Jitsu face pruned. “That was so long ago. How could you possibly still be alive?”
Seigie explained what had been done to her and how it cursed her with a stony longevity. The others listened intently as she described the fall of the homeworld, the accident on their escape ship, and how they were forced to take refuge on another world, never making the rendezvous.
“Everything she says rings true,” Vamel said to the group, his voice booming. “I have studied the trials of our ancestors in our sacred texts.”
Jitsu bowed his head. “Welcome home, Defender Weun.”
Zuri snorted laughter. “A tale she could’ve learned from texts she stole or simply happened across. You are not the only one who has studied such history, datakeeper.”
Vamel ignored the comment, causing Zuri to bristle in her chair.
The young boy returned to the dining area, his eyes downcast. “Dessert is ready, my reverences.”
“Thank you, Reb,” Vamel said.
The boy bowed and edged back out of the room, then eased the door closed.
“Who was that?” Allia said.
“A land-tender,” Vamel replied.
“Why did he say ‘reverences’?”
“Because he is only a land-tender.”
Mencari felt relief at the confusion in Seigie’s eyes. At least he wasn’t the only one that felt it was out of place. “What do you mean, ‘only’?” Seigie said.
Zuri turned to her, eyes curious. “Perhaps you aren’t the D’mar you say you are.”
Vamel ignored Zuri again and said, “Each is born into their own purpose.”
“D’mar never had such classifications of people,” Seigie protested.
Vamel looked on, puzzled. “This is how it has always been since our ancestors pledged to stay.”
“What pledge?” Mencari asked.
“When the ancients returned to the stars, our forbearers stayed, to wait for those yet to arrive from the great exodus,” Vamel said.
Mencari nodded. “How many have come since then?”
“Our texts tell us of a few instances after the original migration.” Vamel nodded to the plump fellow with flowing hair of silver splashed with gold. “Dozaren, another datakeeper, has studied them well.”
“You are the first in many generations,” Dozaren said. “But it is our duty to wait. The ancients will return to bring us home when they deem our task complete.”
“Why haven’t the … ancients come back for you?” Allia asked, her eyes guarded.
Mencari saw the weight of the question in Dozaren’s eyes. With a forced smile he replied, “Because, here lies proof before our eyes that our mission is not yet complete.”
“So you know where the D’mar ancients are?” Mencari asked.
“We have a way to find out.” Dozaren cleared his throat before continuing. “It is our tradition to do so only when there are true trekkers. Any other time would be a risk that the invaders could trace our people.”
Zuri sneered. “You mean like the little alien?”
A long moment later, Vamel swept his hand around the table. “After our celebration of your arrival, we shall reveal the path to our ancestors.”
Mencari nodded and continued to eat, but overheard the man next to Vamel lean in and whisper, “Do you know how to get in?”
Vamel waved him away.
“You mentioned some type of caste system here,” Seigie said. “Can you tell me more about it?”
“We are the datakeepers,” Dozaren explained. “We guard the knowledge of our people, and are able to show the way to those D’mar that come seeking the ancients.”
Vamel added, “You met Jitsu, Zuri, Uri, and Pentze in the jungle. They defend our world, and bring our kind to us.”
He motioned to the two women next to him. “The twins, Selia and Seima, are invokers.” Both invokers were tall, with large green eyes and svelte figures, remarkably similar in every way except their hair. The one called Selia had raven-black, shoulder-length hair, while Seima had brassy hair cut in a short, nearly boyish style.
“Invoker?” Mencari asked.
“They bring forth the abilities in our defenders,” Vamel said. “Strengthen them. With your abilities, surely you have an equivalent among you.”
Allia turned to Mencari. “Does that make Osuto an invoker?”
“By their definition, yes, I guess so.”
The far door eased open. Mencari saw Reb’s face peek through the crack. Fear filled the boy’s eyes as they locked with Mencari. The next moment the door closed tight.
“And what about Reb, and the others around us?” Mencari said.
Vamel replied, “The land-tenders gather the food, cook our meals, provide us means for children.”
“Sounds like slaves.”
Seigie shook her head. “I’ve never heard of that before in our culture. Never.”
Zuri scoffed again, and grabbed her own helping of the cooked meat.
“I have questions, Defender Weun,” Dozaren said. “You mentioned how Rhysus found you. That you’re all fighting the Nukari. The ancient Nukari?”
She nodded. “They’ve returned to this area of space.”
The former clinking of plates and glasses stopped.
“After all this time?” Dozaren asked, a combination of disbelief and fear splayed across his face.
“They’ve attacked and invaded many planets already,” Mencari said.
Allia leaned forward. “They’re hiding in a bunch of other worlds too.”
“The Nukari in our texts do not hide!” Zuri blurted.
“How old are your texts?” Seigie said pointedly.
“We’ve seen what their armada can do,” Mencari added. “But their approach seems much more invasive this time around.”
Jitsu said, “If the Nukari have returned, Defender Weun, why have you come to Luon now?”
“Originally, I wanted to find my people. Though I didn’t honestly expect anyone to be here.”
“But now that we have found our kind, if we can also find the ancients, maybe they’ll fight the Nukari,” Mencari added. “Combine our abilities to drive them back to where they came from.”
Zuri laughed. “You few weaklings? You couldn’t even handle me!”
“There are more of us,” Mencari said. “And we’re searching for others still—and with the ancient D’mar—”
“You’d have an army of defenders?” Dozaren said.
“An army of D’mok Warriors,” Mencari clarified.
Zuri chucked menacingly. Selia looked to Mencari, hesitating before saying, “As invokers, perhaps we can work with you to bring forth your skills? To help you fight.”
“Maybe you come with us? To help us fight them?”
Vamel and Dozaren exchanged glances; the others looked down. Then Vamel said, “We will discuss the matter. For now, let us finish our feast.”
CHAPTER 9:
Plagued No More
“I wonder how far away the D’mar really are?” Allia said to the others while they wound through another darkened corridor.
Vamel braced against two massive doors before he shoved them open with a grunt. Skylights created columns of sunlight, which beamed in the darkness of a seemingly endless expanse. Blooming trees and leafy plants reached as though desperate into the life-giving rays.
“What is this place?” Mencari asked, looking around.
Vamel smiled. “A place for reflection, and ceremony.”
They approached an elaborate archway of shaped stone. High at the top, the keystone bore the emblem of the D’mar race, punctuated by a smaller skylight, which illuminated it softly. Mencari swore Vamel’s shoulders rose with tension with every step.
They passed through the arch and headed down a set of gem-encrusted steps, much like the bridge that led them into the clamshell.
From behind were hurried footsteps. Glancing back, Mencari made out Dozaren’s round form in the darkness. Lumbering and huffing frantically he cri
ed, “Coming, coming. Sorry for the delay!” Dozaren held several foot-long, dark-colored tubes along with a jagged, black stone. Wiggling through the group, he handed them to Vamel and whispered.
With a smile, Vamel turned to the others. “Let us walk the path of our ancestors.”
Vamel fumbled with the first tube, nearly dropping it. Deliberately, delicately, he pulled out a parchment. Mencari looked on with disbelief. After being steeped in technology, especially given the marvels of the ancient D’mar, this regression shocked him.
The datakeeper squinted and tipped the paper, struggling to get enough light. Seigie took out a diamond and charged it, then held it out while avoiding Mencari’s glance of disapproval. Vamel accepted it with a grateful nod, then looked back upon the document, his expression grim. “On the frame,” he said with a motion to Dozaren.
The pudgy man ran his hands over the door’s surface and stopped on an innocuous spot. “Here … Here. I think this is it.”
Vamel lifted the chunk of rock and pushed it into the divot. It clicked into place and began to glow. He stepped back waiting with bated breath.
Mencari watched, quiet though his heart fluttered in anticipation.
Nothing happened.
After a moment Vamel muttered, “Why isn’t it opening?”
A burning sensation crawled across Mencari’s flesh. He shifted, uncomfortable, but assumed it was simply the anticipation of the moment, or a million other things on his mind. But the feeling continued to grow.
He felt a powerful, yet malicious presence nearby. Allia and Seigie exchanged glances, then looked to Mencari. They felt it too. It didn’t feel like when Nukari were near. He didn’t feel the pain of his migraines, which typically accompanied those encounters. But something wasn’t right. He grew more anxious by the second.
A dry twig snapped from atop of the stairs. Instinct took over. A brilliant golden light washed over his body and a ball of plasma exploded in his hands.
“Touchy, aren’t we?” If her patronizing tone didn’t give her away, the flame-red aura would have. At least his instincts were right. Standing bold at the top of the stairs, body beaming with that hellish crimson energy, Zuri added, “But feel free. I’m up for a rematch. Are you?”
Mencari felt his teeth grinding. His body wanted to unleash its energies, even if he knew it wasn’t the right thing to do.
She isn’t the enemy—but not our friend either.
She was simply a hostile ally, for the time being. He allowed his energies to wane.
“Didn’t think so,” she added.
Allia peeled herself from the wall. With clenched hands she yelled up, “You’re lucky Naijen isn’t here. He’d kick your—”
“Allia, that’s not helping,” Seigie interjected.
The girl’s face soured. “Well he would.”
“Having trouble getting in, datakeeper?” Zuri wore a cruel smile while she strutted down toward them.
“You have duties elsewhere,” Dozaren said, annoyed.
She pulled a palm-sized rectangular object from her pocket and held it out. “Any idea what this might do? Hm? Either of you?”
Dozaren looked to Vamel before returning his gaze to Zuri. She pushed them both aside and jammed the object into the center of the door.
Red streams of plasma flooded from the stone, jetting in patterns across the door. The very air around them tingled with energy. The ancient frame shook before it slid into the surrounding wall. Dank air rushed out, gagging Vamel. Allia sniffed fondly. “Smells like my cave.”
“How appropriate,” Zuri said without turning around.
Inside, a gentle light began to radiate from the walls and floor, revealing a corridor forward.
Zuri’s eyes pierced into Dozaren’s. “Do not forget who I am.”
He snarled, “A defender, and nothing more.”
She looked at the trekkers and boasted, “I am the daughter of the head datakeeper, and rightful heir to the position.”
Vamel said, “This is not the time—”
“Because of my abilities, I was forced to become a defender. And subjected to … less-worthy individuals.”
She motioned with her head toward the door. “Admit it. You need me. I’ve studied my father’s works and all the scrolls. You wouldn’t have made it inside without me.”
Dozaren sighed. “You should be on patrol.”
She tossed flame-red hair. “Jitsu, Uri, and Pentze are covering. We have our protocols.”
“As do we,” Dozaren protested.
Vamel placed a hand on Dozaren’s shoulder and said, “Very well, Zuri. Come with us.”
Dozaren’s jaw gaped, and angry lines entrenched across his forehead.
Vamel forced a smile and looked to Mencari. “Please come inside.”
Allia was the first in. Looking at the walls and floor she said, “A bunch of D’lasa’s buildings light up like this too. Must be common D’mar stuff?”
“Must be,” Zuri scoffed. “Anyone can say they’ve seen these things before.”
Allia looked back, angry. “Why are you so mean?”
“We are here to show trekkers the way home, not to expose our heritage to aliens.”
“Enough,” Vamel warned. “You’ve been allowed to continue with us. Do not force me further.”
She glared as Vamel led them onward.
Zuri then quoted from memory, “At the first doorway you will find the Treasures of D’mar.”
Vamel looked up from his parchment. “Yes, that is correct.”
They stopped at a door marked with a large emerald D’mar emblem. As Vamel reached out, it glowed before folding into the wall. He gasped when he stared inside.
Mencari looked in as Vamel stuttered, “W-what?”
Peeking around Mencari, Allia squealed in glee, “It’s a Thing Pile!” She dashed through his legs, Ichini close in tow, and ran to the top of a massive heap. Mencari pointed to the rim around the edges. “Looks like a big pit full of … of … like Allia said, full of things!”
“What is this?” Zuri blurted. “This was supposed to be the treasures of D’mar. This looks like junk!”
“Could the ancient manuscripts be wrong?” Vamel mused. “I … I expected artifacts of our ancients! Treasures left for us …”
Dozaren took the manuscript from Vamel and reviewed it. Allia scampered joyfully about, exploring the many wonders of the pile.
“Jewelry. Chairs. Furniture. Oh!” She pulled out a framed picture of an apparent D’mar family and turned it so the others could see. “Cute!”
Dozaren said, “We’re to ask if there are any items you’d like to add.”
“Add, no.” She thought a moment. “But can I take a few of these things?”
Dozaren looked to Vamel, confused.
“I … If you would like to,” Vamel said. “There’s nothing in the texts forbidding this.”
“Now the invader wants to pillage our most sacred site!” Zuri snarled.
Ignoring her, Allia cried out, “Good, thank you!” and began to fill her arms with various items. She half-stumbled down the pile, balancing the tower of items that filled her arms that, consequently, did look a lot like junk to Mencari, who rushed to keep her from falling under her burden.
“Why don’t you leave those in the hallway until we come back this way?” he said.
“As long as we can come back for them.” She placed them with care on the floor just outside the treasure room.
“Shall we continue?” Vamel asked.
Mencari noticed Zuri’s hesitant look down the corridor. Typically he didn’t like to see someone lose confidence. In this case, he allowed himself to enjoy the moment.
* * * * *
“Another misnomer in the scroll?” Zuri’s voice was a sneer. “Where’s the greeter?”
Seigie ignored her and approached a single console in the middle of the room. “This looks familiar—”
“Where have we heard that before,” Zuri spat, looking towar
d Allia.
What makes her so bitter? Seigie wondered while her hands gently touched the stony surface before her.
“It seems you know much more about these things than we,” Vamel said.
“Please accept our apologies for not telling you sooner,” Dozaren said. “Trekkers have not appeared on our planet in our lifetimes. This is our first time in here as well.”
“I see four crystals like the one I have embedded here.” Seigie reached out and touched one.
When nothing happened, she placed her entire hand on the sphere. Still no response. Allia came over and stood on her tiptoes to see over the top. “It is broken?”
Seigie lifted her hand and noticed her handprint in the dust. She blew across the surface; dirt and dust flew. Allia shrank in reflex, sneezing. When the dust dissipated, Seigie spotted a new indentation in between the other four crystals.
Could it be? Could it possibly be?
“This looks just big enough,” she muttered while she reached into her pouch and retrieved her memory crystal. She felt the heavy stares of the others while she eased the crystal into the slot.
All five of the orbs glowed slightly. Then they flickered, then nothing. A disappointed sigh escaped her.
Then they flickered again. A high ringing like vibrating crystal filled the room. In a burst of light, liquid fire flowed from the five gems, fire that filled crystal channels within the console. The streams of red and yellow plasma streaked down a central column and into the ground.
Seigie waved the others back, “I’m not sure what this will do—”
Before she could finish, crystal capillaries along the floor filled with churning energy. A blazing D’mar emblem radiated before the group. A metallic smell and a prickly static filled the air as a holographic projection formed. Above the emblem stood a young man in a military-style uniform, his familiar smile warm and bewitching. Seigie knew exactly who he was.
“That’s the same guy from before, Seigie!” Allia cried out, pointing.
“From my crystal, yes. Ves D’entri.”
As if hearing his name he said, “Welcome! I am glad to see members of the Alfaren team have made it here.”
D'mok Revival: The Nukari Invasion Anthology Page 47
