by James Somers
The Mithri were dressed in flowing white robes with breastplates that shined like burnished brass. They were wielding broadswords that trailed flame from the blades as they struck at the Agonotti. The entire enemy army was falling like dominos before their attack.
When the chariots had swept completely through the army and the last of the symbyte controlled humans lay unconscious on the battlefield and the last Agonotti was vanquished, the chariots, their fiery leore and their Mithrial riders began to dissipate from Kale’s view. The rebels, including Merab, Jael and Juli who was standing next to Kale, huddled against the back of his shoulder, were all bewildered by the apparent destruction of the enemy army under the invisible wave that had swept through the valley. They could see Grod and Wynn jogging toward them with the same expression on their faces—Kale, alone, had seen the truth.
When the vision had completely faded, Juli was startled by Aija the prophet suddenly standing next to them. Kale turned to see the prophet—he couldn’t help but smile at his reappearance.
“Aija, did you see what happened?!” asked Kale excitedly.
“I did indeed.”
“I remembered what you had said before leaving us; about praying when hope seemed lost.”
“As I knew you would. You have become the fulfillment of the prophecy of the empty hand.”
The truth of the scripture and how it had transpired, hit Kale with sudden realization. He had never expected that Elithias would use him to fulfill the prophecy.
Aija put his hand firmly on Kale’s shoulder saying with a grim tone, “Young master, your father needs you.”
The smile was snatched from Kale’s face. “What do you mean? Where is my father?”
Aija leaned in closer to the young man’s face. “The time of his journey has come. Don’t delay,” he said, and he swept his robed arm out toward their crippled ship near the base of the mountain.
A pale mask covered Kale’s face as he understood the prophet’s words. Kale bolted away toward the Equinox. He muttered a prayer over and over as he ran with all speed. “Please, Lord, don’t let him die before I can see him…. Please don’t let him die before I can see him….”
Kale covered the distance with surprising speed—the others, following after him, had not been able to keep up with him. When he arrived on the scene, he first noticed the light coming from the shattered bridge window, and then he saw Emil lying on the ground. His friend was moaning and trying to move. Kale went to him, speaking to Emil saying, “Are you alright? Emil, can you hear me?”
He moaned again and appeared barely conscious. The sunlight was beginning to break through the dissipating storm clouds and Kale could see that Emil’s face was a mass of edema. Blood trailed from his nose and mouth and both of his eyes were swollen shut. In Kale’s mind he sensed his friend had sustained multiple facial fractures, but his airway was patent and with proper medical care he would most likely make a full recovery. Then he saw him, in the short grass nearly twenty feet away.
Kale stood watching the figure lying there in the grass; it was his father. He wanted to run to him and at the same time run away from the awful sight of seeing what had happened, but his legs were frozen in fear of what he was going to find. Grod was suddenly at his side and kneeling to examine his son, Emil. Wynn was approaching and the others weren’t far behind.
Kale made himself move. He walked cautiously toward his father’s body; praying in his mind that the man would suddenly move and get up unharmed, but it didn’t happen. When Kale reached him, he knelt down beside of him. He was still breathing and Kale’s mind raced with the possibility that Aija was wrong about his father leaving this world, but faith and growing experience kept telling him it wasn’t true.
Kale rolled his father from his side to his back carefully. When he was at rest in that position, Tiet shuddered and his eyes opened and sought out his son’s face.
His voice was strained as he asked, “Kale?”
“Yes, Father, I’m here.”
Tiet’s face was bruised heavily on one side and the eye was swollen shut. He was hemorrhaging from both of his ears, his nose and his mouth. His good eye found Kale’s face as he continued to try and speak saying, “I think I lost this fight, eh, son?”
The boy in him was welling up—Kale may have passed the trials of manhood, but this anguish was more than he could contain. Tears began to flow down his cheeks.
“How did we fair against the others?”
“We won, Father,” Kale choked upon the words. “The Lord Elithias gave us a great victory.”
Tiet tried to smile. Then he turned his attention just beyond Kale saying, “Oh, how beautiful it is…. Yes, Lord, I do want to go….”
Kale looked over his shoulder, following his father’s gaze. He expected to find Wynn standing there, but there was no one. “What do you see, Father?”
“He’s coming with your mother for me,” said Tiet with a peaceful smile. “He’s coming—“
And then, Tiet Soone was gone.
Kale laid his head down on his father’s chest and put his arms around his battered body. This would be his last opportunity to hold the man in this life. The others maintained a respectful distance, but all were saddened by the passing of their king.
Then a voice was heard from inside the Equinox saying, “Mirah! Are you there?”
Kale got up and leapt to the shattered bridge window of the ship and went inside. Wynn followed the youth into the ship. They found Mirah on the floor of the bridge. Her eyes were open and lifeless. “That’s what Father meant,” said Kale. “He said the Lord was coming for him with my mother.”
Wynn squeezed Kale’s shoulder; a gesture meant to express his sorrow for himself and Kale at the death of his parents. They heard the voice again coming from back in the ship somewhere, it was Ramah. The two Barudii warriors proceeded cautiously, in case Lucin was still on board. Kale held a kemstick hilt in his hand, hoping he would find his parent’s murderer still onboard. Mithri or no, Kale wanted vengeance.
They got as far down the corridor as the infirmary. When they opened the door, they found Ramah inside still confined to her bed. She was safe, but frightened. “Kale, what happened?” she asked. “Your mother went to the bridge to see what was happening and then I heard gunfire. She never came back. Is she alright?”
Kale didn’t answer her question. “Ramah, did you see anyone else onboard?”
“I heard heavy footsteps in the corridor after the gunshot, but they went past without coming in here.”
The two warriors looked at each other and Wynn voiced their insight. “The transgate?”
“Stay here, Ramah,” said Wynn and the two headed back out of the room and down the corridor toward the transgate control room.
“Is Emil safe?” she called after them.
Kale and Wynn opened the transgate chamber door cautiously and moved in with their weapons ready for anything. A quick survey of the room from top to bottom assured them that it was empty, but the control board was active.
Upon inspection, they found that someone had just made a jump. “It looks like Lucin escaped through the gate. He has jumped to planet Demigoth,” said Wynn.
The scriptures came alive in Kale’s mind; it’s coming to pass just like the Logostus says.
“Of course,” said Kale in a whisper.
“What is it?”
“Demigoth is where Elithias is supposed to come the second time with his redeemed ones to establish his universal kingdom of peace, according to the prophecies,” said Kale.
“What do you want to do?” asked Wynn.
Kale was surprised by the question. He wasn’t used to being asked by his elders what course of action they should take, but he realized Wynn was now addressing him not as his pupil, but as his king.
“We can do little right now,” said Kale. “Let’s take care of our wounded and regroup. It will take everything we’ve got to go after Lucin.”
His words show wisdom, thought Wynn
. The two headed back out of the chamber to assess the damages to their people and take care of Emil and Ramah. Kale tried to fight his emotions, he was going to have to bury his parents and truly become a Barudii warrior.
TWENTY-THREE
AIJA stood with Kale next to the newly prepared gravesites for Tiet and his wife. The whole company of soldiers that had survived the battle was assembled for the funeral of the king. Those that had been led there by Lucin under the domination of his mind-bending parasitic symbyte seed had been freed by the same Mithrial cavalry that had destroyed the Agonotti. There were far fewer rebel soldiers among the congregation, but some had survived.
Kale stood silently as Aija spoke to those assembled. It was very odd to him; he felt nothing. Only being near to the beginning of his fourteenth year, he had expected to be more emotional about all that had happened and especially the reason for their being gathered here. His parents were gone, but at the same time, he knew that they really weren’t. Had he only had hope of them living on in his memory alone, he would have been sobbing at this point. But he had the assurance from a prophet of Elithias that his parents were now safe in His arms—there was no reason to weep for them.
Kale was only half listening to what Aija was saying to the people. He was looking at the graves where his parent’s mortal bodies had been placed. Kale was wondering what they must be feeling now, for the Logostus was plain that believers would receive a new body to dwell in. His father had been seriously wounded when he had come looking for his son on this planet the first time. Lucin had used Kale to nearly kill the king during his rescue attempt. Those injuries had continued to plague his father ever since. Now, he would be free from all of it and enjoying a body that could not be pained or suffer death—these thoughts were far more comforting than the words being spoken by the prophet.
One thought was heavy on Kale’s mind. Without a king, this army would need new leadership. He was the natural choice, but would the people want him? And once they were settled on that matter, there would be the issue of Lucin himself. The Mithrial-man had escaped. A careful search of the Logostus showed it to be in the plan of Elithias after all. This army would have to face the Wicked one again.
When Aija was done speaking, he nodded to Kale. It was time for him to give the final farewell gesture. Kale stepped between the freshly covered graves of his father and mother and gathered a handful of dirt from the top of each one. When Kale stood again, he cast both handfuls to the wind and said, “The Eternal One took man from the ground and to the ground he must return, but the faithful shall dwell in the house of the Elithias forever.”
A cascade of “Alum” swept quickly through the crowd and the service was concluded.
Kale looked at Aija and asked, “What do we do now?”
“The people God has assembled here must confront Lucin on Demigoth. You must be the one to lead them.”
Kale had thought that was what he was going to say.
☼
THE constant low pitch hum of the large Vorn Cruisers stretched across the entire plateau. It had been a full week since the burial of King Tiet Soone and his wife Mirah down in the valley of Sayir and thousands of people were gathered to be a part of the ceremony taking place today. The majority of those in attendance had been under the direct control of Lucin, only days before, but Elithias had freed them completely from his influence, cleansing their minds and bodies of the symbyte organism.
Only about half of the rebels that had assembled for battle in the valley remained alive. Captain Viche was among them and his ship, The Maelstrom, was in a line among other vessels including the few remaining rebel ships and the abundant number of troop transports Lucin had used to carry all of the mentally enslaved Castillians to the planet in. The wall of ships stood proud behind those congregated for the coronation of the new Barudii king.
Kale watched the crowd below from his seat inside the shuttle. He was nervous about what was about to take place in the ceremony. Not since King Isic, had one so young been anointed as the king of the Barudii. Few people were onboard the shuttle with him: Wynn, Grod, Juli, Ramah, Emil and Aija the prophet, who sat directly across from Kale’s seat. The prophet carried a horn of special oil that was dangling from a cord on the belt of his robe.
“It’s alright to be nervous,” said Juli, sitting in the seat next to Kale.
“Of course it is,” added Aija. “This is one of the greatest days in your life, young master.”
Kale looked at them kindly, but did not speak. His mind was still on his parents. He had never expected to lose them in this war. The trials were meant to show one was ready for independence and responsibility, but Kale had never expected all of this to be thrust upon him so suddenly. And he missed his mother and father terribly.
“Your father and mother would be very proud of you,” said Juli. “And I’m proud of you.”
“You know what I’m going to say,” said Aija.
“Yes…but maybe you should tell me anyway,” said Kale.
“Your mother and father are safe with Elithias now. It’s perfectly alright to miss them, but don’t pity them. They’re better off than any of us.”
Kale and Juli looked at the prophet, taking in his words. They may have been cold and hard, but they were truth.
“Do you remember what your father said just before he died?” asked Aija. “He said, ‘yes, Lord, I do want to go.’ Tiet was ready to go and be with Elithias.”
“I know what you’re saying, Aija. I just don’t know if I’m ready to handle this kind of responsibility.”
“The will of The Eternal One must be accomplished and you are his chosen vessel,” said Aija.
“And I want to be that, but—“
“No. There is no ‘but’. You are his chosen and the Lord knows what he is doing. If he has chosen you then he will prepare you for the work.”
“And exactly what is that work?” asked Juli.
Grod and Wynn leaned into the conversation from their seats across the aisle.
“We have to go to Demigoth, the Vorn home-world,” said Kale.
“Exactly,” continued Aija. “This army has been assembled according to the prophecies. You must lead them to Demigoth where Lucin has retreated.”
“But he went through the transgate,” said Wynn. “Do we all follow him through the gate?”
“No. You will need your ships for this battle,” said Aija. “So, my young king, how do we proceed?”
Kale thought about it for a moment. “It will take approximately a month to get our cruisers all the way to Demigoth, but we need to know what’s going on there before that time. We should send a covert team through the gate as soon as possible to ascertain the situation and precede the fleet. We’ll need to know what we’re walking into.”
“Very good,” said Aija. “Then that is how we shall proceed.”
The shuttle touched down before the congregation of Castillian and rebel soldiers. Kale and the others disembarked and headed for an informal platform. Kale and Aija ascended the modest riser alone.
Aija stood before the people to address them and said, “The Lord Elithias has freed you from the control of Lucin and has caused you to be assembled here this day to witness the anointing of a new Barudii king. If you will turn from yourselves to serve Elithias, then let every person make his own choice to surrender their hearts by the pajet.”
The prophet turned to Kale and removed the horn of oil from the leather cord at his waist. Aija removed the cork from the end and held the horn aloft. He poured the contents over the head of Kale, saying, “As the Lord’s anointed over this people, I charge you in his name to go forward and serve Him with all of the strength he gives you.”
“I accept the Lord’s charge,” said Kale confidently.
A growing wave of praise began to sweep through the thousands of people assembled on the plateau. The shouts of joy grew until it became a deafening thunder. The oil flowed over Kale’s head and dripped down over his body and he
felt a peace washing over him unlike anything he had known before—Father would be proud.
☼
A week’s time elapsed as certain scientists and technicians from among their army went about the task of transferring the transgate technology over to a cargo hold onboard Captain Viche’s large warship, the Maelstrom. The Equinox was too badly damaged and its power source too unstable to maintain the equipment and they needed it. Kale and Wynn were the only Barudii warriors left and the task of reconnaissance would be theirs on planet Demigoth. Whatever Lucin was doing on that world, they needed to know about it before they engaged him again.
Demigoth was still a well populated world and the exclusive home of the Vorn clan. It was unknown what kind of a reception they would receive from the natives when they arrived, but Wynn was anticipating a hostile one. “After all,” he said, “The Vorn military still have a presence there and they were not a part of the peace that was reached between the Vorn civilians on Castai and King Tiet.
Kale checked over his supplies and the weapons on his uniform one last time. Wynn was ready also and it was time to go.
“Grod, we’ll wait two weeks before we signal you,” said Kale.
“We’ll be there,” said Grod.
“I still say I should be going with you,” said Emil. His face was looking much better after the surgery aboard one of the Vorn cruisers.
“And you would be if I didn’t know what kind of injuries you were recovering from. Another week of osteoblast therapy and you’ll be as good as new, but you need that week,” said Kale.
“Well—“
Grod put his hand on his son’s shoulder and said, “Besides, I need you here to help me do the transgate installation aboard one of the cruisers.”
