Another hole opened, and a third male cyborg and female elf emerged. This male was different than the others. He was just as tall, but not as muscular as the rest of them. Long straight black hair fell loosely down his back, and his eyes glowed a strange color of purple. He was accompanied by an elf whose long hair was pure white and whose eyes glowed gold. They made a striking couple of light and dark.
“Tristin and Kirelle,” Tordan murmured. “They aren’t from Aurora.”
That explained it.
The door to the laboratory opened and Roihan entered with the female cyborg. Zordjin raised a brow at Tordan. “You mean some of you still use doors?”
Tordan barked a laugh. “Yes, sometimes we still do. You’ve met Roihan, but his mate, Aria, and Tristin’s mate, Kirelle, also helped to save your life.”
He surveyed the cyborgs, tall, broad, and tanned with dark hair and dark eyes. He had never seen warriors his equal, yet these were matching in height, with muscles that shaped their powerful physiques, and their solid steps struck the stone floor as they crossed the room to join the ever-widening circle. The laboratory was large, but the ten of them filled almost a third of the space.
As they gathered around him, he realized that the cyborgs and elves were all together. As in together. He shook his head at the pairings, each enormous male with a tiny female. Although, despite their small statures, he could tell that these females were not the types to hide behind their men. They wore fierce, determined expressions, exhibiting armor and weapons to match. Based on the smooth efficiency of her movements, he assumed the tallest female was also a cyborg.
“Zordjin, please allow me to formally introduce some of our family and closest friends. We are some of the males and females responsible for planning the war against the Ardaks.” Tordan gestured around the circle as he spoke. “This is Roihan and Aria, Mordjan and Fayelle, and King Tristin and Kirelle. Everyone, this is Zordjin, and Lielle. Zordjin is from the human realm, and Lielle is from the higher elven realm.” Tordan’s eyes lit upon him once more. “This is everyone preparing Rewnyn for war. There are more of us, of course, in other locations. I’m sure you will meet them shortly.”
Cyborgs, Ardaks, magic. It was all fantastic, yet the males grinned and the females smiled, as if it was all perfectly natural. And indeed, their ease and closeness with each other felt like more of a family than he’d ever had.
Zordjin envied it. He was standing in the circle, but not a part of it. Not yet, and he didn’t know if he ever would be. He still didn’t completely believe what was happening. But he did know that many of them were responsible for him standing here now. “Thank you for bringing me here, for saving my life.”
“We were happy to do it,” Aria replied.
“We couldn’t just let Tordan’s brother die,” Roihan noted with a grin.
“What are these Ardaks you keep talking about?” Zordjin asked.
"The Ardaks are race of intelligent, warrior felines," Tristin answered, his purple eyes growing more intense. "They are fighting their way across the universe with fangs, claws, red-bladed swords, and energy weapons. And with every planet they conquer, every technology they steal, they only become stronger."
The words were similar to what Lielle had told him, but Zordjin still could not imagine these feline warriors, much less the weapons they fought with. If he weren’t standing in a room with cyborgs and elves he wouldn’t have been able to imagine it either. “By technology, do you mean devices?”
Tordan clapped him on the shoulder. “I keep forgetting you’re from the human realm. They don’t even have electricity yet, much less crystal power or magic.”
Zordjin rubbed his forehead. “What is electricity?”
“It is a current that powers these lights, and those computers. It can power anything from weapons to spaceships.” Tordan sighed. “But there are other types of power, as well. You have a lot of catching up to do. But we will go through the different technologies you need to know as you come across them. It will seem like a lot at first, but you will become accustomed to it in time.”
Zordjin took that in, letting it settle for a moment. “So you believe these warrior felines are coming here?”
"We believe they are coming back,” Tordan explained. “We managed to fight them off once before, but our forces were decimated. We have information that says the king is planning another attack, which is why I've gathered everyone here to discuss who you are, and more importantly, why you’re here. And I believe that story starts with Lielle.”
Lielle’s eyes opened wide, she obviously hadn’t been expecting Tordan’s statement. Her eyes shot to Zordjin and she hesitated briefly, then seemed to realize everyone was waiting for her to speak. "I am Aurora's spirit-seer—its watcher. I keep notes on what happens to your world and advise the elders if they come to me with questions. I was assigned to Aurora almost nine hundred of your solar revolutions ago.”
“You’re telling us you came from the afterlife?” Tordan asked gently.
She nodded, her expression earnest. “Yes, the high queen of all elves herself sent me.”
Her proclamation was met with heavy silence.
“Why did she send you?” Aielle asked finally.
She swallowed hard and focused on Zordjin. “The day I was sent to you, I was given a vision of the Ardaks invading Aurora. It was horrible, and the outcome was not pleasant. In the vision, I was told to bring Zordjin to his brother because only he could find the key.”
“What key?” Tordan asked.
Lielle held out her hands. “I honestly have no idea.”
Zordjin frowned in consternation. “And if I don’t know anything about a hidden key? What then?”
“Then you must find it, or the darkness wins.”
"What the hell does that mean?" Mordjan growled.
"In my vision, when the Ardaks won, the balance shifted and darkness crept across the universe. The high queen said that if that happens, the higher elven realm will slowly fade, and no new elven spirits will be able to get there after they pass on from the mortal realm."
The elven females gasped, and even the males’ faces turned grim.
"You mean no one will be able to get into the afterlife?" Aielle’s expression was horrified.
"If they were destined for the higher elven realm, then no,” Lielle affirmed sadly.
"What will happen to them?" Fayelle asked.
"If the dark realm rises, perhaps they will go there instead. I'm not even sure our elders in the higher elven realm know. I only know that it was the first time I've seen the high elven queen afraid." Lielle's gaze rose toward the high ceiling, but the higher elven realm was as invisible to her here as the next dimension had been in the afterlife. She wondered who was looking down upon Aurora now, and what they would tell her if they had the chance.
"Well, are they going to send more reinforcements, then? Because we have damned few warriors to fight with," Mordjan demanded.
"No. The queen broke one of the most sacred rules of our realm in order to send me here so I could find Zordjin and bring him to Tordan so he could find the key. That was the extent of my mission, and my knowledge.”
"They gave you nothing else?" Tristin pressed. "No hints? No strategy?"
"Well," Lielle hedged, “the queen gave me a necklace to call for aid. But I was told it could be used only once—when the situation was most dire."
All eyes turned to the necklace, their faces filled with hope. But the elves’ faces fell once more when they saw the color of the crystal.
Redness began to creep up the pale skin of her neck. "When Zordjin was dying, I didn't know what else to do. I used it to call for help. Once I did, it turned gray, its power gone."
Their faces fell, but to their credit, not one of them offered a word of rebuke. They accepted the situation stoically, and Zordjin had the opportunity to truly see their measure. They might be cyborgs and elves, but he knew their expressions. He’d seen similar on human men and wome
n and even himself after a long war. A combination of pain, fear, and fatigue. The struggle to survive, to persevere against overwhelming odds.
Lielle cleared her throat and waited until everyone had returned their attention to her. “I may not have a plan, but Zordjin was the emperor of the human realm and led an army of a hundred thousand warriors before he was betrayed. He is the greatest battle strategist the human world has ever known."
Tordan rubbed his chin. "A hundred thousand warriors? That is something. While you are looking for the key, perhaps you can look over our defenses, give us some strategic ideas."
Mordjan looked at Tordan as if he’d grown a second head. “Are you joking, Tordan? We don’t know anything about him.”
“We don’t have time to observe the niceties, Mordjan,” Tordan shot back. “If he led an army of a hundred thousand and was considered their best strategist, I’m willing to hear what he has to say.”
“I agree,” Tristin broke in. “Another strategic eye would be a welcome blessing. And besides, he can hear you.”
Zordjin started, then realized that although they were speaking, none of their mouths were moving. The words and inflections were so clear that he had no idea when they’d switched to communicating through their chips.
Tordan looked straight at him. “Think the words with your mind.”
Zordjin stared at the cyborgs in a half circle facing him. "I agree with Mordjan. You are cyborgs with special powers. You associate with elves with magic. Yet, you want me to plan your war?”
Tordan shot a steely look at Mordjan that told them all he had no intention of changing his mind.
Mordjan met Tordan’s gaze steadily, then his shoulders dropped slightly. “It’s the scale of the war that is the problem. I was the head of defense for Siirti before the initial Ardak invasion. But our continent was peaceful then, so I didn’t do much in the way of large-scale battle strategy. We trained soldiers and played war games, but we had never faced an enemy like the Ardaks, and certainly nothing to their scale. In the invasion and their subsequent occupation, the Ardaks decimated our numbers. There are only a couple thousand of us left."
"And how many Ardaks are coming?"
"Thousands, if not tens of thousands."
Zordjin's stomach tightened at the thought of the monumental task ahead of them. “Two thousand against ten.”
From their bleak expressions, he saw that the cyborgs understood their predicament.
“Could you please talk so the rest of us can hear you?” Aielle had her hands on her hips, her eyes blazing angrily as she stared between them.
“Yes, of course. We were just discussing our numbers versus the Ardaks,” Tordan said smoothly, his eyes turning to Zordjin. “That is why we’re all hoping Lielle’s vision is correct, and that you have the key.”
Zordjin turned to Lielle, understanding the magnitude of the problem for the first time. “Can you give me more details about this key I’m supposed to find?”
She held her hands wide in a helpless gesture. “I wish I had more. In the vision, I saw Tordan. He looked straight at me and said, 'Bring me my brother. Only he can find the key.’"
Zordjin rubbed his forehead, and to his surprise, Tordan laughed.
“It’s funny to see you do that,” he explained. It broke the tension, and the others began to relax.
“Well, I sure hope you can find this key or that you’re hiding some kind of secret weapon,” Mordjan broke in. “Because we could use one right about now.”
Zordjin snorted, glancing down at his body. “I have no secret weapons. And thanks to all of you, it appears I am not even in possession of all my original body parts anymore.”
Tordan smirked. “Don’t worry, you still have the one that counts.”
Despite the dire situation, Zordjin barked a laugh, and several of the other cyborgs cracked grins. He held up his hands. “I hold the key to no power greater than my sword arm at the moment. But perhaps Lielle will have another vision that will help us find it. In the meantime, why don't you all tell me more about these Ardaks and your defenses? I may not know what this all-important key is, but I damn sure know how to plan a war."
Chapter Twelve
Lielle
Since coming to the human world, Lielle had dismissed the idea that she might have another vision. Her spirit-seeing crystal was in the higher elven realm and inaccessible to her.
Of course, it was possible for certain elders to have visions through the crystals, and once they were close to passing over, they could even speak to the spirits in the higher elven realm without the use of crystals. But even though she was from the higher elven realm, at less than two thousand years total, Lielle still didn’t consider herself an elder.
One of the elves on Aurora, Geeeroo, was close enough to passing over to have visions, even without a crystal. Occasionally he spoke to her through these visions, although of late their conversations had grown more frequent, which usually meant he would be joining them in the higher elven realm before long. He made his home in a tree house in Garthurian, and if she could find him, he might be able to help her.
She sidled over to Zordjin, touching his arm. "Will you be all right here for a while? I'm going to see one of the elders, to ask him about having more visions.”
Zordjin's eyes narrowed intently. "Shall I come with you?"
For a moment, she wanted Zordjin to come with her.
But then Tordan clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Why don't you stay here so we can fit you for some armor and discuss your new powers?"
"What's wrong with my armor?" Zordjin looked down at his leather and metal armor, and Lielle remembered how he'd put it on . . . and how he’d taken it off. He wore it like a second skin, part of who he was.
"I know exactly how you feel." Tordan smiled. "But I think when you see the new armor, you'll change your mind."
The other cyborgs all grinned, and their buzz of excitement almost made Lielle want to stay to see what the fuss was about. She had to see if Geeeroo could help her, though. If she learned how to have visions from this side, it could change everything for them.
Zordjin also seemed to pick up on their enthusiasm, breaking into a grin himself. "All right. Let me know when you return."
Lielle smiled as the cyborgs led him over to the far end of the laboratory, enthusing about the exoarmor suits. She took in the other elves. "Are the suits really that amazing?"
"They are all that and more," Aielle answered. "Haven't you seen them in your visions?"
Lielle shook her head. "I have seen what they look like, but they have rarely been used on Aurora."
"Well, don't worry, I'm sure you'll have the plenty of opportunity to see them in action." The corners of Aielle's mouth turned down sadly. “Why don’t I take you to see Geeeroo? I’d also like to check on him.” At Lielle’s assent, she raised her hand and opened a portal, gesturing for Lielle to walk through.
As she entered the portal, Lielle prayed that Geeeroo could help her bring on more visions. Perhaps he could also help her hold more magic in this form. Her power had seemed so limited when she'd tried to heal Zordjin, and it hadn’t gotten any stronger since.
Chapter Thirteen
Zordjin
After Lielle had disappeared into the portal, the others began to excuse themselves to begin their duties. Mordjan and Tristin fell deep into conversation, leaving him with Tordan and Roihan.
Roihan rubbed his hands together. “Good. This is good. Now that you’re awake, we can show you how to use a few of your powers.”
“Like how to speak inside my head?”
“Exactly. The process uses the chip, in the same way you just did,” Roihan replied. “But there are many frequencies you can tune in to. I started you on the main frequency, but you can focus on it and ask your chip to tune in to a different one. We also need to spar with you so you can get used to your new legs and increased strength, and your faster reflexes.
Zordjin eyed his legs skeptically.
“You changed both of my legs?”
“During the surgery, that was our toughest decision. You already had problems with the one, so we were going to use that for the battery compartment. But it’s tough to have only one cybernetic leg. You’d always have to shorten your stride to match your normal leg. With both legs being cybernetic, you’ll be much faster than before.”
Zordan understood the logic, but it was still difficult to believe that he’d lost both his legs. “It’s difficult to believe because they don’t feel any different. In fact, other than my stronger leg and your voice in my mind, I feel exactly the same.”
“You wouldn’t believe how good it is to hear that,” Tordan replied dryly. “There are a million things that could go wrong, and yet we’re managing to avoid them. Plus, you came in at just the right time. Roihan, Aria, Mordjan, and Kirelle were all available to work on you. Each of them has an almost supernatural ability to perform miracles with cyborg creation and together, they’re exponentially better.”
Zordjin followed the other cyborgs across the laboratory to several cabinets that lined the far wall.
“The forgers and weapons masters have been hard at work creating suits of exoarmor,” Tordan explained. “Being the king, I have two of them. I guess the elves thought I might be a target. Either that, or they don’t think much of my fighting skills.” Tordan’s lips quirked upward. “Regardless, since you are almost exactly my size, we are hoping that one of them will work for you.”
Tordan opened the cabinet and Zordjin drew in a breath of disbelief at the beautiful armor inside. It was unlike any armor he’d seen before. Metal plates locked together, covering every inch. It would make him several inches taller, several inches wider.
“This will be your new armor, assuming it fits,” Tordan continued, withdrawing the torso-covering. “Made of elven-forged steel and gilded with gold, specifically made to link with our chips.” He paused. “Although your helmet hasn’t been finished yet. It should be finished in two solar rotations, so one of us will get it to you.”
Zordan Page 5