Nero
Nero shudders from the remnants of his nightmare. He buries his face into the hard pillow and wraps the ends around his head. What am I going to do?
“Hey Nero.”
He barely hears the voice through the pillow. Just leave me alone!
“Nero it's me. Come on, talk to me for a second.”
Nero rolls off his stomach and sits up; pulling the black hood that matches the rest of his clothes from his head. He stares at Natina from the edge of his small bed with bloodshot eyes.
Natina offers a small comforting smile. “How are you doing?”
Nero looks around at his cell. “I'm a prisoner here and I'm being dragged back to Sunta. It’s the end of the world!” Tears begin to well up in his eyes.
“It's not the end of the world.”
“It's the end of my world. The Erohsians will probably never let me go.”
“Did you forget about your friends?”
“My friends? What are they going to do? Do you think they care? Korbin's probably excited I'm gone.”
“Stop it Nero! You’re being stupid.”
Nero throws his hood over his hanging head and looks at his knees. It’s the truth…
“I'm your friend and the others do care about you. Korbin was one of the most eager to rescue you.”
Nero wipes his eyes and looks at her. “Really?” His voice comes in just over a whisper.
Natina smiles and nods. “Really. I can't say what, but just know we’re all thinking about you.”
A small smile teases the corners of his mouth and he visibly relaxes.
Natina peers around the cell. “So are they treating you okay?”
Nero shrugs. “I guess. It's really boring.”
Natina reaches down and picks up a pile of books at her feet. “Luckily I thought of that and brought you some books.” She starts handing them to him. “Here are a couple on artifacts Saraf let me borrow, and here are a couple on different Borukin Aether skills Grebson said you'd be interested in, and then I brought you one of my favorite books.”
Nero grabs the last one and looks at it. “What is it?”
“It is a true story about the last expedition to Bellicove Island.”
“I thought no one ever goes there?”
“And mostly because of this story.”
“Really? What happens?”
Natina smiles. “I guess you'll have to read it to find out.”
“Thanks.” Nero takes the books and sets them on his bed. He pulls the hood off his head. “So what's up with these black clothes? They're kinda cool.”
“Remember what I told you about the tattoos? They define the person, so the black robe is a symbol of removing who you are. It doesn't really work in your case but in general the dishonor is a powerful deterrent to crime.” She looks at him for a long moment. “Do you really think my brother was cheating?”
Nero shrugs. “It looked like someone was helping him.”
“How could he kill Madam Carason?” There is a knock on the door leading out of the cellblock and Natina turns briefly away. “That's my signal from Greb I need to go. The king and everyone are heading out tomorrow, you included. Since I'll be traveling along I'll try to say hi more often. I'll talk to you soon.”
“Thanks for coming.”
“Of course.” Natina lingers for just another moment before she leaves.
Nero sits back on his bed and grabs the last book Natina gave him, THE LAST EXPEDITION. He props his pillow against the wall, crosses his legs, and cracks it open.
*****
Everyone in the giant chamber gasped in surprise; everyone cramped around the edges and everyone packed in the staggered sections of seats. Even the three individuals atop the intricately carved, dark wooden structure at the head of the chamber couldn’t hide their apprehension.
These were the members of the Anterren Council and the leaders of the three dominant races: the large, dark skinned King Jarmim of the Borukins with white tattoos crawling up his neck and over his shaved head as though they were a crown; the small, light-skinned Dictator Ulis, of the Erohsians, who looked like a child compared to the king; and in the middle, the olive-skinned Madam President Derma of the Humans. All of them were covered by the dark blue robes of the Anterren Council with inner gold linings visible on the hoods hanging on their backs and the little bit of gold wrapped around their cuffs.
Under the high vaulted ceilings and at the center of the chamber on a small podium, a confident Borukin, with long dark hair running down his back, held together in sections by white strips of clothe, stood facing the council and bore the weight of all the stares in the room. His face had four white tattoos of Aether casts and his modest, pale green outfit moved gently with his breath; the only one in the chamber, including myself, who was breathing.
I watched as Dictator Ulis’s face twisted from shock into anger and he slapped the arms of his throne. “This is absurd!” The Erohsian yelled. “How dare you make a mockery of this council and waste our time with such requests. I shall have you arrested–”
“Enough.” King Jarmin stood and held a hand up to the Erohsian Dictator. “I will handle my own.” He turned to the Borukin on the platform. “We’ve known each other for a long time, Rolk. I would go as far as to consider you a friend.”
I looked at my husband on the platform and could hardly contain the pride I felt. He dipped his head towards the King. “As would I,” he said.
“If you were any other person, I would laugh at this request,” the King said.
“You're actually going to consider this?” Dictator Ulis asked.
“Before us stands Corusmin Master Rolk Arman, the only Borukin in the last 500 years to have come as close to the understanding of the Corusnigma as the Great King Temas. He has made it to the monoliths of the Moltrik, Icor, Pahzan, and Nesive Corusnigmas and I have no doubt he could complete the Ru Corusnigma if the Ruians hadn’t poisoned their land. His proficiency in Odo is second to none and he is capable of things people have only dreamt about, so if there is anyone who has the right to propose something no one has done, then it is he. All I ask is we hear him out.”
The human President Derma stared down on my husband. “I have heard from many of my own you are a sensible man, with honor above most, and bravery to be matched by only a few,” she said. “Because of this, I wish to hear you out.”
The Erohsian dictator threw up his hands. “As if we don't have anything better to do! Shall we invite a circus for the next meeting?”
The Human Leader turned to the Dictator sharply. “Ulis, the council has decided, so it will happen.” She held his gaze for a moment before turning back to my Husband. “Now Rolk, before I make any decision, I would like to know three things: what can you hope to gain with an expedition to Bellicove Island; how can you justify the risk when all previous expeditions have ended in disaster; and finally, why now?”
My husband dipped his head. “Thank you Madam for giving my wife and I this opportunity to present our case. We'll be sure to remark on each of your questions. If you don't mind me answering out of order, I'll begin with the last. Why now? And I ask why not? I believe this is a perfect time to make such an expedition. We are in a time of peace. Our three races have never had a stronger bond,” he held up his hands to the council and then to the chamber filled with a diversity of races, “which is shown by the presence of this great council and the people gathered here. In these times of peace and prosperity it is our duty as a civilization to advance our culture and ourselves. How is it we’ve been content for so many years with such large gaps in our history and of the world? We know very little of anything prior to fifteen hundred years ago beside that which is in the Book of Creation.”
“And what if that time period was censored for a reason?” Dictator Ulis asked.
“Perhaps it was, but we’ll never be able to avoid the same mistakes unless we can look at the lessons from history,” my husband said. “Which leads us to the motivation for such an expedition.
“The only sure remnants of the Lost Race are the six Corusnigmas scattered about the world and due to the extreme danger they pose we can barely scratch their surface. A large part of this is because we really don’t understand what we’re dealing with. We’re fumbling in the dark when there’s a banded Celequore ready to pounce; it’s far from safe and hardly ideal.” He paused and looked at each of the council members. “Now there are two other areas that haven’t been explored because of the danger they pose, yet we know there are certainly ancient ruins to be studied: the Tenebrous Miasma and Bellicove Island. If we were to unlock the secrets of one of these, then perhaps we’ll be better suited to unlock the secrets of the others.”
“But if they’re all so dangerous, then how can you justify proceeding with one over another?” Dictator Ulis asked. “The Tenebrous Miasma has been known to swallow entire ships.”
“The Tenebrous Miasma is another matter entirely. I’m not saying this won’t be dangerous, all I’m saying is if we can minimize the risks, the payoffs could be substantial.”
“And how do you plan on minimizing the risks?” Dictator Ulis asked. “This expedition will need to be made up of all our races if it goes, and no one will be as strong or as capable as you, so can you guarantee their safety?”
“I don’t want you to believe my talents and achievements have made me reckless, life is too precious to waste on the pursuit of glory and nothing is worth the lives of an entire expedition,” my husband said. “Being such, I only dare make such a request upon the foundations of a discovery my wife has made, so I’ll leave it to my wife, Nix Armen, to address this last point.”
I took a deep breath and stepped forward. “It is a great honor to present our case and I thank you for giving us the opportunity.”
“You and your husband have done the Borukins many great services,” King Jarmin said. “It is the least I can do. Now tell us about your discovery.”
I dipped my head towards each of the council members and took another breath to let my heart settle. “Of course. Anterra is composed of many different races that each have a unique set of abilities. Even though the Erohsians have different beliefs than the humans and Borukins, we all can agree our Creators made each race for a specific purpose.” I paused and noted the general agreement of the council members and the audience, which I used to fuel my confidence. “In order for the Creators to take advantage of our skills, they would have to communicate with us, which is why we all speak a variation of the same language with only a few exceptions, but what about the Ethnohaps? Why would our Creators make such a simple, xenophobic class of races that are incredibly difficult to communicate with?”
“There are plenty of theories on that topic,” Dictator Ulis said.
“There are, but the reality of the situation is our Creators wouldn’t make something if there wasn’t a purpose, and without communication, the Ethnohaps would be next to useless to them.”
“That will be a difficult thing to prove in so little time Nix,” Madam Derma said.
“I shouldn’t need long.” I nodded towards one of my attendants who brought forth a container he carried with both hands. I opened the lid and removed a glowing green sphere the size of a cantaloupe with yellow wisps of light that curled about themselves in the center. The audience gasped. “Have you seen its equal?” I asked the council members and then the audience. No one commented. “This was a gift from the Vasugian Ethnohap after we were able to communicate with them using this.” I took a staff with a crystal orb at the top from another assistant close by and tapped it on the ground. The orb, held in place by thin pieces of metal wrapped about its body, gave off a gentle blue light. I felt Aether softly wash over my face.
“This light has been shown to calm the Aquarian Ethnohap race and I theorized they were not unique in this matter,” I said. “When we brought the light to the Vasugians they were equally as calmed and we were able to learn a little about their culture. It was still very difficult to communicate, but the out right hostility was gone.”
“What does this have to do with anything?” King Jarmin asked.
“Well, we know from the few reports on Bellicove Island there was a Ethnohap race living there and is likely responsible for the immense danger. Why would they be any different from the other Ethnohaps? I think there’s a good chance they’ll react similarly to the crystal orbs, allowing us to explore the island with safety.”
“It sounds like a dream,” Dictator Ulis said. “You have no proof for the theory.”
“That’s true,” I said. “But there is only one way to find out. My husband and I would like to take an expedition to the island. Once we arrive we will go out with a small group and test the theory. If it fails, then it fails and there will be little, if any risk to the expedition’s safety. The entire expedition will be conducted with careful reviews of safety for everyone with each new discovery.”
Madam Derma reviewed some notes and then looked at me. “The potential rewards for an expedition of this nature are unimaginable.”
“So you’ve made up the decision for all of us?” Dictator Ulis asked.
Madam Derma shook her head. “Absolutely not, I’m simply stating my mind. It’s the decision of the council as a whole, which counts, as this will be a joint endeavor of our three great races. Rolk and Nix Armen we have heard your proposal and we’ll consider it. You are dismissed.”
*****
The bars on the cell door rattle and Nero jerks up from his comfortable daze.
Two royal Borukin guards with shaved heads are standing at the door. “It's time to go. The caravan is moving along.”
Nero grabs the one book he brought with him to the temporary holding cell and slides between the hulking masses of his two guards. They lead him outside where Natina is waiting.
Nero eyes the guard with Natina. Where’s Grebson?
The prisoner guards dip their heads. “Princess. What can we do for you?”
Natina steps forward with her chin up. “We've been on the road for several days now. Has the prisoner given you any trouble?”
“He is a non-bonded human boy. He won't give us any trouble for the entire trip. I guarantee it.”
“Just as I'd expect from you two. Now remember we need him in decent shape when we arrive so he can be presented to the Erohsians. Perhaps you can make sure to take him out of the prison truck and walk him every time we stop?”
“Sorry princess, but that's against regulations.”
Natina shrugs. “Suit yourself, but I hope you’ll be able to find new jobs when we get to Sunta and you make a fool of my dad.”
“How so? There’s no chance he’ll escape while we’re watching him.”
“And I have no doubt in your abilities, but if the prisoner is unable to walk during the presentation, then how’s that going to look for the king? He’ll be furious. Who do you think he’s going to blame?”
The Borukins eyes widen and they look at each other.
“You said it yourself. He's an easy charge. Which would you rather risk, or would you rather me fetch the king now so he can tell you the same?” Natina begins to walk off.
One of the guards holds up his hands. “No princess. Please don't bother. It would be wise to walk the prisoner under the specific circumstances especially due to the extended duration of the trip.”
Natina dips her head. “That is an excellent point.” She turns and walks away with her bodyguard.
Nero is lead to the four-doored prison transport vehicle and put in the back seat with his other books. Once the rest of the Royal caravan starts to move, they follow suit. Nero pulls out a book and starts to read.
*****
The six of us held on as our dinghy battled through the waves, hopping over some and smashing through others, all the while propelled by the constant whine of the engine. A steady breeze flowed over the island, channeled by rocky cliffs on either side of a small cove, where the tropical forest quickly swallowed a diminutive beach. The breeze kicked up white caps on the waves, spitting a fine mist that collected on my face along with the spray of our small boat. Salt water tickled my tongue and burned my eyes. Shaded by thick cloud cover, Bellicove Island perfectly matched the conditions expected for a place with its ominous history.
The small Erohsian leader, Seader, in a dark, skin-tight body suit and a vest of pockets tended the steering at the stern of the dingy. His eyes were hidden behind the visor of his combat helmet. “In order for this to work,” he yelled over the ocean and motor, “we need to have the Bellicoven Ethnohap fully attacking us before we try to activate the staff. It’s the only way to say for sure it will repel them.”
“Seems like that’s a bit over board,” said Onk, the human leader. Both he and his second, named Fording, wore the standard human military fatigues with short sleeves and lepisents fastened to their forearms. “Can’t we just turn the thing on and see if they leave us alone?”
“Leave us alone?” Seader asked in a caustic tone. “I would never have imagined a human turning down an opportunity to fight someone.”
“What are you trying to say Mini?” Onk snapped.
I slammed my bo staff styk against the floor of the boat. “Enough,” I said while eying them with a gaze that forced them both to look away. “Now Seader, what were you saying? I happen to agree with Onk that turning the staff on from the get go would be the best.”
Seader looked up and slowly started. “It’d be the safest, but our goal is to test the staff’s effectiveness and insure the safety of the entire expedition. If we turn the staff on when we arrive then there’s no way to tell if the staff’s working, or if the Bellcoven are just waiting for a good time to attack. However, if we can repel them from an attack with the staff, then we guarantee the staff will do the job we expect.”
My husband nodded with his dark colored, standard sword like styk strapped across his back. “That’s a good point.”
“Oh come on, if he’s so smart,” Onk said looking at the large metal container sitting at Seader’s feet, “then why’d he bring a rifle when we’re going up against a Ethnohap race that specializes in projectiles? It’s going to be next to useless out there.”
“It’s not a rifle,” Seader said. “It’s an Aether cannon and it’s going to change the way people look at Erohsians. We’ll no longer be helpless against all your Aether so you better start showing us some respect.”
“Ha! Can you even pick it up?” Onk asked. “I’m sorry I don’t find you Minis very intimidating when you look like a little child with a big squirt gun. Just leave the fighting to the ones that can.”
My husband grabbed Onk by the shirt and pulled him close. “Enough,” he said slowly with his deep voice. “The Erohsians are an important part of this mission. They have a role just like you. Don’t forget that.”
Onk fell back to his seat and readjusted his shirt. “Alright, I’m just giving him a hard time.” His face turned and he looked out to the island. “Can you hurry this thing up? I need to get on some solid ground before I lose my breakfast.”
Seader shook his head and turned his attention back to the approaching beach, which was only moments out.
My husband stood up and took a position at the head of the dingy, using his legs to absorb the undulations of the boat, and surveyed the area. “Onk and Fording, as soon as you can, form up a defensive barrier against projectiles and we'll fall in behind. That will be more effective and safe than relying on our individual amulets until we can assess their strengths.”
“You got it,” the two Humans responded in unison.
“May Stone’s courage flow through us,” my husband said, his voice rising over the waves and the engine. “Marks’ sword guide us, and the lost blood nourish us!”
Seader slammed the boat onto the beach, lurching everyone forward. The humans used the momentum to launch themselves ahead and it was just a moment before everyone else was behind them. Seader’s second, a small female Erohsian named Maizy, disembarked with medical gear. In both hands, she carried a detector that had analog meters and colored light bulbs.
“We're set and ready to move on your command Rolk,” Onk said with his eyes scanning the trees and his arms up. “We can hold this extended barrier to cover everyone for some time. I'll let you know when we’re pushing our luck.”
“Thank you Onk and Fording. We’re in your hands. Now if everyone is ready, let's move forward. Maizy keep me posted on the Aether levels in the area.”
The small Erohsian with her large medical pack moved the Aether detector around. “A bit higher than normal at about 225 milliSorvin. I'll let you know if it rises.”
We moved forward slowly. I carried my bo staff out in front of me with the blue light emitting orb attached at the top, ready to activate in a moments notice. Seader took heavy steps as he carried his fancy new weapon with obvious effort. We reached the edge of the forest and continued slowly inward for about 50 meters until my husband brought us to a stop where it opened up slightly.
“Alright, that's far enough,” he said. “I don't want to put us in too deep a hole if we need to retreat.”
“The Aether levels here are noticeably higher now. About 550 milliSorvin,” Maizy said. “It looks like it might level off though.”
“Thanks Maizy.” My husband turned to Onk. “Could you attract some company?”
Onk smiled. “Absolutely.” He looked at Fording.
Fording nodded. “I can hold the barrier for a moment.”
Onk put his hands together as if holding an invisible ball. Suddenly they were filled with a coruscating sphere of energy, with the light escaping through the gaps in his fingers. The ball doubled in size and Onk gently pushed it away from him. It oscillated like a water balloon as it moved away at a walking pace. With a flick of his wrist, it sped off into the forest and just as it traveled about a stone’s throw away, Onk clenched his fist while bringing his elbow towards his side. The ball of energy shimmered for a second and exploded in a bright violent flash that shook the trees and caused birds to fly away.
“Hopefully that'll do it,” Onk said and took his position next to Fording.
We waited for almost a half an hour until Onk broke the silence. “This is why I hate defense, I have no patience for doing nothing.” His head snapped to the side. “Oh hey, I think I saw something.” Suddenly his arms made the tiniest of movements and a shower of dirt splashed up from the side. “Whoa, those things got some zip. Stay tight, I wouldn't want anyone getting trimmed down.”
There was another splash of dirt to the side and I turned my head to just see a human-like shape hanging from the branches before swinging out of sight. Soon projectiles were zipping through the air leaving glowing streaks of light that looked like a crisscrossing of spider webs. Some would smash into the dirt while others sunk deep into trees with a puff of smoke.
“Alright, I think they’re attacking us,” Onk yelled over the noise. “So any time you're ready to use your little crystal thingy!”
“No, not yet,” Seader yelled. “They need to come at us directly. I want to see them react to the light.”
The projectiles eventually trickled to an end. My husband raised his styk. “Be ready,” he said in his deep voice.
My heart accelerated and I prepared myself.
A creature swung from a tree and landed on the ground only meters from us. In that moment I could see the intelligence in its eyes. Although it was human in shape it crouched on all four with a glowing tipped, dagger-like object in one hand. It's skin was covered in grime and moss hung from it's minimal clothing. Its eyes left mine and snapped to Seader and it was on him before he could pull up his weapon. They tumbled to the ground and my husband swung his styk with incredible speed and strength into the Bellicoven’s side, knocking it off Seader and sending it back among the trees. More of the Bellicoven swarmed us from above and all sides.
The smell of ozone quickly filled the area as the humans used their lepisents to release balls of energy that streaked through the air, leaving trails of popping Aether in their wake. The balls of energy would strike one of the Bellicoven, knocking it to the side or off of a tree with a small explosion, but the Bellicoven were quick to bounce back. Onk used Moltrik Aether that resulted in blue hued balls of energy crackling with electricity and Fording used Pahzan Aether that created balls that smoked and swirled as though a fire was trapped inside.
I fended off a couple Bellicoven and struggled to keep track of all the others preparing to pounce.
Seader scrambled to his feet, holding his side. “Alright now!”
There wasn’t a moment’s hesitation before I slammed my staff into the ground, activating the orb. A soft blue light illuminated the clearing and the Bellicoven immediately stopped charging and scurried off into the forest. Some of them in mid-leap, twisted in the air desperate to stop, hit the ground near me and immediately jumped back to the forest. Others climbed back up the trees, occasionally looking back but eventually they all disappeared.
“Hot damn that pickled my back hair,” Onk said. “Well if that doesn't prove Nix’s theory on the orbs then I don't know what will.”
Seader nodded, still holding his side. “It works for me, and thank the Creators,” he said while looking at a small amount of blood in his hand.
Maizy rushed over to him.
“So you approve of proceeding?” Rolk asked while sliding his styk across his back.
“I do,” Seader said. “But we really need to consider how to deal with this race. Just in case.”
Maizy stood up. “It's nothing but a large scratch. It looks like the new matrix armor took the blunt of the damage. They must have got you with some nasty Aether infused weapon because nothing else should have sliced through it like that.”
“All the more reason to make a plan to deal with this race,” Seader said, his voice a little raspy.
“Well let's get back to the ship and do so,” my husband said. “We'll take it slow exploring the island with the expedition so we don't over extend ourselves.” Something caught his eye and he pointed. “Nix, are those ruins?”
I looked in his direction and could barely see a crumbling moss-covered wall of old gray stone. “I believe they are,” I said.
Seader shrugged his small pack from his back to the ground and knelt over it. He pulled out a device with a strap and threw it around his neck, slowly standing up. “I brought the dater, shall we see if all this hassle is worth it?” He asked.
“Absolutely,” my husband said as he started in the direction.
Seader quickly scanned the ruins with the dater and after a few minutes the device beeped. “Wow, these ruins go back way before the Corusnigmas. They’re thousands of years old.”
Onk slapped my husband on the back. “Rolk, looks like you did it again.”
My husband grabbed my hand and squeezed. “It was both of us. Let's just hope by Stone’s fortune these aren’t the only ruins we find.”
“I have a feeling this is only the beginning,” I said, squeezing his hand back.