Cities of the Forgotten

by Rayne W Grath

  “I’ve been imprisoned practically my whole life in that building, so unless they move me to a colorless cell and never let me out, my life couldn’t get much worse,” offered Anna, as she headed toward the closet with a haste that belied her feelings on the matter.

  “Thanks. Please don’t give me any crap about leaving, Grams. I don’t have the energy to argue with you on why you need to come with me,” pleaded Kiya, as she pushed the call button and put the phone on speaker.

  Aarik picked up on the first ring and grated out with a whisper, “Where are you?”

  “I’m at my grandmother’s farm, with my grandmother. Where are you?” Kiya asked in concern.

  “At Vos’rok. Currently hiding while we watch Th’ael and his thugs clear out the rock on the last cave-in. You wouldn’t guess what was behind door number three,” answered Aarik quietly.

  “My guess would be what we saw under the Sphinx. The room where the back wall was covered with crystals matching the one around my neck,” Kiya replied, as she palmed her forehead in frustration.

  “Yes. How’d you know,” said Aarik softly, talking into his hand, muffling his voice slightly.

  “A hunch, but I think it’s what my ancient grandmother referred to as the Origin Passage. My theory goes something like this...she stole the crystal I’m wearing around my neck from Vos’rok to stop Th’ael from escaping during the uprising,” Kiya responded, as she grabbed the crystal from under her shirt and rubbed it methodically.

  “Well let’s make sure he doesn’t get the chance to open it. Head back to Area T with your grandmother. Taylor and I will meet you in Anna’s office,” whispered Aarik, before the line went dead.

  Staring at the phone, annoyed, Kiya grumbled, “He hung up on me. I mean I know he wasn’t in a safe place to talk, but he could have said goodbye.”

  “I’m sure he didn’t mean anything by it. Some men have a hard time multitasking,” offered Anna with a smile.

  Grams snorted and said, “Or he didn’t want to push his luck and was trying to keep it simple.”

  “You both could be right. I should give him the benefit of the doubt. I’ll help you pack, Grams, so we can head back to meet them and plan our next steps; because, if I’m right and Th’ael gets his hands on this crystal, he’ll complete the passage and be able to open a Portal to his home world. Then he could bring back more of his people, with their superior technology and powers, making it hard for anyone to stop him. If that happens, he’ll be able to complete his quest of annihilating our civilization, pushing us back to the dark ages,” finished Kiya, as a chill crept up her spine in forewarning.

  “Enough doom and gloom, girl. We have the upper hand here. We have the crystal, a gun, and the prophecy which states you and Aarik will defeat him in the final stand. We might have some and ups and downs along the way, but the final product is what counts. Just think if Tesla or Edison stopped after the many failures they endured,” urged Anna, as she helped shove clothes and small trinkets into the largest suitcase they could find, at Grams’ insistence.

  Kiya was surprised at her grandmother’s lack of resistance and as she strapped her in to the helicopter she asked, “What gives, Grams? No fight on leaving? What do you know?”

  “I know you would not rest unless I was with you. I also know you need to focus on what’s important and my being left alone here would not condone that possibility. But most of all, I know you’ll need me later, so I plan on staying close until that time comes,” stated Grams endearingly.

  “Thanks, Grams. Just as long as we can agree your idea of helping me doesn’t equate to you sacrificing yourself, I would welcome your wisdom and advice any time,” replied Kiya, in a stern voice, as she dropped into the front passenger seat and put on her own harness with less fear than last time.

  “I’m not much for dramatics, dear. I wouldn’t be able to move fast enough to save anyone and no one in their right mind would want an old woman as a hostage, so I think it’s safe to say all I have to offer is foresight and guidance,” Grams answered before she started peppering Anna with questions on her education and how she learned to fly. Their easy banter was broken up by Aarik’s ringtone, “Hard to Concentrate” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Picking up the phone. Kiya smiled and answered the phone, “We’re on our way. Are you already there?”

  “Depends on where there is,” boomed the voice on the other end before he added, “come now, thrall. Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten my voice already.”

  “Th’ael. What have you done with Aarik?” Kiya demanded furiously.

  “Nothing yet. Bring me the crystal or your lover will die,” demanded Th’ael in a deep voice.

  “How do I know you haven’t already killed him? I can’t trust just hearing his voice, you could be imitating him like you did with my grandmother’s voice,” replied Kiya angrily, as she looked guiltily back at her grandma. She could hear Diego laughing in the background before he yelled, “They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Would that be enough, Princess?” Seconds later, Kiya’s phone dinged with an incoming message. Pulling the phone from her ear she opened the text with shaking fingers and gasped when the picture revealed Aarik on the floor covered in dirt and blood.

  “I need a video or something. In the photograph he looks dead,” Kiya answered in a panic.

  “So dramatic. Don’t worry, your precious Aarik is alive and I’ll prove it,” Diego said, annoyed. Kiya could hear crackling as Diego shuffled the phone around in his hand before he got back on the phone and stated, “The video I just sent will suffice, I’m sure. If you know what is good for you and your lover, there will be no more stalling. You have two hours before we start cutting off extremities every fifteen minutes.” The line went dead and as the video loaded; it showed Diego holding his silver cigarette case under Aarik nose and after a moment she breathed a sigh of relief when she saw it fog over with his breath.

  Dropping the phone into her lap, she turned to Grams and whispered, “He’s alive. Thank the Gods, but now what do I do?”

  “Now you give me the crystal. I’ll give you the gun and we will pretend to make an exchange for him,” offered Grams, with kindness in her gaze.

  “Plus we might be able to find Taylor. I didn’t see him in the video, or picture for that matter, so he might be able to help us,” added Anna in a hopeful tone.

  “Oh I hope you’re right, Anna. I’m hoping he escaped and wasn’t killed and that’s why they didn’t show me his body. I’ll take the gun and pretend to make the exchange, but I want you to stay here with the crystal in case I’m not successful,” replied Kiya nervously.

  “No, I’m coming with you. I might be able to sense things you can’t,” insisted Grandma Tashina, furrowing her brow stubbornly.

  “Then we should hide the crystal here,” Kiya shot back in desperation.

  “No. It needs to be with you at all times,” replied Grams matter-of-factly.

  “Well that makes no sense. If you have it, how is it with me?” countered Kiya puzzled.

  “Proximity, I suppose. Doesn’t matter. Don’t argue with me. You are wasting time and you will need that time to scope out the area and look for Taylor, I believe,” Grams responded, before she ended the conversation by asking Anna about the aircraft as it lifted into the air, heading toward Vos’rok faster than she was prepared for.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  AARIK

  The moment Aarik finished relaying his proposed rendezvous point to Kiya, Taylor grabbed the phone from him unexpectedly and powered it off before placing it back in his hands gently with a sly smile. Motioning Aarik to remain quiet, Taylor pointed toward Th’ael and his men and indicated they were headed in their direction. Not wanting to push their luck, Aarik shoved Taylor towards the auditorium and whispered they’d have to go around to the hangar bay when the coast was clear.

  Seconds after Taylor disappeared down the hallway toward the secret entrance, Th’ael’s voice echoed through the room, stopping Aarik in his tra
cks. The looming chant ensnared him in its grasp and flung him up into the air like he was a rag doll, not a six-and-half-foot, virile male. Suspended spread eagle, an invisible force pulled his limbs taut in all directions, leaving him exposed to Th’ael who strolled forward, cocksure in his abilities.

  Looking for a means of escape, Aarik started to close his eyes to enter the AZOK, when he noticed a black mist surrounding his body. Trying not to panic he concentrated on lowering his heart rate, but it appeared to be preventing him from entering the zone. Refusing to give up, he fought harder to escape. The mist seemed to sense his efforts as it swirled around him, sucking the air away from his body, making it hard to breathe.

  The closer Aarik got to entering the zone, the faster the mist moved around him. When he blinked, the shadow solidified for a brief second to reveal what could only be described as the shape of a man. He associated it to the blades of a fan; as a whole they moved too fast to make out a single blade, but if a person blinked they froze the blades for an instant revealing the individual blades that made up the whole. Picking up speed, it disintegrated into needle-like tendrils, slicing through his skin with scalpel precision over and over until his clothes, drenched in his blood, dropped to the floor with a wet thud.

  As a last ditch effort to fight back, Aarik chanted the word om, lowering his voice each time until he entered the AZOK at what felt like a snail’s pace. He hoped he would find a chant to counteract Th’ael’s version of a sacrificial spell and panicked slightly when he heard Th’ael’s voice in his head instead, mocking him for his efforts. Your powers are meek in comparison to mine. You will never beat me. Join me and I will spare your life. Aarik fought past the apparition of Th’ael in his mind and frantically searched for a chant to aid in his escape.

  Just when he felt the connection to the answers he sought, the dark mist solidified slightly, passing through him with lightning speed, as if it was on a mission to disembowel Aarik in the process. The moment it entered his body, Aarik felt his soul fight to stay connected, but as the entity exited the other side, Aarik let out a deafening scream, as his very essence felt like it was being torn from his body. He struggled to remain conscious as he answered Th’ael with as much bravado as he could manage, You might be stronger than me now, but I’m a fast learner and something tells me it won’t be long before I surpass you.

  The sound of Aarik’s scream echoed throughout the auditorium and as it died out, Th’ael stopped chanting, dropping Aarik to the ground in a heap. Aarik closed his eyes and took shallow breaths; trying to minimize the pain in his chest, he focused on his breathing to separate himself from the pain. He needed to hear Th’ael and Diego’s nefarious plans, so he could warn people, if possible, before it was too late. Concentrating on Th’ael’s voice wasn’t always the best of ideas but having something else to think about, besides the excruciating pain spreading across his body, was in Aarik’s best interest if he didn’t want to pass out.

  Diego, squatting down next to Aarik’s motionless body, pried the still clutched cell phone from his hand and laughed maniacally. Frustrated he couldn’t fight back, Aarik was mortified when he realized they were calling Kiya and would be using him as bait to get to her. “We’ll call her from his phone,” boasted Diego, standing up to dial Kiya’s number.

  Aarik prayed Kiya was smart enough to stay away, but as their conversation progressed, his hopes were ripped to shreds, when he heard Diego give her the ultimatum of Aarik’s life for the crystal. Diego ended the call and laughed diabolically; after he stopped he spoke to Th’ael, “Much easier than I thought it would be. She’ll be here in the next two hours. In the meantime, what should we do with him?”

  “Leave him for now. After we get the crystal and contain the girl, you can eliminate him however you desire. I have plans for the Thrall in my quarters tonight,” answered Th’ael with vexation.

  “You keep using that word...thrall. What does it mean? Hooker?” inquired Diego curiously.

  Struggling to hear Th’ael’s response as they walked away, Aarik wished he hadn’t when Th’ael responded, “Thrall was the name we gave the hybrids created by my people, millions of years ago, to be used for free labor. So, in essence, you could refer to them as a hooker, but they were so much more. Combining our DNA with the primitive inhabitants of this world, we were able to design a race of beings smart enough to take direction. We tried enslaving the Neanderthals when we first arrived, but they ended up dying too often from wounds sustained during beatings received when they failed to follow commands quickly enough.”

  The silence of the room after they departed was broken intermittently with the sounds of scraping rocks from beyond the auditorium, making Aarik wonder why they were using brute strength instead of Th’ael disintegration power on the last cave-in. It gave him a glimmer of hope that Th’ael wasn’t as powerful as he portrayed himself to be, otherwise they would already be done by now. Taking advantage of his solitude, he opened his eyes slowly and when he could confirm he was alone he took stock of his injuries. Aarik was surprised to find the pain subsiding quicker than expected and he felt better with each breath. Deciding not to take the healing for granted, Aarik tried to stand and quickly determined he was hurt worse than he felt. Desperate to stop Kiya from coming to save him, Aarik sent out a desperate plea with his mind hoping she would hear him and respond. When it felt like hours had gone by instead of minutes, he reached for Taylor and concluded distance was a factor when he heard Taylor respond in surprise. Is that you, Aarik?

  Yes it’s me. Are you safe?

  Yes, I’m safe. Hiding in a cave system west of the secret entrance. Holy shit, I can’t believe you’re in my head. Are you okay?

  I’m stable and healing fast, but the girls are on their way here to exchange the crystal for my release. I heard Th’ael give Diego direct orders to kill me after they took Kiya and the crystal. You have to intercept them somehow before that happens and get them to safety.

  I’m not leaving without you and I doubt Kiya would let me. We both know I need to come get you before the girls arrive, otherwise my chance for success will be minimal at best.

  Dammit! You’re right. Hurry back, I’m near the entrance and alone at the moment, but be careful and keep this channel open.

  What do you mean open? You came right in. I didn’t have to pretend to open anything. How the hell would I know if I was closing it?

  I don’t know. Felt like it was something I should say. I’m winging it here. Just keep talking until you find me, I guess. If I hear anyone approaching, I’ll warn you.

  This new talent of yours is going to be very useful.

  Agreed, but I think it’s limited to a certain distance. I tried contacting Kiya before you and got no response.

  Keep trying, just in case they get here early and decide to use the front entrance.

  I will, but promise me you’ll turn around if the coast isn’t clear. Keeping the crystal from Th’ael is a top priority, but keeping the girls out of his hands supersedes that priority.

  I’m almost to the entrance, but I think I see someone heading your way.

  How many? I don’t hear anyone approaching.

  Hard to say. All I saw was red, which stands out against the green for those of us fortunate enough not to be color blind.

  Well I’m not color blind, thankfully, and will try and scoot to the side of the doorway to buy us some time. Are you following behind them?

  Have you tried to contact Kiya?

  No. I’ve been a little preoccupied. Why?

  It’s just that I think they’re in front of me and I don’t want to look like a fool if it’s one of the bad guys. Pretending my wave was for someone else wouldn’t really work in our current situation.

  Aarik, pausing on his trek to the wall, propped himself up on his elbows and shook his head in frustration. Taking a calming breath, he tried to reach Kiya again and almost gave himself away when he cried out in happiness after hearing her reply,

  “I wasn�
��t expecting accolades, but a simple thank you would have sufficed for coming here to rescue you,” Kiya bit out on a whisper, as she entered the auditorium in a crouch. She knelt next to him and, with a gentle touch and tears in her eyes, examined his body for wounds. She pulled off her extra large sweatshirt and draped it over his lower region before she said in a low voice, “I’m not sure where all the blood is coming from, because you don’t appear to have any open cuts or gashes, but can you move?”

  “With some assistance I might be able to. Taylor should be right behind you and can help me. I’m not exactly what you would call light as a feather,” replied Aarik quietly, looking up into her eyes with adoration before he added for her ears only, “I’m sorry.”

  “Nothing to be sorry about,” replied Kiya with a tender smile, wiping the single tear that managed to escape from her eye as Taylor approached reluctantly and said quietly, “Sorry to interrupt your reunion and all, because I think you two deserve a long one, but we need to get moving sooner rather than later.”

  Kiya kept a tight hold on Aarik’s hand as she stood up and waited for Taylor. Holding out his hand, he pulled Aarik to his feet and said in a hushed voice, “Damn dude. What happened to your clothes?”

  “Does it matter?” retorted Aarik with a sigh as he held Kiya’s sweatshirt in front of him like a safety net all the while trying to maintain a vertical position.

  “Here, take my sweats,” offered Taylor, as he leaned over to pull them off.

  “Hold up. I know you like to go commando and I think the girls have seen enough male flesh for the night. I’ll just fashion this around my waist so that it covers all the important parts and we can be on our way,” Aarik bit out in a rush, swaying on his feet without Taylor’s assistance.

  “Funny. I happen to be wearing underwear and shorts today, so you’re in luck,” Taylor said in return. Standing up with a grin on his face, he tossed Aarik the sweats and said, “They might not cover your shins and ankles, but at least it will cover the bits not meant for viewing. Let me help you.”