Surrender

by Rhiannon Paille

  Avred, he thought with fear and confusion. He turned to Krishani, who was unconscious. Panic engulfed him as he thought of nothing but survival. Kaliel was dead and Krishani was slipping away from the land. He slid off Paladin and rushed to the boy’s side, throwing him over the horse. He mounted and kicked Paladin into action. They sped through the forests with precision, dodging fallen trees and branches as the path behind them disappeared in the aftermath.

  They broke through trees and slowed to a trot. Snowflakes trickled to the ground like tiny white flags. Dawn seeped over the horizon, but a black storm cloud hung above the land. Paladin shivered as the eruption dissipated. Istar pushed the horse to a trot, hooves crunching the snow.

  Shock rippled through Istar as the battlefield came into view. The enemies were gone, the field left a cemetery. Atara knelt, her face buried in her hands, weeping. A thousand thoughts clouded his mind as he neared the Lady of Avristar, but one rose above the others.

  Krishani had destroyed Avristar.

  * * *

  They came and went, came and went, from her little glassy chamber. Kaliel watched them, the people in the silvery white coats, their tawny hair caught in buns or shaved close the nape of their necks. They didn’t know she could see them, feel them, hear them.

  They didn’t know.

  She felt heavy, her limbs like boulders, her head a dead weight. She had been lying on the linoleum floor for what seemed like forever, the faint glow of crystals creating an artificial light above her. It brightened and dimmed, casting a pale rosy glow over everything.

  The sound of feet shuffling made her aware. Her amethyst enflamed eyes shot open and caught the ceiling. One of them loomed into her peripheral vision, their face a blurry mask of shapes and colors blending together. She simpered trying to make them understand, trying to make them stop but they didn’t. Something clamped over her arm and it was followed by a slight pinch as a needle slid into her skin. Her stomach heaved involuntarily as they depressed the plunger. Her vision went blurry, her chest crushed, and everything moved in clockwise circles. She trembled involuntarily and tried to scream but she had no voice. Tears escaped the corners of her eyes and slid down her temples, getting lost in her thick white curls of hair. They left the room, the glass door sliding shut and plunged her into the nothingness again. The eerie glowing light, the deadness of her heavy muscles, vertigo taking over her every sense, she couldn’t fight it if she tried. All she remembered was his white lightning eyes. Her elder Mallorn on Avristar called him Crestaos, one of the dangerous members of the Valtanyana. His eyes crackled like electrical storms before he drew her into his arms, his bony hands wrapping around her soft flesh like metal shackles. He floated through the forests, past the cabin on the mound belonging to Mallorn. He reached the wooden boats at the edge of the island and dumped her unceremoniously into one of them. They glided away from the shores of her home without a whisper. She tried to cry out, she tried to fight, she tried to escape. She tried to alert the merfolk, but they had long since left the shores of Avristar. Nobody came to her rescue, not even the boy she loved, Krishani of Amersil.

  Her heart felt like shattered glass when it came to him. It ached in a succession of beats, forever poisoning her limbs with drought. Her mouth like parchment, her shoulders cold, her heart on fire. The flame inside of her retreated to some unknown place and her eyes became their usual shining emerald.

  She went for one last attempt at escape and that was when his bony hand wrapped itself around her forearm, the white lightning crackling as Crestaos’s eyes bore into hers. All it took was one more look at him, and Kaliel felt darkness wrap around her like a carpet being pulled out from underneath her. Her strength crashed as she descended into an abyss, unable to move, unable to speak, unable to do anything to rescue herself.

  She woke up in the glass chamber, and for days and weeks and maybe moons, she laid there, spread eagle on the floor in her ivory maiden’s gown. She spent the better part of her entrapment thinking about Krishani. Was he dead? Was he captured? Did the Daed kill him the way she had seen in her vision? Was he looking for her? Did he leave Avristar? Did the elders force him to the ugly fate of being the Ferryman? Was she ever going to see him again?

  The questions went unanswered. Her lips were like rubber, she babbled like an infant when attempting to form coherent sentences, her words slurring together, her lips betraying her. She whimpered and gasped, growled and guffawed but nothing changed the way they treated her. They poked and prodded her until she was bruised and sometimes bloody and then they left.

  Injections were the worst. They burned from the inside out forcing an internal struggle in her paralytic state. She couldn’t do anything but let the pain run its course, let it burn out to her extremities until she passed out. Longing for Krishani was trumped by the idea of hanging onto consciousness long enough to fight whatever it was they were doing to her.

  Kaliel waited for the injection to take effect. She waited, her thoughts swirling, her mind braying for mercy. And then the glass door slid open again and the stench of him hit her nostrils. She didn’t need to think about it anymore, he smelled like the burnt tips of fabric combined with the hint of lavender. She thought it was disgusting.

  “Little flame,” he breathed.

  She had heard that voice before, in her mind when she was begging him to stop. He wouldn’t stop until she belonged to him. She felt like she had been thrown into the lake in the middle of winter, water stinging her skin as his footsteps paced around her. She felt him kneel at the crown of her head. His hand pressed into her shoulder and shocks ran through her body forcing her to seize involuntarily. Kaliel tasted foam in her mouth as she shook with violent force, the electricity running through her like a wild current. She heard something pop and his hand released her. She slumped, an ache mushrooming through her back.

  “I was expecting more from you little flame,” he mused as his footsteps recanted.

  Kaliel tried to reach out with her hands, she tried to protest, but she couldn’t do anything if he was going to leave her there. His hand smacked the interior wall playfully and her eyes widened. The orderlies rushed into the room, one under each of her shoulders, pulling her to her feet. Her knees buckled as her feet bent against the concrete floor. Hands pressed violently into her torso, forcing her to stay upright. Kaliel ran her eyes over Crestaos’s form. He was in black polished shoes, black trousers and a mandarin style jacket with silver buttons running down the left hand side. The cuffs were tapered with those same little buds of silver. His face was the product of dismay. Sallow skin spotted with tiny translucent red spots dotted his face. His nose was jagged and long, his cheeks droopy and his eyes sunken into their sockets. He had a high forehead and slicked back stringy white hair. There was a smirk on his colorless lips, and when he spoke, Kaliel noticed his black teeth and tongue. She cringed at the unseemliness of it and avoided his eyes.

  “I don’t want to hurt you anymore,” he said, dead pan.

  Kaliel still couldn’t find her feet; blighted in her paralytic state, unable to give him a reaction other than the one in her eyes, her shining violet colored eyes. The injections forced the flame to the forefront of her mind. It forced her aura to spark with the faint white violet color Crestaos was addicted to. She hung her head, not wanting to hear lies, not wanting to know what he wanted to do with her, what that mouth wanted to do with her. She would rather crawl out of her body than let him touch her.

  Crestaos snapped his fingers and like a marionette on strings, Kaliel snapped to attention. Her body stiffened like a board and there were aches everywhere. Her feet found the ground, and the orderlies eased up on her torso. “Follow me,” he said, turning from the door, his shiny shoes clacking on the concrete.

  Kaliel was still paralyzed, she couldn’t stride forward, nor would she want to if she had control of her body. The orderlies moved her stiff as a board body down the corridor after Crestaos, lights and shadows collecting in strips on the bare conc
rete. She couldn’t glance up to see where the light was coming from, and part of her didn’t care. She knew she was far from home, a prisoner in the lands of the Valtanyana, somewhere in the Avristyr quadrant, the Lands of Beasts. Her heart thrummed in her chest, threatening to push her into overdrive, but she tried to keep her calm. This was different than the days of cowardice torture, of neglect, of idle experiments. She wasn’t sure what this was.

  They carried her until they stopped, Crestaos perched on a ledge, and she was terrified. He looked over his shoulder at her and moved out of the way so she could see what he was looking at. The orderlies pushed her onto the balcony and then she saw it. Kaliel gaped, letting her eyes wash over the rushing rapids, the red rocks, the cages of rabid animals. Crestaos snapped his fingers again and Kaliel pitched forward, the paralysis wearing off in an instant. She fell on her hands and knees and retched. She wiped her mouth with her back of her hand and glanced up at Crestaos.

  “Why are you doing this?” she asked; her voice hoarse and raspy.

  He sneered and put a hand on the railing. There was movement, rocks sliding out of the way, and people emerging on the ledge of the battlefield. Kaliel pulled herself to her feet and peered over the ledge. Faces she didn’t recognize stood shocked. She scanned each of them, looking for something familiar until her eyes found them. Her whole body shook with tremors as she traced the contours of his face, the high cheek bones, the elongated ears, and the full lips, the hairy exterior, the wolf-like feet. She let out a blood curdling scream and fought to throw herself over the balcony. She didn’t care if she landed in the molten rock or if she died from the fall.

  “Krishani!” she screamed as the orderlies pulled at her arms and legs, an impossibly strong force clamping her back in place. Her head wobbled back and forth as she tried to comprehend. She couldn’t believe it. He took Krishani, he took Pux, too. Who else had Crestaos killed? Who else had he imprisoned? Who had lasted long enough to face the battlefield?

  Crestaos lowered his lips to her ear and she could smell the rot on his blackened teeth. “I want you to kill them.”

  Kaliel straightened her back instinctively. Her mouth went dry, her mind blanked, her heart slammed against her ribcage as she thought of the idea of killing her best friend and the only boy she ever loved. She couldn’t do it, she wouldn’t do it. She would rather destroy herself than destroy the only things she ever loved. She knew what Crestaos wanted her to do, let the Flame loose, let it encompass her until it crushed her. He wanted her to burn everything the way she had in the First Era. He wanted to watch her do it again and again and again. She bit back tears and whined against the pain as Crestaos placed his hand on her shoulder and familiar shockwaves rippled through her.

  “I can’t,” she whispered breathlessly as she stared at the edge of the balcony, unable to see the others gathered below.

  Crestaos lifted his hand off her shoulder and pressed his back into the railing of the balcony. He crossed his arms. “You have no choice. You’re mine now.”

  * * *

  The Ferryman + The Flame Guide

  Timelines

  First Era (Circa, 250 million years ago - 65 million years ago)

  The Lands Across the Stars were in their birth and growth stages, the Valtanyana was forming and gaining more and more power. The Flames were created by Toraque (Tor) of Avrigost, the final member of the Valtanyana. Aria, The Amethyst Flame and the other eight Flames fought against the Valtanyana and won, locking them away in Avrigost.

  Second Era (Circa, 65 million years ago – 5000BCE):

  Toraque (Tor) of Avrigost takes over as the High King of the Lands of Peace, ruling a Golden Age. Factions of Daed warriors rise up to oppose High King Tor, but without the rest of the Valtanyana backing them, they are nearly powerless. High King Tor gives Aria, The Amethyst Flame and the other eight Flames new lives. Aria is reborn as Kaliel of Evennses.

  People

  Kemplan (kemm-plan)

  The Great Librarian

  Kaliel of Evennses (kal-ee-elle)

  Aria, The Amethyst Flame from the First Era. She’s been reborn as a Child of Avristar, a second chance after all of the destruction in the First Era

  Krishani of Amersil (krish-aw-nee of am-er-sill)

  Kallow, The Ferryman from the First Era. He’s been reborn and sent to Avristar by his ancestors the Tavesin Family from Terra (Earth), the Lands of Men

  Pux of Evennses (puhx of evan-sess)

  A feorn (half man, half wolf) considered invalid, but in fact is a hidden genius

  Adoron of Amersil (a-door-on of am-er-sill)

  Child of Avristar, has lived on Avristar all his life. Krishani’s first elder

  Luenelle of Evennses (Loo-en-elle)

  House Master at the House of Kin, Evennses.

  Desaunius of Evennses (Dess-aw-nee-us)

  High King Tor’s former betrothed, originally from Tempia, fled to Avristar due to the wars with the Valtanyana. Kaliel’s first mentor.

  The Great Oak

  Located at the border of Amersil and Evennses, this tree provides guidance to all kinfolk from Evennses and Amersil. Could be considered a Spirit of the Land.

  Benir of Amersil (ben-eer of am-er-sill)

  Member of the Brotherhood of Amersil, loyal to High King Tor. Krishani’s friend

  Zulnas of Amersil (zool-nas of am-er-sill)

  Member of the Brotherhood of Amersil, loyal to High King Tor.

  Lord Istar, Sovereign of Avristar (iss-tar)

  Appointed in the First Era, is married to both Avristar herself and Lady Atara. Krishani’s second elder.

  Lady Atara, Sovereign of Avristar (at-are-ah)

  Appointed in the First Era, married to both Avristar herself and Lord Istar. Kaliel’s second mentor.

  Grimand

  Elder in Evennses, Pux’s mentor

  Sigurd of Amersil (cig-erd of am-er-sill)

  One of the Elders in Amersil. Benir’s mentor.

  Melianna of Handele (Mel-ee-anna)

  Daughter of General Handele, leader of the Armies of Avristar. Lady Atara’s servant.

  Shimma, Daughter of Lord Istar of Avristar (shim-ma)

  Witch, half human, half elven. Istar’s youngest daughter, grew up in Avristar, escaped to Nimphalls, Lands of Men, returned due to the unrest in those lands.

  Kuruny, Daughter of Lord Istar of Avristar (Koo-roo-nee)

  Witch, half human, half elven. Istar’s daughter, grew up in Avristar, escaped to Nimphalls, Lands of Men, returned due to the hex placed upon her by the humans.

  Kazza, Daughter of Lord Istar of Avristar (kaz-za)

  Witch, half human, half elven. Istar’s eldest daughter, grew up in Avristar, escaped to Nimphalls, Lands of Men, returned due to the growing unrest in those lands.

  Hernadette of Avristar (hern-ah-dett)

  Lives in the Royal City of Orlondir, feorn, servant, one of the oldest Children of Avristar.

  Mallorn the Kiirar (Kee-rawr)

  Fled to Avristar from Talanisdir, Lands of Immortals due to the wars with the Valtanyana. Kaliel’s last mentor.

  Wraynas of Orlondir (Ray-ness)

  Feorn. Son of Falnir of Amersil, lives in Hawklin, Orlondir, Isle of Avristar.

  Falnir of Orlondir (Fall-near)

  Feorn. Wraynas’s Father, former Champion in the Armies of Avristar.

  The Gatekeeper

  The voice of Avristar herself

  Davlin Tavesin, The Ferryman of Terra (dahv-lynn)

  Krishani’s predecessor

  Avristar

  Has been around since before the First Era, a living, breathing island. She is often known as the Female Spirit of the Land. In Celtic lore she is called the Dan, Bredan, or Dana.

  Avred

  Has been around since before the First Era, a living, breathing land mass. He is often known as the Male Spirit of the Land. In Celtic lore he is called the Dan, Bredan, or Dana.

  Kiirar of the Shee (kee-rawr)

  Nameless, lives i
n the Village of the Shee, speaks on behalf of Avred the Male Spirit of the Land.

  Ferrymen / Valkyries

  Children from twelve chosen families appointed to keep the Vultures/Wraiths at bay and send souls to the Great Hall. All chosen boys are Ferryman, all chosen girls are Valkyries.

  The Valtanyana (The Powers That Be)

  A brethren of eleven powerful kings and queens whose only goal is to gain absolute power over the Lands Across the Stars

  Crestaos (cress-tae-oss)

  Former ruler of Draconis, Lands of Immortals and Lord of the Valtanyana

  The Daed

  A group of anarchists from the Lands of Men, Lands of Immortals and Lands of Beasts. The loyal followers of the Valtanyana.

  The Flames

  A collection of nine weapons created to defeat the Valtanyana. Also known as the hand-crafted jewels of the universe, each of them is one of a kind.

  Lotesse, Emerald Flame of Innocence (low-tess)

  In the First Era she was a seashell, reborn on Nazole in Lands of Immortals, speaks all languages, versed in healing.

  Kaliel, Amethyst Flame of the Apocalypse (kal-ee-elle)

  In the First Era she was a girl, reborn on Avristar, versed in psychic, healing and transmutation.

  Tiki, Carnelian Flame of Healing (tee-kee)

  In the First Era she was a lantern, reborn on Terra, Lands of Men, she can absorb darkness, and is versed in healing.

  Clamose, Azurite Flame of Knowledge (clam-oh-se)

  In the First Era he was a crown, reborn on Nimphalls, Lands of Men, absorbs knowledge through touch, empathic.

  Cossisea, The Ruby Flame of War (caws-iss-see-ah)

  In the First Era she was a sword, reborn on Zanandir, Lands of Immortals, telekinetic, versed in combat.

  Shezeel, The Quartz Flame of Magic (sheh- zeal)

  In the First Era she was a wand, reborn on Zanandir, Lands of Immortals, mind control, possession abilities.

  Places

  Lands Across the Stars (See Map)