Kingdom

by Kyle West

  Isa went to the tree and began to climb down. Shara went next, followed by me. Fiona pulled up the rear.

  The climb down was simple enough. When I met up with Shara and Isa on the ground, I took stock of our surroundings. The woods weren’t terribly thick. Most trees were tall and well-spaced, even if the forest floor was overgrown. There were enough xen patches to create a clear walking space. Ahead through the autumnal foliage, I could see the pink sheen of the Thought Dome.

  Fiona set foot beside us and gazed up at the underside of the bridge. “I can hear the dragons screaming. Sounds as if they’re coming back.”

  “We better get going,” I said.

  “Can’t we just rest for one moment?” Isa asked. “We just lost Mia and Isandru. I can’t . . .”

  She trailed off, sitting down on a xen-covered rock. Shara placed a hand on her shoulder.

  “We will grieve when we have the time and luxury too, Isa. Right now, we don’t. These trees might provide cover, but Isaru is still capable of tracking us down. Worse, there are monsters down here, not to mention the fog. Rakhim might be distracted since we dealt him a blow in the Hyperfold but once he gets his bearings, you can bet he’ll try to take us on here. The fog of this place kills, if not from poison, then from blinding us to where we’re going. The sooner we get out of this gods-forsaken crater, the better.”

  “It’s all up to Isandru, now,” I said.

  Isandru . . . who I would never see again.

  We ran in silence, heading along the outside of the Dome. We trailed its edge, crunching over leaves and sticks, while cutting through any undergrowth we couldn’t go around. It was quiet, and the forest was dark, dismal, and cold.

  Half an hour later, we had completely passed the Dome and were on our way west through the forest. Dragons screamed from above, but the canopy of trees was so thick that there was no way they could find us. Isaru, like us, was human, albeit with extraordinary abilities.

  If he was hunting us here, then he still had a way to go.

  “Nightfall is soon,” Fiona said. “Evening comes early in the crater.”

  “We won’t get too far when it’s dark,” Shara said. “We need to find a place to camp.”

  “Camp” was a generous word, considering we had nothing but the clothes on our backs.

  “Is it safe to do so?” Isa asked.

  “No,” I said, “but we can’t guide ourselves by the stars unless we decided to climb a tree every few minutes to see if we’re going the right way. In daylight, we can at least know the direction of the sunlight. It’s over fifty miles, and much longer if we lose our way.”

  “And Isaru?”

  I clenched the hilt of my sword. “If he follows us into these woods, then it is his death.”

  After this, no one had anything to say.

  Thankfully, the woods were rife with streams, and we came upon one of them after another fifteen minutes. Since we had nothing to make a fire with, we were forced to drink from it straight. The water tasted cold and clean, so there was probably nothing to fear.

  After that, aside from the glow of the xen, it was dark, all light from the moon and stars obscured by the tree line. Besides my sorrow, I felt exhaustion such as I had never known. I was ravenous with hunger, despite the situation. I remembered what Karai had said about my healing, that I’d have to eat way more than I usually did for the next week or two.

  “Keep an eye out for food sources,” I said. “I know we’ve lost friends, but for their sake, we must keep our strength up.”

  As dark as it was and as ill-equipped as we were, it didn’t seem as if dinner was a likely prospect. We traveled until nightfall, to the point of utter exhaustion. It grew very cold.

  We ended up burying ourselves in some leaves to keep out the worst of the cold while lying side by side. Fiona volunteered for first watch, while Shara offered to take the second watch.

  It was quiet as we settled down for sleep, but it seemed as if sleep wouldn’t come for any of us. I heard crying from Isa. Then, someone else started to cry—Fiona.

  Within half a minute, all of us were crying and holding each other, for what little comfort we could get. We said nothing. We could only grieve for Mia, who had never done anything wrong, and for Isandru, who was as good as lost to us.

  “She deserved better,” I said. “I shouldn’t have brought her. I should’ve left her on the ship.”

  “It’s not your fault,” Shara said.

  “Elder Isandru was like a father to me,” Fiona said. “If not for him, I would not be who I am today.”

  “The last prince of Hyperborea is gone,” I said. “He said himself he wouldn’t pass from the world until Anna revealed herself. At least, before he dies, he will avenge his sister and end the Hyperfold. He would have wanted nothing more.”

  “You believe he will?” Isa asked.

  I nodded. “I believe he will.”

  “All six of us together couldn’t,” Isa said. “How could he do it alone?”

  I tried to think of an answer, only I didn’t have one. “I don’t know, Isa. Sometimes we must have faith. I must believe in Isandru. He’ll find a way.”

  “Isandru . . .” Isa said. “Mia . . .”

  “She is in the Xenofold now,” I said. “More reason to protect it. Until Isandru defeats Rakhim, we have to find a way back to civilization before Isaru can cause any more harm.”

  “If Pallos rescues us,” Shara said.

  “He will,” I said. “He’s still a member of our crew. Like it or not, we need to trust him, too. He couldn’t have known that it would take weeks for us to come out. He’ll be waiting for us on the edge of the crater.”

  Shara was quiet at that, but she was a lot less trusting than me. I could only hope she didn’t have the right of it.

  I knew that if he didn’t come, then we would likely die here. The cliff face was sheer and impossible to scale, except at a few set points.

  “We should be able to walk that far while foraging and hunting on the way,” I said. “There used to be orchards and farms in these woods. Perhaps some of those things still grow.”

  At last, the others fell into sleep while Fiona stood watch. The only thought that comforted me enough to sleep was the thought of vengeance—the thought of Isandru working his destruction from within.

  I reached for Silence in the hope my message could reach him. Avenge her, Isandru. We believe in you.

  I waited for a response, some sort of confirmation, while on the edge of sleep.

  But there was nothing save the wind, blowing cold and answerless in the darkness.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Kyle West is the author of The Wasteland Chronicles, a seven-book post-apocalyptic series, and is currently writing The Xenoworld Saga. Kyle has always been a voracious reader of sci-fi and fantasy. He graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a degree in Professional Writing and lives in West Palm Beach with his fiancée .

  Also by Kyle West

  Post-Apocalyptic/Dystopian

  The Wasteland Chronicles

  Apocalypse

  Origins

  Evolution

  Revelation

  Darkness

  Extinction

  Xenofall

  Post-Apocalyptic/Fantasy

  The Xenoworld Saga

  Prophecy

  Bastion

  Beacon

  Sanctum

  Kingdom

  GLOSSARY

  A.R.: After Ragnarok. The date usually used by the Elekai to denote the year. It’s a bit of a misnomer, because it really means after the Ragnarok War, and not after the impact of Ragnarok itself. The Xenoworld Saga begins in 398 A.R.

  F.C.: Founding of the Covenant. The date used by the Covenant to denote the year, and it signifies how many years have passed since the Covenant ousted the Elekai from Colonia. The Xenoworld Saga begins in the year 248 F.C.

  P.Y. Precursor Year. Corresponds to the Gregorian Calendar. The Xenoworld Saga begins in th
e year 2458 P.Y. – or 2458 A.D. It’s rare to use Precursor Years to denote anything beyond the year 2060, and even then is only used among academics and historians.

  Annajen, The: One of the Three Tribes of the Elekai, the Annajen are the descendants of the gods Elekim and Annara. Their capital is Haven, a Great Silverwood growing in the Grand Canyon.

  Annara: Annara is the matron goddess of both the Annajen Tribe and the Colonian Covenant; however, depending on the side, her character is entirely different. Among the Annajen, Annara is the wife of Elekim; she established Colonia and the Seekers and wrote the Prophecy of Annara, which has been lost, but predicts the eventual ascendency of the Elekai over its enemies – namely the Covenant. Among the Covenant, Annara is the goddess of pure-blooded humanity, and seeks to destroy all that is Elekai, promising her chosen people – the Annarans – that they will one day destroy the demon Elekai, who waged war against humanity during the First Darkness. According to prophecies on both sides, Annara is to lead her Army of the Dawn to destroy the other side.

  Army of the Dawn: Annara’s army during the Second Darkness that is to destroy either the Elekai or the Annaran Covenant, depending on which version of the story one believes.

  Askala: The Radaskim Xenomind that nearly enslaved the world using the xenovirus during the time of the Ragnarok War. These events have been almost forgotten in recent times, but the Covenant remembers Askala as the Elekai’s demon goddess. Among the Elekai, her true nature is better remembered as the Radaskim goddess who was imprisoned by Elekim in the Xenofold at the end of the Ragnarok War.

  Askaleen: A male dragon. They are pink, with tiny scales, and a smooth, rounded frame. They are also rarer than Radaska, the female variety. Because they are the only kind of dragons that the Covenant can tame, they are jealously guarded by the Radaska.

  Atlantea: An Eastern Kingdom situated in the southeast. Its capital is of the same name.

  Augurs, The: One of the Seven Sects of the Seekers, who specialize in the art of diplomacy. They serve as advisers for kings and rulers, not only in the Red Wild, but in the Eastern Kingdoms. In times of old, they also interpreted signs given by the Xenofold, though this responsibility has fallen by the wayside in recent centuries. They also recruit new initiates for the Seekers’ Sanctum among the nobility of different lands.

  Bloodless: The collective term Elekai use to describe all non-Elekai. It’s not pejorative, though it can be used in that way.

  Brevia: A city on the western coast, in southern California. Once a colony of Colonia, it was conquered by the Shen in 348 A.R. It is the only Shen city that outsiders are allowed to enter, and even then, permission is granted only sparingly. A large collection of books has been gathered there, in what is known as the Brevian Archives – the main reason for which anyone would want to visit the city.

  Clerics, The: One of the Seven Sects of the Seekers, who specialize in ministry to the local Elekai population, anthropology, and Xenohealing. They are also responsible for recruiting initiates for the Seekers’ Sanctum among the general population.

  Champions, The: One of the Seven Sects of the Seekers, who specialize in the art of combat. In times of old, they fought in battles to defend the Elekai from Covenant encroachment, but in more recent times, they serve as bodyguards for other Seekers, such as Augurs, Scholars, or Sages, whose duties take them far afield in places that might be dangerous.

  Colonia: The city of Colonia was founded shortly after the Ragnarok War, as a colony of the First Empire, known of old as the Nova Roman Empire. It was ruled by the gods, and over the years, grew into the seat of an Elekai empire by the same name. Colonia’s history is divided into two periods: Old Colonia, which lasted from roughly 1–150 A.R., and Covenant Colonia, which lasted from 151 A.R. until the present day.

  Old Colonia was ruled by the Elekai, and was originally their capital city. The true descendants of the heroes of the Ragnarok War formed an aristocracy, called the Godsblood. Below them were Wilders, the descendants of those who became Elekai in the years following the Ragnarok War. On the bottom rung were the Bloodless, commoners without Elekai ancestry. However, by the fourth generation of the Godsblood, the government grew corrupt, favoring the Elekai nobility over the Bloodless masses. This, in time, led to the Annaran Uprising. The civil war lasted twenty years, ending with the Elekai being defeated and ousted from the city they had founded, their numbers greatly reduced. The Annarans took control of the city, founding the Annaran Covenant, which vowed to destroy all Elekai in accordance with Annara’s will.

  The Covenant ruled in Colonia for the next two hundred and fifty years, and at its height around 320 A.R., the Covenant controlled most of what used to be the Southwestern United States.

  Colorado River: The main river flowing through the Red Wild and Colonia. The river is much wider than it was during the Old World, and nurtures the growth of both Elekai and Covenant society. The Colorado flows not only through the city of Colonia, but under the roots of Haven, the main enclave of the Annajen tribe, along with Coloso, which is built on its mouth.

  Coloso: A Novan city at the mouth of the Colorado River. Over the centuries, it is has changed hands between Nova and Colonia numerous times. It is strategically important, because it is the gateway to Nova and it also provides a means to enter Colonia by river.

  Covenant, The: The Covenant, or the Annaran Covenant or the Colonian Covenant, began as a resistance against the corrupt Elekai aristocracy that ruled Colonia. The goddess Annara became its figurehead, but instead of an Annara that was the heroine of the Elekai, this Annara was a champion of the Bloodless and reviled all things Elekai. In time, the Annaran rebellion took place, and after a twenty-year-long war, the Elekai were nearly wiped out, and what was left of them fled into the Red Wild.

  The Covenant rules with a firm fist, using religion to control its population. It was the strongest power in the late Third Century, but by the Fourth Century, incursions by both the Shen and Nova made it lose much of its former territory. The Covenant has a policy of exiling or outright killing anyone who disagrees with its theology, and openly hunts Elekai within its borders. The Covenant is ruled by a Grand Pontifex and a Grand Council of seven members, officials appointed by the Grand Pontifex from each of the seven kinds of priests.

  Dome of Annara, The: Constructed during Old Colonia, the Dome of Annara is one of the wonders of the world. It is composed of a large, golden dome and has four turrets on each corner. In days of old, it served as a pantheon to all the gods, but over time, Annara became its chief deity. The Dome was constructed about eighty years following the founding of the city.

  Dragonriders, The: The Dragonriders are the Covenant’s elite fighting force. It’s unknown how many dragons they number, but estimates range anywhere from twenty to forty. They ride Mindless Askaleen, the only kind of dragon that can be tamed by humans. They cannot breed new dragons, but so long as the dragons are fed with steady supplies of xen and not mortally injured, they will live indefinitely.

  Dragons: The Dragons have had a long and troubled history since the Ragnarok War. The two varieties, Askaleen and Radaska, are male and female respectively. There are many generations, but only the first generation are part of a group known as the Elder Dragons, the only ones to have lived during the time of the Ragnarok War. The Elder Dragons were never born of other dragons, but instead were created during the process of Xenogenesis, the thirty-or-so-year period during the Ragnarok War that the Great Blight grew at a rapid rate. After the war and the victory of the Elekai, Xenogenesis was greatly reduced, and dragons that were born entered the world naturally.

  Besides Elder Dragons, there are Generational Dragons, which are the progeny of the Elders, and Mindless Dragons, which have no connection to the Xenofold. Mindless Radaska are volatile and dangerous, while Mindless Askaleen are docile and tamable. These Askaleen, while uncommon, are still used by the Colonians and Elekai as mounts.

  Eastern Kingdoms, The: The Eastern Kingdoms collectively refers
to any of the countries that lie east of the Eastern Range, known in former times as the Rocky Mountains (In the Eastern Kingdoms, the Eastern Range is called either the Western Range, or the Wild Range). There are dozens of kingdoms, most of them small, but a few are more powerful than others.

  Eastern Pact: A Pact consisting of most of the nations in the Eastern Kingdoms. It was orchestrated by the Seekers as a way to prevent wars in the region.

  Eastern Range: The Eastern Range, formerly known as the Rocky Mountains, makes up the eastern border of the Red Wild. Many wild Elekai tribes live here, and the mountains are dangerous to cross.

  Elder Dragons: The first generation of dragons, who were created by Xenogenesis. They are the most powerful of the dragons, and following an unknown dispute, broke off their ties with human Elekai about one hundred and fifty years after the Ragnarok War. They have not been seen by a human since, though later generations of dragons still consort with human Elekai in a limited capacity.

  Elekai, The: An Elekai is marked by their connection to the Xenofold, which is produced by the neural network of xen in the Red Wild. They are composed of humans and dragons, and an Elekai is marked by their possessing the xenovirus, though over the years, this began being attributed to having the blood of the gods. The virus changes the host’s genetics to grant them access to the Xenofold, the collective consciousness of the Elekai.

  There are two kinds of Elekai among humans. Those of the Godsblood are direct descendants of the Six Gods, and form a ruling elite among the Elekai. Depending on their line of descent, they form one of Three Tribes: the Annajen, the Samalites, or the Makai. The Godsblood are the rarest kind of Elekai, and their abilities and connection to the Xenofold tend to be stronger than the other type, known as Wilders.

  Wilders are Elekai that, for the first two generations following the Ragnarok War, were drawn to the Red Wild by dreams and visions, only to return as Elekai, albeit weaker versions than those descended directly from the gods. Many, in fact, remained in the Red Wild, forming tribes separate from the Three Tribes.