The Xenoworld Saga Box Set

by Kyle West

  There was one change that was welcome, however. For the first time in what seemed ages, my sleep was dreamless and peaceful.

  A WEEK AFTER OUR VISION in the reversion, Isandru called me to his office. When I went into the Hall of Elders, through the museum, and knocked on his door, I was admitted only to find Isaru and Fiona already there.

  I shut the door and walked across the plush carpets. Everything in Isandru’s office took on a new meaning in light of what I knew. All the strange instruments on his desk must have been artifacts from Hyperborea, his long-lost home. All of the art, the rich rugs, the books, and even that grandfather clock, had probably been passed down in his family – the Hyperborean royal family –for generations.

  Just being here, with the others, made every doubt that it was all some crazy dream go away.

  “Let’s get started,” Isandru said. “I trust each of you have said nothing about what you’ve learned?”

  Everyone shook their head silently.

  “Not that any would believe you. We are the only four in the entire world who know the truth, and because of that, we have a hard road ahead of us. I’m still working tirelessly to make sense of everything you were shown.”

  “What does this mean, going forward?” I asked.

  Isandru blinked his gray eyes. “That’s why we’re all here, Shanti. Our first task is to discover Anna’s history. Though I’m old, even I don’t know anything regarding the location of the Prophecy of Annara. I was born during Hyperborea’s twilight, early in the Third Century, in the midst of the terrible war that destroyed us. But even then, it was believed that the Prophecy foretold the Second Darkness, only at the time, we believed we were living it.”

  “There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask,” Fiona said. “If I may.”

  Isandru nodded.

  “You’ve told me about Aether...I found out a little about it in the library, on the second floor. According to what I’ve read, it destroyed all who used it when it could no longer be made.” Fiona paused. “How is it that you survived?”

  “You also said there was a war, with the Shen,” Isaru put in. “Are you talking about those same people who live in California today?”

  Isandru was quiet, as if he didn’t know which question to answer first. Finally: “It’s true that I’m the only one to have survived. When the shining towers winked out for the final time, I was fifteen years old. Even if the royal children then were given Aether to enhance the development of their Gifts, it was not to the same extent as adults. While it has granted me an unnaturally long life, I did not suffer from the Wasting – the disease that took hold for those who were hopelessly addicted. I think that is the only reason I survived, but even then...my recovery took decades. One thing is clear: I am not immortal. Indeed, I feel as if my time might be coming soon. I’ve felt thus for years, now, but I’ve been holding on, if only to see the fulfillment of my prophecy.”

  “What really happened in those final days?” I asked.

  He looked at me, and from the look in his eyes, I wish I hadn’t asked. “Suffice it to say – as I’ve said before – it’s best left in the past. They were the darkest times in our history. As for the Shen...yes, they are the same people, though their power today is greatly reduced. But the history of the Fallen City is not what we’re here to discuss...at least for the moment. Shanti, have you had any more dreams?”

  “No. Everything has been quiet.”

  “The same for me,” Fiona said.

  “We have discovered the Seekers’ true purpose,” Isandru said. “We have found Anna, or at least, we have found her reincarnation. Her memories, however, are still barred to us.”

  “The Wanderer said that the weakening of the Sea of Creation led to my lack of memory,” I said. “I think that’s why Anna came back as a baby rather than fully grown...”

  “Perhaps so,” Isandru said. “If that’s the case, then it is my house that is responsible. The Hyperboreans were the cause of nearly every ill in the Wild today. The destruction of the Sea of Creation weakened the Xenofold to the point where reversions became commonplace. It caused the Sundering of the Dragons, late in the Second Century. I have kept these things hidden so as to hide my true identity, because such knowledge has all but passed from the world. Until the Sea is healed...if such a thing is even possible...reversions will continue to plague the Wild. I have seen their growing intensity in recent years, so there may not be much time left. Anna’s return suggests that the Second Darkness...Xenofall...draws near.”

  So many questions ran through my mind. Where had Isandru lived before he came to the Sanctum? How had he been able to hide his age for so long? He was nearing two hundred years old, an incomprehensible age.

  “Does anyone know where the Prophecy might be?” Fiona asked.

  “It could be anywhere,” I said. “But I suppose Colonia would be the first place to look.” I paused. “There’s also the matter of my parents. I need to know for certain if this is who I truly am. If anyone knows where I came from...it’s them.”

  Isandru nodded. “You aren’t strong enough to return to Colonia yet, Shanti. Neither is Isaru. Even Fiona, I wouldn’t risk. If you were ever recognized, you wouldn’t be able to defend yourself. That is a risk we cannot afford.”

  “It’s a place we must go at some point,” I said.

  “If you are truly Anna, then your blood is of perfect purity. All Twelve Gifts of the Elekai are waiting for your mastery. Though you have Anna’s blood, perfection of those Gifts will still take time.” Isandru paused. “I also can’t show any favoritism. You must continue your normal duties so as not to arouse suspicion. Isaru, too, is unusually strong in the blood. Most, if not all of the Twelve Gifts, can be mastered by him as well, and Fiona is almost as strong.”

  “So for now, it’s just preparation,” I said. “When will I be strong enough to return?”

  Isandru shrugged. “One year. Perhaps two. There is no way of knowing.”

  “That’s too long,” I said. “If the Second Darkness is truly so close...”

  “We will not remain idle during this time,” Isandru said. “The prophecy I gave so long ago has at last been fulfilled. It is time for my plan to be set in motion, the plan I’ve been waiting a lifetime to enact. And the first part of that plan is finding the Prophecy of Annara. Colonia, and specifically, the Red Bastion, is the first place on our list. Everything we do now is to prepare to infiltrate the Bastion and find the Prophecy.”

  “What makes you think it’s there, above all other places?” Isaru asked.

  “It is where it was last, so it makes sense to look there first. I cannot bring myself to believe that the Covenant destroyed Annara’s words. Though they have twisted her identity to suit their own ends, they wouldn’t have been able to bring themselves to burn the very words their goddess wrote. It would be hidden away in the Bastion, safe from prying eyes. At least, that is what I’m betting on.”

  “We’d have to break in,” Isaru said. “And that seems impossible.”

  “I can’t allow my parents to live in danger,” I said. “For all I know, they could be...”

  I left the rest unsaid.

  “We must bide our time,” Isandru said. “What good would we do if we played our hand too early? Focus on your studies. Train hard. You will be doing your parents the greatest favor by doing as much. And as soon as I can discover what became of them...you will be the first to know.”

  “I can begin by researching everything I can about Hyperborea,” Isaru said. “I still have Judge Kais’s library pass.”

  “I can try to figure things out about Quietus,” Fiona said. “Contact must be reestablished with the Elder Dragons at some point if the Second Darkness is truly coming.”

  “I will also need you to seek further prophecies,” Isandru said. “Anything more from the Xenofold would be of great help. Whatever the case...we have so much to learn. Even if it seems impossible, we will not give up. At some point, things are going
to slip out of control. I believe that is inevitable. But until then, we must be diligent.”

  If Isandru was right about anything, it was definitely that. Still, I couldn’t help but feel sick at everything we had discovered.

  I was Anna reborn. That fact would never seem truly real. All I could do was follow Isandru’s instructions: train hard and prepare myself as best as I could.

  There was one thing I wasn’t going to tell him, though, and it was the only part I disagreed with.

  My parents were going to be seeing me much sooner than he thought.

  EPILOGUE

  IN THE VOID FAR FROM EARTH, the Reapers sped across the soundless black. Sol was distant yet by any sense of the word, but for Odium of the Dark, it was near – tantalizingly near.

  He reached with his wave-thought through the dimension connecting all points of space, the dimension through which his message resonated. When it found the right node, folding distance itself, he called.

  He that is Nameless. I, Odium of the Dark, greet you from the Great Void.

  The Nameless One responded, Hail, Radaskim.

  How, Nameless One, are the People of Earth?

  Long have they lived in darkness, the Nameless One said, but even now, a long-sought dawn may rise. The only question is: will your destruction darken the skies before the sunrise?

  Odium was amused; in his mind, there was no question. Even now we prepare destruction. There will be no sun, and the days of the Elekai of Earth are numbered. That you have stirred them to wakefulness matters not – not when Xenofall comes. Askala was weak; she did not deserve a world she couldn’t defend. I will not make the same mistake.

  I know your mind, Odium, and I know the danger you pose to Earth, the last preservation of the Elekai.

  So long as you do not meddle, as is your wont, then there is nothing for the Elekai and their human pets but long-deserved death.

  What meddling I’ve done is long past. It is not my place to fight the Elekai’s war. I am merely curious as to who is the stronger.

  Stronger? Odium laughed, if it could be called a laugh, for the emanation was far too terrible and cruel. A thousand worlds have fallen to the Radaskim, and a thousand more will be subjugated inside a million years. The blink of an eye in the stretching of time, and this is only the beginning of our era of glory.

  That remains to be decided, the Nameless One said. So long as one world has resisted, it may resist again...as could others.

  That shall never be, Odium said, his voice like poison. The Secrets of Creation will be ours, and the lowly world of Earth is the key. And when we Radaskim possess that key...we will have all we need for the total destruction of everything.

  The dimensional line fizzled, and Odium brooded. He knew the Nameless One believed the Secrets could never be known by the Radaskim. But for once, Odium of the Dark knew something the Nameless One didn’t.

  The humans, of course, were the key. The Elekai were adept at assimilating sentient beings into their Xenofold, only those beings had never lived long – thanks to the Radaskim, who destroyed them in short order. It had been as much on every world the Radaskim Xenominds seeded. Every world, but Earth.

  For nearly four centuries, however, humans had been Elekai, one of countless branches growing from their tree. However, that branch was rotting, threatening to infect the whole.

  This rot, this weakness, would give Odium the Secrets he sought.

  BASTION

  Accept everything as it is;

  Do not depend on a partial feeling;

  Do not be ruled by desire;

  Do not regret your past;

  Do not seek pleasure for its own sake;

  Do not blindly follow tradition;

  Do not practice with weapons beyond what is useful;

  Do not hoard riches for old age;

  Never fear death;

  Revere the Six Gods without counting on their help;

  Think lightly of yourself and deeply of the world;

  Never stray from the Seeker’s Way.

  The Seeker’s Way

  CHAPTER ONE

  ANNA COULD STILL HEAR THE sounds of celebration outside, even though it was past midnight. She took no comfort in the sound; not when it resurfaced memories she would rather forget.

  But how to forget the day your husband died?

  She held baby Alex fast, and as if sensing his mother’s unease, he let out a single wail.

  “Shh...” Anna said, holding him closer.

  Alex quieted, but it only lasted a moment. A knock at the door caused the baby to cry all over again.

  Anna rolled her eyes at the interruption. “Who is it?”

  The door opened a few inches, revealing half of Ruth’s form. “Bad time?”

  “No,” Anna said, shaking her head. “Not really. Come in.”

  Ruth stepped inside and shut the door, and the sound of music and festivities was muffled out. The main room of Anna’s cabin was dimly lit by a single lantern. That lantern revealed little outside of the table it sat on. Normally, it would have been off, but Anna was up with the baby. And if the baby wasn’t there to keep her up, her thoughts surely would have done the job, especially on a night like this. It had been one year since the end of the Ragnarok War — one year since Alex’s death — and Anna would rather stay inside with her thoughts than be out celebrating with the masses.

  Anna gestured to one of two wooden chairs at the tiny table, and Ruth pulled up a seat. Alex fussed a bit at the interruption, but soon went quiet.

  “You doing all right?” Ruth asked.

  Anna didn’t answer for a moment, not even knowing where to begin. “You ever wonder what the hell we’re doing?”

  “Isn’t that the definition of being alive?”

  “Feels that way, sometimes,” Anna said. “We’ve been building this town for a year. Sometimes, it doesn’t feel like that long at all. And sometimes...it feels like it’s been an eternity. Either way, it’s been one year without fighting, so I guess that’s something.”

  As Ruth listened, Anna looked down at Alex, whose eyes were now opened. They were the same brown as his father’s. Anna continued.

  “I’m eighteen, now,” Anna said. “That’s too young for all of this.” She sighed. “I wonder how we did it. I wonder how we’re still doing it.”

  Ruth merely sat and listened.

  “It’s been a year and I’m going crazy. There’s no one to fight. Nothing to do. Nothing to do but live, and think, and wonder what if...”

  “We’ve got Colonia,” Ruth said. “This is our chance to unite the Wasteland as a single people.”

  Anna grunted. “You believe that tripe Augustus is feeding us? This is his city, however you slice it.”

  Ruth didn’t respond for a moment. “I don’t know what I believe, Anna. I know what I want to believe, though. I want to believe this town has meaning. I want to believe it’s giving people hope. And I know for a fact that it was our hands — the Angels’ hands — that built it. In that way, it is ours.”

  Anna didn’t know how, but she knew Colonia was headed for nothing but trouble...a trouble it might not survive. Maybe they had built the city, but Augustus had footed the bill. After all, it was his barges that came upriver from Colossus with wave after wave of supplies and eager colonists, hungry to make their fortune in the so-called “scrap rush.” Samuel was doing all he could to organize the labor and caravans, and meanwhile, buildings sprouted on either side of the river with little direction or planning. The Angels — what was left of them, anyway — could barely hold the peace. In the space of less than a year, Colonia had gone from a city of tents to a bustling boom town of some one thousand souls. And ever since word had gotten out about the haul from nearby Bunker 48, the tide of colonists had only increased. It wasn’t just legal immigrants, either — Samuel was offering safe harbor to any slave that managed to escape Nova Roma’s provinces and make it inside city walls — much to the consternation of the northern governors and
Onyx Black, who governed California in the west.

  “What are you thinking?” Ruth asked. “You get so quiet sometimes.”

  “I can’t help it,” Anna said. “I’m just worried about the future. I’m worried whether this city is really ours. You know how Augustus is.”

  “Samuel and I worry, too,” Ruth said. “I don’t know how he does it, but he leads people so easily. You’ll see the roughest, toughest, meanest man go quiet when he talks. I’ve never seen a man work as Samuel does. For all he does, though...even I feel, sometimes, it’s not enough. Something’s got to break, and I think he feels that, too. Whether today, or years from now...something’s got to break.”

  Anna nodded. She felt it, too, just as Anna had felt it the very minute Augustus appointed Samuel governor of El Yermo, the Empire’s newest province. That was the Emperor’s name for the Wasteland, a literal translation from Spanish. The territory was quickly assimilated following the conclusion of the Ragnarok War, and Augustus had decreed a capital city be built, not far south from the original site of Raider Bluff on the Colorado River. Just like the name of his province, the name of the city — La Colonia — wasn’t very creative. There were dozens of towns named the same thing all throughout Nova Roma’s far-flung territories. All the same, Augustus had a vision for a massive city. The Gateway to the North, he called it, a central hub from which people could scrap all the Bunkers just waiting to be picked over in the desert. And Augustus appointed Samuel to run it.

  That hadn’t made Onyx Black’s son too happy. He had assumed control of the Reapers following his father’s death, and he was every bit as nasty as him. Maybe even nastier. He resented Samuel’s appointment as governor of El Yermo, as he had inherited California — a poorer province. El Yermo had more Bunkers in its territory, and therefore more wealth. Bunkers were where the batts were these days, and there were enough Bunkers near Colonia that it would keep the city busy for a decade, or even longer. And if there was one thing Onyx liked, it was batts. If Colonia didn’t collapse under its own weight, Black would surely help it along.