by Hana Starr
“We are very close,” Arden told her, leading her gently along the way his mind had carved out for him. He kept his eyes closed and relied on his connection to keep him on the right path. Zipporah, however, kept her eye peeled open and guided Arden out of the way of any rocks or obstacles. She was amazed how cold the desert could be without the sun to warm it.
The sand was cold against her skin, like little pellets of snow. They carried on, heading towards some sort of cave like structure. Arden had been careful not to leave the ship too far away, in case they needed to make a run for it. Zipporah peered out into the darkness and attempted to see the Ethran light. Or even a human outline. Anything.
“Is this it?” She asked once he stopped walking in front of a cave. He nodded softly and put a hand on the bold stone. He didn’t want to know what happened to Ethrans who were forced to live on the earth. It couldn’t be good if they were reluctant to open their mind to him.
“I want you to stay very close to me. I don’t know what they are going to be like. If anyone makes a move, close your eye. They won’t be able to hurt you with light. Do you understand?” He squeezed her had assuredly and gave her a soft kiss on the lips. Zipporah took the kiss in for what it was worth and wrapped herself around him for warmth as they stood shivering in the cold air. Their embrace lasted a few moments, and then she broke away. She was ready to see what was in the cave.
Arden stepped into the cave gingerly, and Zipporah followed. Her heart was beating erratically in her chest, but somehow she was able to control her breathing as not to disturb the silence. They moved through the darkness swiftly and wordlessly, searching for any signs of Ethrans. Zipporah looked scoped the area, but saw nothing.
Arden reached out again to his Ethran brothers. He begged them to show themselves. He told them that they were desperate and trying to save the world.
“How do you plan on saving the world?” A woman stepped forward and looked over Arden’s body as if she were visually making love with him. Her blonde hair was caught up in a ponytail, and her eyes were drawn intensely in with charcoal. She was stunning, and Zipporah’s jaw dropped in that moment.
“Daughter of Ethra,” he greeted her, opening his arms and embracing her fondly. Zipporah wondered if they had ever met before, but she also knew that all of the Ethrans were connected. They wouldn’t have needed to meet before to feel a close connection.
The woman pulled back after a moment and smiled at him. She was peaceful, but her time on Earth had certainly given her an edge that most Ethrans did not possess. She was a great mix between the two.
“How did you get here?” She asked, casting a glance to Zipporah. Of course, if Arden knew about her, everyone else in Ethra did as well. Zipporah wondered if she was anything special to them, or just an odd fixation that Arden had.
“A Rath ship. We broke through the barrier of darkness, but there do not seem to be any humans at all. Where are they?” Arden’s voice was sincere and earnest as he spoke to her. It was very similar to the way that he spoke to Zipporah.
The woman clicked her tongue and gave him a wry smile. She motioned for them to sit down. Arden sat with his back against the inside of the cave wall, and Zipporah leaned against him for support, subconsciously claiming him in front of the Ethran woman.
“Many of the humans are still alive. They are so resilient, it’s shocking. But they will not last forever. Eventually their emergency back up plans and energy will burn out, and it will not be able to be refueled. The lack of solar or lunar intervention has led to many natural disasters. Tsunamis, earthquakes. You name it. The Earth is slowly becoming uninhabitable. The humans are slowing the process with sheer willpower. I am impressed, I will give them that.”
Arden nodded slowly, knowing that if they were going to do something, they would have to do it quickly. He didn’t want to be stuck on Earth when it became uninhabitable. Zipporah concentrated more on the fact that most of the humans were still alive. That meant that there was a good chance her family had survived. She smiled quietly to herself as the other two continued to talk. She had, against all odds, come back to her planet to find that there were still people alive. And fighting for humanity. It was beautiful.
“Where are the humans?” Zipporah asked, breaking into their conversation. They both looked at her for a moment as if she was speaking a foreign language, but then quickly answered her.
“Mostly underground. The governments had built caverns, able to sustain life underground for some time, before the attacks happened. There are some with us in the cave. People that did not qualify for sanctuary. Criminals, diseased, and elderly people did not make the cut. There was limited space, so the governments shut those people out.” The woman had a glint of fury in her eyes, enraged that anyone would have been denied sanctuary. Zipporah’s mind raced. Did that mean she would not be able to get down to her family?
“Would we be allowed to go down?” She asked quickly. The Ethran woman shook her head slowly, regret in her eyes.
“They shut off the access weeks ago. Anyone still above ground is trapped. I chose to stay with these people and help them. There are more Ethrans as well. We have been waiting for a sign from Ethra to take us back.”
Arden looked at her with pity in his eyes and immediately she knew that she was not going back. Her fate was tied to that of the humans now.
“Do you go by a name here on Earth?” Arden asked her, trying to shift the conversation slightly. The woman nodded.
“Belle.” It was a pretty name. Zipporah wondered who had given it to her, or if perhaps she had chosen it for herself. It seemed to suit her. Belle flicked her blonde hair over her shoulder and smiled softly—a look Zipporah had become very accustomed to from Arden.
“Arden,” he responded, then nodded to Zipporah. “She gave it to me.”
“And what is your name?” Belle asked Zipporah, obviously realizing she wasn’t one of them. Zipporah tucked a strand of her dark hair back behind her ear and looked into Belle’s eyes, feeling a ping of unfounded jealousy.
“Zipporah.”
Belle tried the name out on her lips a couple of times and then smiled, and complimented the uniqueness of her name. Zipporah nodded in acknowledgment. Her name was a little different, especially growing between Israel and America.
“What is the origin of that name?” Belle asked, detecting Zipporah’s accent. She must have been on Earth long enough to hear accents through the language translator in her brain.
“Israeli roots.”
“But you also speak English?” Belle asked, scratching her chin. She was curious as to why Zipporah was bilingual, apparently. Zipporah couldn’t help but think there were more important things to attend to, but she answered the question anyway.
“I was born in the Middle East, and then moved to Canada with my family ten years before I left to join the Star Liner. I speak many languages.” She gave Belle a pointed look that told her the chit chat was coming to an end. Belle’s face became somber again. She motioned for the two of them to follow her into the cave again.
Arden caught Zipporah’s hand as they followed Belle and kissed it softly, reminding her that she was not alone. They walked together, hand in hand, across the bottom of the cave and waited for any more signs of human life. Belle hummed to herself as they walked, but did not speak. Zipporah was weary of her, but she chose not to say anything to Arden about it. It wasn’t her place to mention something about his kind. Not yet, anyway. But she decided to keep a close eye on her.
“Guys, they are here.” Belle called out into the darkness. She turned around and smiled slyly at the pair of them, something almost sinister glinted in her eye. Zipporah’s hand constricted around Arden’s as her stomach twisted into knots. She stared at Belle for a moment, before jerking Arden back and running for the exit.
“What are you doing?” He cried, running behind her even though he had no understanding of why. Zipporah’s heart was slamming against her ribcage and tears formed in her
eye. It was all happening again. She knew that sinister twinkle all too well. She saw it in Iilor’s eyes when he was ready to commit genocide.
Zipporah slammed into something she couldn’t see, and terror struck into her very core. She was right. The Rath were here. Arden looked entirely perplexed, unable to tell what was happening. Zipporah shut her eye and looked away from Arden, hoping that would be enough to transform him into himself, even after the ‘gift’ granted to them by Ethra.
“The Rath are here,” Zipporah whispered, “We are in their lair now.”
She could hear Arden’s ragged breathing, and knew that he was petrified.
“But Belle was Ethran! I could sense it. We were connected.”
Zipporah reached into her bag and pulled out a long blade that she had been given by the Elders of Ethra. With the push of a button, it extended and she plunged it into the invisible figure in front of her. The invisibility flickered in and out until the figure of the Rath fell at her feet. Zipporah’s heart dropped as she realized with absolute certainty that she was right.
“She wasn’t Ethran, Arden. She is some other monster entirely.”
“Aren’t you clever?” Belle’s voice rang from the inside of the cave. Zipporah’s hand gripped around the crystal hilt of her blade and bared her teeth, ready for whatever Belle was bringing with her. Arden recovered from his shock quickly and took out his own blade, swinging it with precision. His questions were pushed to the back of his mind, and now all he had to focus on was keeping them alive.
“What are you?” Zipporah growled when Belle came into view. Her blonde hair was glinting in the darkness, and Arden looked at her with hurt and betrayal. She only grinned at him unapologetically and turned to Zipporah to answer her questions.
“I seem very believable, don’t I? I can even communicate with him using my mind. How on Earth can I do that?” She toyed around with them, twirling her hair around her finger. She circled them slowly, as if she were the lion and they were the prey. Zipporah waited to kill her only because she needed to know the secret on how she was able to pose as Ethran.
“I am Ethran,” She whispered finally, striking the very center of Zipporah’s heart and sending a chill down her spine. Ethrans were good by nature—kind and fair. They did not kill unless necessary. Zipporah did not believe this lying wench for one moment.
“And Rath.”
Arden’s jaw dropped, face frozen in a look of perpetual shock. Interbreeding of species was forbidden for this very reason. How had it even happened? Ethrans did not possess the physical necessities needed for mating.
“My mother was in human form when she conceived me. A blonde haired, blue eyed beauty. She was in the presence of a human. I assume my father had done that intentionally. My mother was trapped in human form until I was born. I looked as human as I could, but I had two great kingdoms inside of me. Rath and Ethra. My father killed my mother as soon as she gave birth to me—he didn’t need her any longer. And then I was trained. That is how I was able to communicate with you, Arden. I am Ethran. I am Rath. I was sent here to ensure that you do not succeed.”
Zipporah blinked her good eye in shock, staring at Belle for a moment before even thinking of words in her brain. What could she even say? She knew that not all Rath were bad, but Belle had obviously been raised for one purpose and denied love and affection. It almost broke Zipporah’s heart.
“Are you going to kill us, then?” Zipporah spat, glaring at Belle with a ferocity she didn’t know she was capable of. Belle appraised her momentarily and then shook her head.
“Not yet. I’m interested in seeing you struggle.”
Zipporah cocked her head, ready to strike. Belle had no defense, no protection, but Zipporah knew that she had reinforcements surrounding her.
“How many Rath are here, Belle?” She growled, holding on to Arden for life. Belle chuckled and started counting. When she reached the twenties, Zipporah began to break out in a cold sweat. It had been hard enough to kill just one Rath. It had taken an entire civilization to kill them, and took one of her eyes to do it. Belle stopped counting.
“I don’t think you really want to know.”
Zipporah swallowed hard and moved into Arden, embracing him softly for what she was beginning to think might be the last time.
“Come with me,” Belle instructed. “I want you to see what we have built here. You might just change your mind about saving it once you see that it has already been saved.”
Zipporah knew that this was not a suggestion. Belle turned her back and began walking into the cave once more. Arden and Zipporah stood still, until the both felt a harsh push from behind. It was the Rath. They were not giving them the option of staying. Zipporah stumbled forward, following the traitorous silhouette of Belle deep into the tunnels of the cave. It was dark, and Zipporah’s already impaired vision made it impossible for her to see what was going on. Arden’s hand circled around hers and at the moment she wished that she was able to connect with his mind to speak with him.
There was a sharp point on her back, and she knew it was a Rath soldier keeping her in line. Zipporah didn’t say a word. She only hoped that there was some light at the end of the tunnel—literally—for her to stand a chance. Her blade had been shrunk down to nothing and concealed in her fist, but she doubted that Belle was stupid enough to believe she wasn’t armed. Just like Belle doubted that Zipporah was stupid enough to try anything with Rath surrounding her. Allowing her to keep her weapon was just another way of showing Zipporah what a hopeless situation she was in.
Zipporah found herself wishing she had stayed on Ethra with Arden. At least they would have been safe and together. Their efforts were for nothing. No one would even know that she had come to save them. No one would know that salvation was possible. It was a horrible thought; that she and Arden would die alone, so far from anything they had ever known.
“Watch your step, Zipporah. The terrain is getting rougher.” Arden’s arm met the small of Zipporah’s back and thumbed her gently. It was the biggest gesture of comfort he could give her, and the only one that wouldn’t be interfered by the Rath. She closed her eyes and felt his finger on her back softly soothing her. She wanted to die right there, being comforted by him. It would be better than whatever Belle had planned for them.
“We are almost there,” Belle’s slippery voice slid into Zipporah’s ear. It churned her stomach and made her want to pass out on the spot.
There might be way for Arden to survive, though. She knew that if no one could see him, he wouldn’t hold anyone’s form. He couldn’t see her, she certainly couldn’t see him. The Rath were invisible, so they hardly mattered. Belle was the only one that Arden could see, and she was making sure to hold his gaze.
Before Zipporah could formulate any more of her plan, she was shoved into the ground. A heavily booted foot landed harshly on her back, stomping her to the dirt like she were an insect. Tears sprung into her eye and watered the dirt below her as the pain erupted through her body. Rath were especially cruel when it came to pain.
“Don’t touch her!” Arden cried, throwing his body into the invisible creature on top of Zipporah. It did not help either of them. Arden was thrown back and held against a rocky wall by Belle. She grinned at him, her unnaturally white teeth glinting in the darkness.
“Do you want to meet your other brothers and sisters?”
Arden’s stomach formed into rocks. He couldn’t even imagine what she meant by that. Had she captured other Ethrans? And if she had, what would she do to them in his presence.
“I don’t think I do,” he growled at her. She laughed, slamming his head against the side of the cave. She wasn’t going to give him much of a choice. Belle peeled his eyes open and made him look. There was candle light and torches that cast light around the cave. Arden saw many people laying, standing, and crying. They were all herded together on the ground. They were all Ethrans. That is the real reason none of them answered his call. They were not allowed to. His h
eart sunk at the sight of his broken fellow Ethrans. They looked up at him with desolation. All of them were in their humans forms, looking very similar to Belle. She had turned them from light to human so that she could trap them, just as Iilor had done.
“These are pure beings,” Arden pleaded. “You cannot kill them. They are innocent.” He knew that his words would mean nothing to her. She grinned at him, and then reached her sword over to an Ethran woman who was shaking in the corner. She did not look dignified or proud. There would be no glory or purpose in her death. It would simply be to prove a point.
Belle pulled her blade back and plunged it into the human heart of the woman’s chest. There wasn’t even time for her to scream. She was dead upon contact of the blade. The fear was stained on her face as her body slumped over, hitting the floor with a sickening thud.
“You are a monster,” Arden spat at her, falling to his knees and attempting to crawl towards his fallen sister. Her body was beginning to dissolve and turning into the beautiful stardust. The dust of a dead Ethran. It was such a pure death, it brought tears to Arden’s eyes.
