Earthborn Alliance

by Matthew DeVore

  Aleena agreed with him on that front, at least.

  Just then, Ethan grabbed his stomach and almost doubled over.

  Allison took his arm. “Are you all right? What’s wrong?”

  Ethan waved her off and stood. “It’s nothing. I’ll be fine.” He looked into Aleena’s eyes. That was all she needed to see. He looked a little green.

  “We need to keep moving,” she said.

  “Yeah, about that…,” Norman replied.

  Needa turned on her husband. “What now, Norman? Don’t tell me you’re going to try to stop her after all this.”

  Norman waved a hand at her, “No, no, nothing like that. I just think it best that Robert and I go and warm them up a little, let them know you’re coming. The Royals aren’t a big fan of surprises.”

  Aleena stared at Norman, anger beginning to churn inside her. The Royals were sounding less and less like Earthborn the more he revealed about them.

  She shook her head. “No, we’re going now. All of us.”

  Robert stepped forward. “We can’t all get in. The Royals will have to lower the barrier for us to get through, and they aren’t expecting anyone. If Norm and I go and request an audience alone, then we can explain everything and see how they want to proceed.”

  Aleena turned to Valaan.

  “I’ll stay with Ethan and Allison,” the Elf said.

  Ethan still looked queasy. She read his feelings and he was very concerned. She couldn’t quite tell why, but she had a good guess.

  “You may not be able to enter without them lowering the barrier,” she said, “but I can. And I’m going.”

  “Okay,” Norman gave in, putting his hands up and taking a step back. “Just be careful. They’re a jumpy bunch.”

  “I can handle myself.”

  “Of that, I have no doubt,” Robert said. “Let us know how it goes.”

  She looked Ethan up and down. “I want you with me. Can you make it?”

  He nodded.

  Aleena turned to leave the barn with Ethan in tow when Robert grabbed Ethan’s arm and whispered something in his ear.

  Aleena allowed her armor to enter combat mode, the color shifting to match the white of the snow around her. “We’ll keep out of sight as much as possible.”

  “How are we going to know how to get there?” Ethan asked.

  She pulled a small handheld device from a pocket that magically formed and then disappeared in her armor. “This,” she said. “I took it from the ship. It’s a mapping device usually used to help find your way back to the ship, but it’ll work for any Earthborn outpost provided it’s programmed into the computer.”

  Ethan shivered. “And you somehow downloaded the coordinates from the ship.”

  “Now you’re catching on.” She put a hand on his bicep. “Are you feeling better?”

  “I’m cold, but other than that, I’m fine.”

  “You can warm the air around you with magic. Try imagining a thin layer of perfectly comfortable air surrounding you. Focus on the feeling and then draw from your power. See it flow into the layer, heating to the perfect temperature.”

  Ethan closed his eyes. She could see the concentration on his face; then the shivering stopped, and his eyes opened. “That’s amazing.”

  Aleena giggled. “You’re so easily impressed.”

  “I’m new to this magic stuff, remember?”

  “Oh, I remember. Honestly, it’s hard to forget.”

  “Hey now.”

  She laughed again. “Now comes the hard part. You must keep the flow of magic at all times or the warmth will leave.”

  “How do I do that?”

  “You have to dedicate part of your unconscious mind to maintaining the focus.”

  “Again, how do I do that?” Ethan said, beginning to shiver again.

  “First, bring the warmth back,” she instructed, rubbing both Ethan’s arms as he began to shiver even more. “Then imagine a part of your focus splitting from the rest. Always maintaining the layer of heat around you, draw from your magic and allow it to sustain that part of your consciousness.”

  “So the magic will control part of me?”

  “No,” Aleena replied firmly. “Magic can never control you. You will always control it. However, you can maintain focus by drawing from your power like I said. You can always shut off the flow whenever you want. You’re in control. The power doesn’t think or act. It only does what you command it.”

  Ethan closed his eyes again and his shivering stopped.

  “Good, now picture the magic holding a small part of your focus.”

  He opened his eyes.

  “And?”

  “I think I did it.”

  “Great. Now hold this.” She threw the locator at him, which he barely managed to catch.

  “Hey,” Ethan said, his eyes narrowing. “You could’ve given me a little warning.”

  Aleena grinned. “Still warm?”

  Recognition flared across his face. “Yeah.”

  “Good, your focus held.” She held her hand out and Ethan placed the device in her palm.

  Aleena’s head dipped and she lined the locator up with the horizon, turning slowly. An indicator flashed to life and rotated around the central dot until it was directly in front of her. “This way. You need to cover the tracks behind us.”

  “And how exactly do I do that?”

  “Feel for the snow behind us. Try to feel every flake, piece of dirt, and frozen water molecule.”

  “That’s insane,” Ethan scoffed. “There are billions and billions of molecules.”

  “Just try,” Aleena responded.

  She stopped walking and turned to face him. They hadn’t moved far, but their tracks were clearly visible from the dilapidated barn a few hundred feet back.

  Ethan closed his eyes to focus.

  “No, don’t close your eyes. How will you see where we’re walking if your eyes are closed?”

  Ethan opened his eyes and stared at the foot-shaped depressions in the snow.

  She sensed he was beginning to feel overwhelmed. This little trick is pretty handy though. “Take a deep breath and focus.” She spoke softly, trying to comfort him.

  It worked. She could feel his tension begin to fade. After another minute, she noticed the top layer of the snow begin to vibrate. “Good, good, that’s it. Now move it over our footsteps.”

  The holes filled in, the surrounding white powder collapsing into the void.

  “Wonderful!” She sensed elation rising up inside him. “Now split that sequence off in your mind. The whole thing. Fuel it with your power, just like before.” She waited a minute until she felt he had it. “Now step back.”

  Ethan did as he was told. Each time his foot rose out of the snow, the footprint was immediately covered with powder.

  “I did it,” Ethan called out. “It’s working.”

  Aleena put a hand on his shoulder. “I knew you could.”

  Ethan stared into her eyes. She stared back. She’d never noticed the flecks of silver almost hidden in his sea of brown.

  Pulling herself away, she looked back toward the empty expanse where the base was supposed to be. “Let’s get moving, then.”

  She took a few steps forward and was happy to see no sign of footprints behind her. Ethan’s magic was flowing, and he couldn’t be any happier; it showed both on his face and in his emotions.

  They snuck carefully through town, avoiding the windows of the small, pastel houses. From the air, the town had looked relatively flat compared to the monstrous mountains surrounding it, but Aleena was surprised to find it was actually quite hilly. There were subtle rolling hills, but definitely not flat. At the center of town, an ancient fortress stood with a tower piercing the sky.

  “This place is beautiful,” Ethan whispered. “I’ve always wanted to go skiing at a resort in a place like this.”

  “Why didn’t you?” Aleena asked.

  “My mom. She didn’t like old Europe. I couldn’t ev
er get her to tell me why, but she refused to come here.”

  Aleena looked both directions across an ice-covered street. The roads were mostly empty. Lights shone from storefronts and smoke rose from chimneys, but it appeared most people were avoiding the cold.

  “What about your dad?” Aleena asked.

  “He wouldn’t tell me either.”

  They ran across the street and ducked behind an old wooden fence that ran along the edge of someone’s property.

  “I’m really surprised at how easy this magic is. What else can I do with it?” Ethan asked.

  “All sorts of stuff. Matter is what makes up everything. And you can manipulate it.”

  “Can I turn one thing into another?”

  “Eventually, but that’s a little tricky. For now, we’ll probably have you focus on manipulation.”

  They stopped at the edge of the fence line. Beyond, there was nothing but open snow.

  “We’re close,” Aleena told him. “The base should be just up ahead.”

  “Looks like you’re going to have to run for it.”

  She whipped her head around. “I’m going to have to run for it? You mean we, right?”

  “The barrier,” Ethan whispered. “I don’t know. What if I can’t get through?”

  She ran her hands down his arms. “Do you trust me?”

  “Of course.”

  “Then trust me now. I think this is going to work.”

  Ethan nodded slowly. He was apprehensive, she could tell, but he’d follow her. She was certain of it. “You’re going to be fine. You were able to pass the barrier in the cave. This one isn’t any different.”

  “Yours wasn’t invisible,” Ethan said.

  “Fine, mostly the same.”

  “It’s the ‘mostly’ I’m worried about.”

  Aleena leaned in close. “You can do this. I know it.”

  “We’ll do it together, okay?”

  Ethan nodded. “Together, then.”

  She took his hand. It was warm. His magic was still working.

  They stood up and ran into the open.

  CHAPTER 15

  Five yards. Ten yards. Twenty yards, still nothing. Aleena and Ethan kept running.

  Finally her vision went white, a tingly sensation running through her body as the barrier penetrated her armor and skin. It didn’t hurt or feel uncomfortable, just odd and warm.

  She pressed forward, Ethan’s hand tight in her grip. The white haze dissipated, and they stood on the inside of a great dome that reached far into the sky and arched above immense towers with sweeping clean architecture. The buildings angled and curved toward the sky, shimmering in the sunlight that pierced through the barrier as if it weren’t present.

  The snow at their feet was gone, a smooth, solid surface in its wake. A small curb ran the length of the pathway that boarded the barrier. Walking paths led off toward the base’s center, and vast gardens spanned the space between them.

  Home.

  Aleena was rooted to the spot. It was the only word that came to mind. She’d felt so lost in the world she woke up in, the only connection the stasis chamber she’d left behind. But this. This was something entirely different. It was… home. Elven designed and built, eloquent and technological.

  “Aleena?”

  She felt Ethan’s hand leave her own but didn’t comprehend it as she stared at the buildings.

  “Aleena, we can’t stop here.” His voice sounded far away. “Aleena!”

  But she wasn’t home. This wasn’t her home. Her home was gone.

  “Aleena! Someone’s coming.”

  She was shaking. No, she was being shaken. Her eyes focused on Ethan’s hands gently pushing and pulling her torso back and forth.

  “Aleena, snap out of it.”

  “You there,” an angry voice called from a distance. “Stay where you are. Don’t move, by order of the king.”

  Aleena tore her eyes from Ethan’s hands, her thoughts returning. She moved Ethan gently aside. Up ahead two men were running toward them. They had Elven rifles pointed at her and Ethan, their silver-plated armor gleaming in the daylight.

  “Put your hands up,” one of the men yelled.

  Ethan threw his hands in the air, but Aleena didn’t move a muscle.

  “You. Girl. Put your hands in the air.”

  “Aleena,” Ethan whispered. “We don’t want to cause trouble. We want them on our side.”

  “I won’t surrender to my own people,” Aleena replied. “I need to speak with your so-called king,” she yelled back to the men.

  “So-called?” Ethan whispered. “You’re going to start this by insulting their king? Are you trying to get us killed?”

  “Shut up, Ethan.” She didn’t turn her head to address him, as she had no intention of getting shot by some trigger-happy guard.

  The men stopped several feet back. “Put your hands in the air.”

  Aleena sized the man up. He had jet-black hair, rounded ears, and a build that clearly suggested he worked out multiple times a day.

  “No,” she said flatly. “You will take me to see your king, or I’ll take myself there.”

  “I don’t know who you think you are or how you found this place, but His Royal Highness does not meet with uninvited guests.”

  “Where exactly are you going to take us, then?” Ethan asked.

  “Where intruders belong,” the man on the left said. “The brig.”

  “Oh, that’s not going to work for me,” Ethan said. “And I’m certain that’s not going to work for her.”

  “Put your hands up,” the man on the right commanded. “I won’t ask again.”

  “Me either,” Aleena seethed.

  The men’s weapons slammed into their faces, dragging their arms along for the ride. There was a large crunch as one of their noses broke, and both men collapsed to the ground unconscious.

  “What’d you do?” Ethan asked quickly.

  “They’ll be fine,” Aleena replied. “I just thought they needed a little rest.”

  “Why are you so mad? I thought you’d be happy. We’ve found descendants of your people.”

  Aleena spun on her heels. “Elves don’t have kings, Ethan. No one should have that much power. And the Earthborn don’t hide. Earthborn fight. These people have cowered in this sanctuary with their tails tucked between their legs as the world burns.”

  Ethan placed his hand on her shoulder. She covered it with her own, her temper calming a bit. “Earthborn are honorable.”

  “I understand,” Ethan said.

  And he did. She could sense it. There was also anger buried within him.

  “I’ve lost my family and almost all my friends, but maybe some of them will help us. Maybe they don’t all agree with the Royals. Maybe even some of the Royals will help us.”

  She nodded. “First we have to get to the king.”

  “It’s going to be hard to convince him now,” Ethan said, staring at the men on the ground.

  “I have no intention of asking.”

  Ethan grinned. “If it was anyone else….”

  Aleena raised his hand from her shoulder and held it for just a moment too long, then let it drop to his side abruptly. “Thanks.”

  They wound through the pathways, avoiding as many guards as possible. The unlucky few to cross their path were quickly coaxed into an involuntary nap.

  In the center of the base, the largest building rose above the rest. Near the top, a floor encircling the tower stuck out, encased in a transparent hardened material overlooking the complex.

  Aleena pointed up to the overhanging structure. “That will be the command center.”

  “Isn’t that a little exposed?” Ethan asked.

  “It’s only used in peacetime. There should be a second command center buried underground in the lower levels. It’s used during wartime.”

  “So that’s where they’ll be?”

  “No.” She shook her head. “Anyone audacious enough to call himself King of
the Earthborn will want copious amounts of praise and visibility. He’ll want to show off his tremendous power, even if it’s only for the surviving generations.”

  She paused for a minute. “I don’t know how this happened, Ethan. But I’m going to find out.”

  “I’ll be right here with you.”

  Aleena peered around the enormous wall of flora hiding them in the adjacent garden toward the entrance of central base command.

  “Oh, Aleena,” Ethan whispered, reaching out and taking hold of her arm.

  She could sense unease within him, so she turned back.

  “Robert said something to me just before we left.”

  “I know. I saw.”

  He reached up and ran his fingers across the tops of his round normal-looking ears.

  She squinted at him and tilted her head ever so slightly to the side. Confused. That was the emotion he was having. “What is it, Ethan?”

  “He told me not to try going through the barrier.”

  “But you passed through just fine, didn’t you?”

  “Yeah, but he said something else too. He said only full-blood Elves and half Elves could pass.”

  She stared at him.

  “My parents weren’t Elves, Aleena. I can’t even be a half.”

  “Then he was wrong,” she said.

  “He sounded pretty sure of it.”

  “Well you’re here, aren’t you?”

  Ethan shrugged. “Do you think?”

  “I don’t know. We’ll figure it out though—together. You and Allison are all I have now. I’ll help you however I can.” She sensed his resolve return. “First let’s get inside. I have a plan.”

  Ethan nodded at her, and she peered around the bushes. “I can see two men just inside the doors. From there, we’ll have to improvise as needed.”

  “They’ll see us coming,” Ethan said.

  “Yeah, that’s unfortunate.”

  “Can’t you do something from here?”

  “It’s pretty far. Magic gets more difficult the farther the target. Give me a minute.” She closed her eyes and felt for the hum of the lights in the room and the electric and magnetic fields permeating the entrance. Turning her attention to the small pool of magic she had within, she pushed deeper into her core.

  Suddenly the small bubble of power exploded into an enormous reservoir. She felt like it was going to consume her, like she was falling into an ocean of unrefined turbulent magic.