Sand swirled up where it had fallen, masking the shadow of a man in the plume. The shadow walked toward her as men within Gest shouted at it.
Ineal, Julieth realized. She landed on the desert once more, holding a hand back to instruct Da’ar to stay, and then walked slowly toward Ineal. When he arrived to her side he held a hand to her eyes, closing them. Only the wind made noise. The spirit of Solaris has done this through him so that these peoples will be forced to share what has been provided them, she thought. I must speak for Ineal.
Ineal removed his hand from Julieth’s eyes and she opened them to see many of Gest’s people climbing over the crumbled gate. “I have heard Ineal,” she walked toward them as Elias met her side. “He has destroyed your gate because the gifts given to you are for all. You will share the fruit and water of this land or you will leave it and journey to another place. There is no end to this bounty. It will grow and provide for all who hear of it and travel here.”
Elias approached. “My people will accept these and others who come. Give them time. It is difficult to change when for years we have been forced to defend what little we have with blood.”
“Then come with me.” Julieth walked past him, motioning for Da’ar and a small section of others to accompany them as well. “While your people learn to accept we will gather bowls of fruit to bring back to the lake and share with this starving flock.”
That night, beneath the veranda of trees, Julieth shared fruit from inside the city walls with the starving mass. They devoured it hungrily while being watched suspiciously by Gest’s people, moonlight glinting off their aimed arrowheads.
It is a beginning, Julieth thought. The sweet juice of a red fruit swam on her taste buds as she bit into it. From here we will build security for our world. We will build a foundation to heal and love.
Chapter 31
A sweet aroma wafted around him as Ivanus lay flat on hard stone floor. Thick fog gusted above. Through it, spearing down, were shafts of sunlight.
He watched, somehow rapt, as curls of fog swam and intertwined with each other. At times he would see faces, haunting faces, watching him cautiously before dissolving in the wind. It battered his ears as he lay still, and in the fog the dark shapes of wings appeared. He reached toward them as Julieth burst through above, wrapping her arms around him and lifting him into the sky with her. Ivanus’s heart raced but her warm body comforted him, her curves fitting against his form.
“How did you find me?” he asked. “Where are we?” He vaguely remembered being with Riad and the others, speaking with Shaun Dune.
Julieth looked at him, her deep eyes reflecting the stars. He felt so warm in this place, so at ease. She moved her lips to kiss him, and as their lips touched blackness blanked Ivanus’s mind.
*
Moments passed.
*
As light returned to Ivanus a vast desert expanse surrounded him. Warriors lay nearby, their armor burned and flesh dripping from their faces. Hollow eye sockets stared at him through the dead’s facades. Ivanus gripped for understanding.
He stood slowly, sand whipping around his fingers as they braced the earth. As he gained full footing a dark silhouette stood before him. Samuel lay dead at the man’s feet, a sword piercing his skull. Ivanus ran for the man towering over Samuel, breathing hard and shouting words he did not himself know. Then, just as he could almost make out the man’s face, Ivanus’s foot caught in a groove of the earth, thumping him against the ground.
“Ivanus. Ivanus, wake up,” a voice came to him distantly. “Ivanus…” He could feel someone’s hands shaking his shoulder. With a violent jolt Ivanus opened his eyes to sunlight and thrust away. “No!” he shouted, Bayne staring back at him. Hot sweat beaded on his forehead and his arms would not cease shaking. “No…” He turned, seeing Andral watching him as well.
“It was only a dream,” Bayne assured while stepping away from him.
But it felt real, he thought. Who stood over Samuel?
“Come with us.” Bayne and Andral walked from him. “The others are in camp discussing what to do next. You must have left us in the night in your sleep. It took us until the suns’ mid-rising to find you.”
He stood, following the boys a distance behind them. Unease pricked his spine and he saw moments into the future around him, seeking anything that was out of place. There was nothing though. It was as Bayne said; the others stood a distance away from them. Shaun Dune possessed the radiant form of a man.
As he walked Ivanus was struck by the distance he had moved while he slept. He had never done so before, and combined with the substance of his dream, he wondered what part the essence forming to his flesh had to play. What were you showing me? he questioned it.
There was no answer, and yet a burning in his chest as scorch lines continued to map there made him think somehow the essence bonding with him was displeased.
It is a necessary curse, one that is inescapable, Ivanus thought as he gripped his chest beneath his shirt and felt the searing lines. To see death, to constantly feel its approach drains the soul. And yet… and yet there is something freeing about that knowledge. You will not control me, whatever you are. He spoke to it in his mind. You are as much a prisoner of my flesh as I am of your spirit.
“We feared for you,” Riad said as the trio approached. Shaun Dune burned brightly beside him and Carcos kneeled, tracing a map in the sand. “We’ve been speaking. It seems Samuel knows we seek to confront him. He may well know what abilities we bring and even that Dune and his dragon have joined our side. The longer we wait, the more opportunity we give Samuel to attack or prepare.”
“But how could we approach him?” Ivanus kneeled, eying Carcos’s map. “We are not properly prepared.”
“We were not prepared to face the beasts beneath the ground, and yet we defeated them.” Sunlight glinted off Riad’s cybernetics, shining in Ivanus’s eyes. The borg stood, unmovable. “Carcos has begun remembering much of Samuel’s citadel, though he was being controlled while there, and Bayne’s abilities have grown immensely. With an extra push, Bayne could render Samuel unconscious and we could move to kill him.”
“An extra push?” Ivanus stood. “How? Surely there is no way to quicken the progression of his abilities.”
Riad walked toward Bayne. “Think. At first you fought against and did not understand your abilities. We all did. And in that time we were the weakest. What Bayne must do, what we all must do, is allow the essences to strengthen within us and trust them. We must let our apprehensions fall away if we are to reach a level where we can defeat Samuel.”
“And what might become by letting the essences take hold? We cannot trust what we do not understand.” Ivanus looked to Bayne. “Yes, we need to destroy Samuel and his reign, but at what cost?”
“At the cost of our lives if that’s what it takes,” Bayne spoke up. “We control ourselves, no matter what the essences do within us. We are in control. Samuel must be destroyed and I am willing to sacrifice myself if it means Solaris is free of his presence.”
“It is Bayne’s decision, all of our own personal decisions, and Bayne is the lynch pin to our success.”
Ivanus took a deep, hot breath, opening his mind to the knowledge that he could not stop Bayne from fully opening himself to the essence bonding to him. “Then what is the plan? What have I missed while sleepwalking the desert?”
Carcos pointed in the distance before them. “First, we must continue to approach the realm of Samuel’s control. It is a distance from us, but we must be careful to not allow ourselves to enter space where Samuel can possess our minds. Then, once we come as far as we can, myself, Riad, Andral and you will ride Orpheus’s back far above the land, above Samuel’s realm of control. Shaun Dune assures us that once he has taken his Dragon form Orpheus will carry us where we need go.”
The thought of riding a dragon gave Ivanus chills. It will be nothing like flying with Julieth, he thought. “And what of Bayne? We cannot leave him by himsel
f.”
“We must if we are too succeed,” Riad looked to Ivanus. “Bayne will walk on foot where we leave him, towards Samuel’s citadel, blanking the minds of Samuel’s army with waves from his thoughts. As he nears he will blank the mind of Samuel himself.”
“And what if he doesn’t?” Ivanus asked. “Samuel is extremely powerful. What if he cannot be affected by any of our abilities?”
“Then we will fail,” Riad’s stare was hard. “But we will also fail if we do not try. Death is death. I believe Bayne to have strength great enough to at least hinder Samuel enough for us to approach him. Once we believe Samuel to be wounded Orpheus will bring us to his citadel and we will sever his soul from the world.”
They ate a meager meal that morning. The fruit they had brought with them from Gest was now gone and so they were left with what remained of their synthetic replicated food. Riad heated a portion of their remaining stores with his mechanics before passing compact slats of the substance to the others.
“If only Ineal would have accompanied us,” Ivanus smirked and then cringed as he bit into it. It tasted strongly of salt. If sand had nutrients I would gladly ingest it instead, he thought while consuming it.
They walked through the day across the arid terrain, allowing Carcos to lead them. Sweat beaded on Ivanus’s forehead and as he breathed he noted the bitter taste of rust flecks in the air, something they had been mostly without since Kaskal. “We are nearing,” he spoke. “I cannot see Samuel’s forces in my sight but there are worn, rusted structural remains on the horizon and it would make sense for Samuel’s citadel to be near them.”
“Yes, we near the place.” Carcos extended his arm toward the distance before them. “Look where the land meets the sky. Samuel’s forces begin their guard there.”
Ivanus squinted. The suns were setting now and streamers of radiant orange and pink sheered the sky like blades, but there, where the land met the sky, he could see what looked like earth moving. “Why are there no scouts? Why have we not been confronted as we near?” he asked.
“Why indeed,” Riad’s low voice rose up beside him. “Yes, he is sure of himself. I assume he does not view us as a real threat, but I thought surely he would have attacked again, at least with scouts.”
“There are so many unknowns in this world,” Shaun Dune responded and startled them. He spoke distantly. “It is an advantage to us. Keep your eyes and ears open. Be ready for everything and we will use whatever advantage Samuel touts to destroy him.”
“Tonight we rest amongst the rusted hollows of the desert’s remains,” Riad spoke while looking to towering rust shards that stood out of the earth only a short distance away. “Tomorrow we take back Solaris.”
Chapter 32
Ivanus lay silently in the night, his back braced against the rusted metal of a shard rising out of the ground. His head ached with tension and his restless mind prevented him from slumber. What will tomorrow bring? He eyed his companions, each unconscious around him, all except Riad who paced nearby in anticipation of attack. Tomorrow our world will change forever. He closed his eyes, stretching his mind to the limits as he tried to see the future into the coming day. Sharp spikes of pain spliced in light surges through his mind. He cringed, quitting the fruitless error. If I were stronger, then I would have the ability to see further. He opened his eyes, staring at his hand where his fingers had been severed. But I could not prevent it even if I knew what tomorrow brings. His heartbeat raced. Julieth, he thought. Should I have stayed with you? Are you still in Gest? Are you still alive? Will I ever know the fullness of her touch? How could I have allowed myself to fall for her in a world like this? He lay for a moment, watching the stars, allowing his mind to go clear. As he began to count them warmth came over his forearm. It stretched down to his hand, searing as it cut down his skin.
Ivanus turned from the stars to look upon his own flesh. Raised lines of dark, boiled skin webbed down his arm, stretching fully to his fingerstubs. It is as if the essences slowly consume us. He flexed them and felt the full burn of his freshly scarred flesh. When my life is taken you will perish too. He spoke to the essence within him. Take me and I will find a way to sever you from existence as well.
Chapter 33
A low pulse emerged in Ivanus’s brain as he stood with the others, preparing to leave Bayne alone to face Samuel’s forces.
“Remember to direct your mind forward and allow the essence to strengthen,” Riad spoke to Bayne as the boy looked into the distance, fixated on something unseen.
“I understand my role.” Bayne’s spoke coldly. “May I have a weapon?”
“All you should need is your mind.” Riad placed his metallic hand on the boy’s shoulder. “If your abilities fail you then we will not be able to reach you in time and a weapon will do you no good. We need the arsenal we have for the citadel. The essence will give you the ability to succeed. Trust in that. Place your faith in it. If you doubt and believe in failure, then it will seep in.”
Andral came and hugged Bayne. “Be careful, brother.”
Bayne returned the gesture without emotion. “Stay alert. Watch.”
“Come, let us leave him to his task.” Riad turned toward Shaun Dune’s radiant light. “Are you prepared? Make sure the dragon will listen to us.”
“We have spoken within my dreams. Stand back while I change form.”
The overhead suns seemed to dim as the nova blaze of Dune’s form burned hot white, expanding and coiling upon itself as it grew in length and height, no longer the form of a man. Then, in a breath the hot light retracted, slithering black weaving over the form, popping and cracking as muscles emerged, covering with flesh and then char colored scales. The heat that had exuded from Dune left a chill in its wake and the dragon, Orpheus, breathed a spray of flame over the earth, its wild eyes searching them as the flame extinguished. “You do not control me.” The voice was guttural. “But vengeance will be ours.”
“You will aid us, then,” Riad spoke confidently as he approached the beast.
“It serves a purpose. Yes.” Orpheus crouched low to the earth, still towering the height of two men above them.
Riad reached an arm up, clasping its scales and hefting himself arm after arm up its back. As he reached its notched spine he stood. “What are you waiting for?” he shouted to Carcos, Andral and Ivanus. A moan came from the dragon’s stomach as Riad walked its spine and sat between two of its bones toward the base of its neck.
“We have a noisy mount,” Carcos commented while approaching and helping Andral find his footing. “Perhaps he still does not like us.”
“Perhaps he wants to eat us.” Ivanus smirked as a shiver ran through him. Carcos looked worried, as if he had not thought of it.
Ivanus watched Carcos climb, waiting until the soldier made his way toward the dragon’s head before placing his first hand on its scales. As he touched them it bothered him that they were cold, at least not hot like the heat Shaun Dune exuded. Their black forms flecked, ashing off as he gripped with the finger bones of his stubbed hand and then his other, pulling himself up the beast’s side. One of the scales gashed his palm as he hefted himself upon its back. He looked down at the scrape and the blood forming there. He hadn’t been focusing with his sight and so he had not seen the wound in his future. The feeling lifted his heart. To not know something before it happens, he thought. What release. Freedom. When I die I will find silence once more. In his future sight he saw how Bayne would begin his walk away from them… the look in his eyes. “Bayne!” he called out, watching the youth.
Bayne did not look to him, did not move.
“Bayne, take care of yourself! Today you do a great thing!”
The boy looked to him, silent.
Where has his youth gone? Ivanus thought, looking to the dragon’s back and watching his footing on its uneven scales. He sat behind Carcos, hooking his feet in the grooves of Orpheus’s scales and grabbing them with his hands as well.
“It is time we met
our destiny. Let us fly,” Riad spoke to Orpheus.
The dragon’s back muscles slithered beneath Ivanus’s body as its massive black wings extended, angling in the wind. He gripped hard to the beast as its wings crashed down, thrusting them into the sky. A burst of wind rammed him, almost knocking him from his perch and he found Carcos’s arm held out for him to brace to.
“More gently, Dragon!” Riad’s voice called out over the wind deafening their ears.
“You patronize me, mortal,” Orpheus laughed. “You treat me as a beast and yet expect me to follow orders.”
Hot air stung Ivanus’s face. He could barely keep his eyes open in the wind and squinted, looking downward to escape its current.
“Do not fear. I will take you where and how you wish to go.”
Ivanus clenched tight to the beast’s back, closing his eyes completely as they drastically changed direction, climbing higher and higher. Instead, he focused on his sight. He watched as Bayne would approach Samuel’s amassed army, felling them with his mind.
Chapter 34
Bayne walked for hours in the scorching heat, one foot in front of the other as the specks in the distance slowly materialized. His heart was steady. His eyes were open. He had no fear.
He focused completely on the essence bonded with him, listening to its voice and allowing it to fully join with him.
As he approached the standing, silent army, Bayne allowed energy to flow from his mind, grasping their bodies and holding them still. He searched for Samuel’s energy within them, clenched it, and as he let out his first blast he sensed damage to the Dark Bishop also. As the first wave of energy bloomed, flooding from his mind, hundreds of men dropped unconscious to the ground.
There was no movement as he continued, stepping over bodies, some lying as if in peaceful slumber while others had been gored by their own swords while falling. Blood flowed in streams from their wounds, collecting in puddles in the pocked land.
Bayne stepped in the blood as he walked, leaving red footprints behind him as he continued.
Soon he was in range again for another wave. He closed his eyes, sensing the army before him and bloomed out another flood of energy to blank their minds. In the distance he could hear men falling.