria had been raised from the dead, he realized that his powers were no match compared to the powers Macaria now possessed. What was more, he knew that he would be stranded on his dead home world for thousands of years until the energy pulsating through his veins gave out, thus ending his mortal sojourn. To make matters even worse and, for the first time in a long time, sheer terror reverberated through his body with the thought of spending those years with the unnatural being he helped create.

  CHAPTER 7: VENGEANCE

  Canyon Floor, Terrest . . .

  Jake and Sage took off as fast as they could toward the thick grove of trees about one hundred yards to their rear. Running, Jake glanced back just as the slim, black attack shuttle emitted two bright orange plasma blasts. “Incoming!” he hollered.

  The bolts of energy hit the ground just before the covered shuttle. Jake could feel the shockwaves of the blasts under his feet through the ground. They were now within twenty yards. He looked up and saw Celeste, along with the others within the grove, waving for him to hurry. Suddenly, another large blast rocked the canyon floor. The echo of the canyon walls was deafening as Jake and Sage were thrown forward into the grove by the explosion just past Celeste and the others. Hurrying to his feet, he turned around and looked in horror as a sickening feeling entered his gut. The only rebel shuttle left to take them to Earth had been destroyed. All that remained were the burning debris of the ship scattered along the canyon floor.

  As the Gnol shuttle sped overhead, obviously ready to make another pass, he faced the others. He could see from their expressions that their hope to safely escape Terrest had faded as well.

  “We need to split up,” Adrian said. “They will probably drop off a ground force to find us.”

  “Agreed,” Sage said. “That would be standard protocol in this type of situation.”

  Jake glanced at his beautiful bride with their newborn son clutched tightly in her arms. Again, Calum was strangely calm throughout the entire ordeal. “Alright, there are four of us with Gnol abilities. Sage, Nichelle, you two split off with Dad, Anyta, Lexis, Skip, and Skyler. Celeste, Kylee, Bantyr, Ariauna, Kevin, and I will go off in another direction. This canyon is covered with deep caves. Find one and hide yourselves deep into one.”

  Adrian nodded and said, “We need to maintain radio silence so they don’t intercept any transmissions.”

  Everyone turned off their comlinks, which were secured in each one of their ears as Adrian continued, “A shuttle that size will carry around twenty soldiers. It will take them days to search the caves. Maybe we can hold out long enough for them to give up.”

  In the distance, they heard the rumbling of the jet engines of the Gnols’ attack shuttle as it began another run.

  “They’ve landed,” Celeste said.

  “We need to go now!” Jake ordered.

  He was about to take off with his group when his dad stopped him. Adrian glanced at Nichelle. “Take them, Nichelle.” He then glanced at Sage and nodded. “I won’t be far behind. Sage will carry me.”

  Sage gave Adrian a respectful nod, accepting his assignment.

  As Adrian’s group sprinted out of the grove, he turned and looked at his son with concern. “Promise me you’ll be okay. I know you’re near immortal now. But I don’t think I could handle it if you died again.”

  “I’ll be okay, Dad,” Jake said, embracing him. Jake then let go, and turned and sprinted with Celeste and the others out of the grove in a different direction.

  Before Sage swept him up, a sinking feeling entered Adrian’s stomach as he watched his son run off toward a cave at the base of the cliff wall.

  *****

  Ariauna couldn’t keep up with everyone else in her group. Her body was nothing compared to the others, who were about fifteen meters ahead. After years in captivity and abuse, she was weak and feeble. “Wait!” she yelled as she tripped over a stick. She landed face first on the ground. Pain shot through her face as it skidded along the rocky floor.

  Bantyr drifted to a halt and rushed back for her. “C’mon,” he said, reaching down for her arm. As he pulled her up, an explosion rocked the canyon floor about two hundred meters behind them. The attack shuttle was making another run, and it was heading for them. “We’ve gotta go!” Bantyr hollered as he pulled Ariauna in a dead sprint toward the others who were now waiting, waving their hands.

  The attack shuttle sliced through the air like a knife. The familiar sound of plasma blasts exploded from its cannons. Then white, hot light exploded all around them. The bursts of energy landed on the ground between Ariauna, Bantyr, and the others. The ground convulsed and rolled under their feet, causing them to fall. The desert sagebrush around them erupted into flames, surrounding them in an inferno.

  As they rose to their feet, Ariauna thought she heard Celeste scream her baby’s name, and then the scream of the infant in pain. Bantyr continued to pull on her arm, causing a tremendous amount of pain in her shoulder. It almost felt as if the muscles were ripping and tearing apart.

  Through the flames they ran, hurdling sagebrush engulfed in hellish fire. They began to cough, trying to suck in the oxygen necessary to keep their muscles moving. The billowing smoke surrounded them in darkness with only the ever-growing flames providing light.

  They flung themselves over another burning bush and landed. Bantyr dug his heels in quickly, coming to an abrupt stop. His strong arms stopped Ariauna’s momentum so she wouldn’t trample the bundle on the ground just before them. It was Calum. He wailed in agonizing terror.

  Bantyr knelt down to sweep the infant into his arms, but Ariauna stopped him. “Let me,” she said as she knelt down and gently cradled the baby into her arms, nuzzling him against her bosom. His cries became soft muffles.

  In the distance, they heard Jake call out for them.

  “We’re here!” Bantyr replied. “We have Calum! He’s okay!”

  No sooner did the words leave Bantyr’s lips, than Ariauna felt her body become lighter. She looked down and saw her feet leave the ground, as well as Bantyr’s. Jake obviously had locked onto them telekinetically. Higher and higher they went as the smoke around them grew thicker and thicker. They were now about ten meters off the ground and nearly out of reach of the flames, when a nearby tree erupted. Its dry branches soaked in flames like a sponge absorbing water.

  Suddenly, Ariauna felt her body grow heavy and panic settled in as she realized she was falling to the ground below. The telekinetic link between her and Jake had been severed. She glanced down and realized that she was about to land in a thicket of burning sagebrush. She braced for impact and clutched Calum tighter to her chest just before her military issue boots went through the flames and hit the ground. Dropping to her knees, she rolled over onto her right shoulder, and impressively back onto her feet, all the while keeping the infant in her arms protected.

  Frantically, she whirled her head around the hellish scene. The entire canyon floor, it seemed, was ablaze. She tried to call out for Bantyr, but the suffocating smoke enveloped her ominously. Calum coughed, and she did too, nearly turning over. She knew that she needed to get out of there fast or the smoke woul
d kill them, if not the flames.

  Her eyes scanned the horizon, looking for an opening, any opening. All around her, the flames grew higher, roaring. The crackle and hiss of foliage burning echoed through the canyon. Then, to her right, she saw the hint of blue sky sneaking its way through the dense clouds of black smoke.

  She quickly checked Calum, who was strangely calm now. His eyes were closed, and he seemed as if he was asleep. Fearing he might be dead, she placed her hand on his chest. It rose slowly. He was suffocating. If he died, all that she worked for would be lost. With urgency, she darted in the direction of the blue sky, jumping over flaming bushes. She leapt through a scorching flame, through green shrubbery that scratched her face and hands in intolerable pain, and splashed down into the creek that zigzagged across the canyon floor.

  She landed waist deep in the cool, clear water and fell forward. She caught herself with her free hand on the bottom of the creek, dunking Calum under with the arm in which she had him cradled. Swiftly, she stood up straight, pulling the baby out of the water. The dunk awoke the newborn, and both of them began coughing, expelling smoke that had entered their lungs and inhaling much needed oxygen. Calum began to cry again.

  Once Ariauna regained her breath, she pulled the baby in closely and patted his back, trying to comfort him. As Calum settled down, a nauseating stench of singed hair saturated her senses. Reaching back, she felt her hair, which had been pulled up into a tight bun. The bun wasn’t there anymore, and one side of her flowing red hair hung down just past her shoulders. On the other side, she grabbed a handful of the singed hair. She then looked at her hand and slowly opened her palm. Charcoaled specks of what used to be her hair slipped through her fingers into the water below. She watched, remorsefully, as the current carried the specks away.

  No sooner did the emotional pain of losing half of her hair subside, than instant, sharp pains reverberated on her face and hands. She felt as if they were on fire. Looking down at her free hand, she saw blisters forming, the obvious sign of third-degree burns. The same pain on her face told her that it too had suffered the same fate.

  She quickly splashed the cool water over her face and hands to relieve the pain. Glancing at Calum, she saw that he too had suffered a burn over his face, but it wasn’t as severe; maybe a first or second-degree burn. She cupped some cool water in her hand and rubbed it over his small face. As she did so, the baby calmed down and stared back at her with giant blue orbs. Guilt washed over her like a waterfall.

  She pulled her gaze away, drank handfuls of ice-cold water, and turned around. The fire was dying down now, exhausting its fuel. The combination of the creek and the green foliage lining its banks created a barrier between her and the flames.

  She continued to stand in the coolness of the water, staring at the fire. In the distance through the thinning smoke, she could see the faint outline of two figures. Most likely, the outlines were Jake and Celeste looking for their newborn son. Ariauna resisted the urge to call out for them as the guilt she felt was instantaneously replaced with disdain.

  For all she knew, she was the last free survivor of the Terrestrian race. Those that hadn’t been killed or hunted by the Gnols were now slaves to a race of people that despised them. She didn’t know if she could ever forgive Adrian Palmer for what he had brought to her home world and his failure to free her people. Her contempt for Adrian and his family caused the great chasm that grew between her and Skip. Consequently, this left her with one choice.

  Do not let your anger overcome you, Ariauna.

  The words cut her like a knife to her very soul. There was no question where the statement had come from. Looking down at Calum, her green eyes met his. He seemed to look at her with compassion and grave concern. Again, the words penetrated her soul.

  Do not let your anger overcome you.

  She closed her eyes and began sobbing uncontrollably as the guilt of her choices washed over her once again. Ariauna’s soul was in turmoil. She knew how important the baby that she held in her hands was. Her sympathetic side told her to take Calum to safety. Yet, the hatred she had toward those that had failed her people as well as the Gnols tugged at her on the other side. She didn’t know what to do.

  She looked down at Calum, who was still staring at her. He seemed to read her thoughts, waiting for her to make a decision. His face was now slightly pink. In wonderment, Ariauna watched as his burned skin slowly healed itself, transforming back into its supple, healthy form. The child she cradled in her arms, the one she saved from certain death, was truly the one that would unite two worlds and two peoples.

  “Freeze!”

  Startled, Ariauna jerked her head upward and turned around. Standing on the opposite bank of the creek and within a clearing of the brush were two Gnol soldiers pointing their plasma rifles at her. They were dressed in their standard issue black battle fatigues. Their heads were covered with black battle helmets, and their eyes hidden by tinted visors.

  “Get out of the water!”

  She climbed out of the creek with the help of one of the soldiers.

  “Name and rank,” the lead soldier demanded, stealing a glance at the baby in her arms.

  Ariauna glared at the Gnol, hatred churning in her gut. “Ariauna Tomwon. Civilian.”

  The lead Gnol pressed on the comlink in his left ear. “Sergeant Kokal to command.” He then listened to his commanding officer’s response and replied, “We have captured a Terrestrian citizen. Her name is Ariauna Tomwon, and she has the child with her.” Again, he waited for a response. “Yes, sir,” he finished, clicking his comlink.

  The Gnol then raised his right arm and telekinetically yanked Calum from Ariauna’s grip. The newborn began wailing again.

  With no objection, Ariauna just stared at the soldier coldly. “I demand to speak with your commanding officer!”

  “Turn around,” the soldier ordered, handing the child to the other Gnol.

  As she turned around, Ariauna heard Celeste’s panicked call for her baby behind them. The soldiers ignored it as the lead Gnol jabbed the barrel of his rifle into Ariauna’s back. She stumbled forward, but caught her balance before falling down.

  “What the—”

  Startled, Ariauna heard Calum wail. She whipped around and, to her astonishment, watched as Calum sailed through the air, into the waiting arms of Nichelle. The Gnol that had been holding Calum quickly took aim at her. With an invisible grip, Nichelle plucked the rifle from his hands, tossing it over the creek and into the dying fire on the other side. The lead Gnol, still registering what had happened, couldn’t pull his rifle up fast enough before Nichelle clutched it from his grip as well and sent it into the fire.

  “Ariauna, run!” shouted Nichelle.

  But Ariauna stood in stunned silence. She didn’t want to run. Anger rushed through her like hot lava as she watched one of the soldiers bound toward Nichelle. Nichelle rapidly parried the attack, sending the soldier across the bank and into the fire. He tried to stop himself from landing in the flames with his own abilities, but to no avail. He landed with a thud and screamed in pain as the fire consumed him.

  “I said run, Ariauna!”

  The lead Gnol used his own powers to steal Calum away.

  Ariauna, still motionless, watched as the newborn sailed through the air again. Gritting her teeth in frustration, she charged her petite frame forward, barreling into the Gnol. The surprise attack caused him to lose control of Calum, but Nichelle swiftly scooped him from the air. The soldier stumbled sideways and tripped over a rock. He fell down, catching himself with his left arm. Before he could jump to his feet again, Nichelle blasted him in the chest with two plasma bursts from her sidearm. He fell backward through the brush clearing and into the creek.

  Ariauna’s anger intensified as she whirled around in fury, glaring at Nichelle. “Why did you to that!”

  Nichelle looked at her quizzically for a moment before responding. “I saved your life, and that’s the thanks I get,” she said fiercely.


  Ariauna shook her head, stomped past her, and quickly checked to make sure her mind inhibitors were still in place so that Nichelle couldn’t read her thoughts.

  *****

  Celeste held back tears as Jake stood near the entrance of the cave on the lookout for any Gnol soldiers. Jake had successfully saved Bantyr from the inferno but failed to save Ariauna and their son. After the fire began to die down, they frantically searched for them, but they were nowhere to be found. Now the realization that Calum might be dead began to set in.

  “What do you see, Jake?” Kevin asked, glancing first at Celeste and then back at Jake.

  Jake turned and walked deeper into the cave where, at least for now, they were hidden from the soldiers who were searching for them. Kylee sat on a boulder with Bantyr treating his burns with salve. Jake walked toward his wife, who was still trying to control the deep sobs of despair from flowing. She stood up immediately before Jake could comfort her, storming past him.

  “Where are you going?”

  “I am going to look for our son,” she replied strongly.

  Kevin grabbed her arm. “You can’t. It’s too dangerous.”

  Celeste shot him a stern look, telling him to let go. “I don’t care how dangerous it is. Our little boy . . .,” she said, peering at Jake with anger, tearing her arm from Kevin’s grip, “. . . is out there suffering!” Abruptly, she turned and ran out of the cave.

  Jake quickly followed, catching up to her and grabbing her arm before she reached the entrance to the cave. “Then I’m coming with you,” he said.

  The exasperation in Celeste’s expression disappeared from her face, replaced with a small smile. As they walked out of the cave, they heard the engines of the attack shuttle roaring. They looked up and saw the ship soaring toward them. Plasma blasts bolted from its guns, exploding on the charred ground underneath. The ship was firing at someone. Their eyes dropped swiftly. Running toward them were Nichelle and Ariauna. Celeste immediately recognized Calum’s blue blanket bundled in Nichelle’s arms. “Calum!” she shrieked, darting toward them.