“It’s not me I worry for,” she said, knowing there was a slightly whiny and childish tone to her voice and not caring in the least. “I know you said the atmosphere on Ia’na Eidyn would break down the stone quicker than here, but Dad, that’s still going to take time. You might be…” she cut off with a sob. “You might still be there, alone, long after I’ve…”
“El’iadrylline, I will not deceive you. Though there are methods of expediting my ascension, it is likely the process will not be swift. I knew when I made my initial decision that I was giving up the opportunity for a peaceful and painless death.”
“Then why?”
“For one thing, it is imperative that I return this body. Though my consciousness overrides the collective mind of the battalion, I would be unable to override orders given by the true master.”
“But the true master isn’t about to give the order for war,” Ellie noted with some insistence.
“At the moment,” her father corrected. “Regardless, I am technically wearing stolen property. But do not worry for me. I will not be alone and this is not a permanent goodbye.”
“But…” Ellie blinked away the tears as her mind grasped to comprehend. “Rhymallian?” she asked.
El’iadryov nodded. “I’ll have the company of the original master. I have agreed to add the sum of my knowledge to the archive, as well as the rise and fall of the Huptsovian Empire. When I pass, I will leave as Rhymallian had, an imprint of myself. You, of course, will be required to return to the temple at the time your successor is named. Historically, Rhymallian has witnessed each naming. Forward, I too shall stand in record.”
“Perhaps I’ll find an excuse or a dozen to find myself in the temple long before that,” Ellie joked, though a sudden weight lifted at the thought. “I love you, Dad,” she added, her words hardly more than a creaky whisper as she choked on her emotions.
“I love you too, sweetheart,” he said, placing a light kiss upon her forehead before stepping back to take one last look at his daughter. “Always remember that.”
Ellie heard a low hum and turned in time to see Julian step off Ag’iazza’s platform. Not caring that they were not alone, she threw her arms around him and shared through her diodes the inner turmoil she could not hide.
“There’s other ways,” she whispered, just low enough for Julian to hear. “Please, Julian. If you can convince him…”
“Your father’s will is strong,” Julian replied. It was not the affirmation she wanted and she expressed as much. “Just like his daughter,” he added, pulling back to trace a fingertip across her face as he looked in her eyes. “El’iadrylline, you are loved. Never forget that.” He leaned in and placed a gentle kiss upon her lips, pulling back before the torrent of emotions he kept at bay crested his mental floodwall.
“Hurry back to me, Julian.” Ellie’s voice was barely a cracked whisper as the tears she’d tried to hold back fell freely.
Julian said nothing in return as he bowed his head and dropped to his knee, sending up a small puff of dry, gray dust. It was a formal gesture and one she knew he was only carrying out because they were in the presence of the temple keeper, but it irked her nonetheless. At her near silent snort of indignation, Julian rose and took her into his arms again.
“You are loved,” he repeated one last time before stepping back. With a final nod, he turned and joined El’iadryov at the ship.
Ellie heard Ag’iazza slide up beside her, but kept her eyes on the silver, egg-like vessel until it flashed away. The squeezing in her heart was nearly unbearable. It was bad enough she was losing her father after only having met, but she couldn’t help wondering why Julian’s departure felt like a goodbye as well.
She stood for a moment longer, steeling her emotions as she looked out at the empty expanse. It would not do to have a mental breakdown in front of a woman she’d only just met, on an unfamiliar planet, and without an ounce of support. Finally, she turned to the woman and gave her a weak and watery smile.
Ag’iazza shifted slightly and gestured for Ellie to climb aboard the platform. As she did, she was shocked to feel a stable surface beneath her feet. Given that it seemed to float on air, Ellie assumed it would bounce and sway like a raft on water.
“This is your first time traveling low pulse,” the old woman said. It wasn’t so much a question as a statement of fact, but Ellie nodded. “The transit is easy, but I expect you should take the rail.”
Ellie did as told and was about to ask what Ag’iazza meant when the platform shot forward at an alarming speed. She held on with a white knuckled grip as the landscape blurred around them and closed her eyes, only to immediately open them again. It was a sensation like nothing she’d felt before. In fact, nothing was the best description. Despite her eyes showing them traveling at impossible speeds, her body felt nothing. It was as if she was simply standing on solid ground.
“This… is disorienting,” Ellie confessed, turning to Ag’iazza, who stood relaxed, hands clasped in front of her, and eyes focused on some distant point on the horizon. She turned to Ellie with a smile.
“It will pass, eventually,” she said with a melodious chuckle. “Closing your eyes helps.”
Ellie instead looked down at her hands, determined to get used to the strange sensation sooner rather than later. After all, she’d phase pulsed and that was supposedly theoretical.
“Is this the standard mode of transport on T’al Eidyn?” she asked, closing her eyes as she lost the fight against her stubbornness.
“Low pulse energy manipulation is my own design,” Ag’iazza said with pride, adding with a hint of amusement, “You’ll be happy to hear that it’s unpopular at the moment. There are few advantages to the natural decomposition of aging, but poor eyesight seems to make for a more comfortable ride.”
At that, Ellie chuckled, feeling a genuine warmth for the woman who was to be her advocate to the council and felt slightly better about her stay. Besides, Ag’iazza knew her great grandparents. Perhaps she would have insight that would help Ellie understand exactly what happened to lead them to their unorthodox decisions. It was all she could do not to immediately set upon the woman with a never-ending bombardment of questions.
“We’ll be passing through the transit barrier in just a moment. I have been told it is not painful, but that it is not pleasant for first timers,” Ag’iazza announced as they neared the sheer wall of rock.
Before Ellie even had a chance to register that they were still speeding directly toward the immovable barrier, they were inside the rock. Ag’iazza’s assessment was correct. While it was not a painful experience, it was definitely not something she wanted to do again.
A moment later, Ellie found herself blinking in surprise as they were hovering high above a sprawling mountainous city that seemed to go on for miles in all directions. Right in the middle, on the highest peak, towering over everything else, rose a temple that was an exact replica of the Temple Kyri. The only difference was that this time, Ellie could see that the Eidyssic city teemed with life.
“Welcome to Temple City,” Ag’iazza said, gesturing with arms splayed wide at the expanse below them. “Welcome home, El’iadrylline, true master of the Kyroibi.”
Epilogue
The silence in the small cabin held tension, but at the same time, a measure of acceptance. El’iadryov looked over at his traveling companion, noting Julian’s calm demeanor and the very obvious fact that it was forced. The battalion commander was hiding something, of that he was sure.
“You know, Julian,” he began, measuring his words carefully. “As a former true master of the Kyroibi, I am aware that both the master and commander are required to be present for the Limitless Battalion’s awakening.”
Julian considered his response, choosing his wording with as much care as El’iadryov had given the question.
“El’iadrylline and I are unanimously in agreement that awakening the battalion is not in the best interest of Ghowrn peace.”
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��But the awakening has been initiated. I have been led to believe that once the true master identifies a threat to peace in the galaxy, there is no going back.”
“That is true,” Julian confirmed. “More so than either you or my current master have been allowed to comprehend.”
For a moment, El’iadryov sat in silent contemplation. To tell Julian all that he knew was to violate the trust of the one who granted him insight into that which was truly the forbidden aspect of the Kyroibi’s forbidden knowledge of the ancients. But to go quietly with feigned ignorance was a needless gesture, and one that for all its light-stepping, had the most potential to cause unnecessary heartache.
“I know what is hidden from the keeper and true master,” he said at last, opting to reveal only that which he felt would not violate Rhymallian’s trust.
Julian’s expressionless face betrayed no emotion, but his diodes alit with startled curiosity.
“As a true master yourself, I do not see how that is possible.”
“Much like Rhymallian, a piece of me remains tethered to the living universe, yet I am apart. Not long after you left me to my wait, he sought me out, sensing a kindred spirit. He felt for my sacrifice, I deserved to know what exactly it was I’d given my life to protect.”
“Does El’iadrylline know?” Julian asked.
“No,” El’iadryov said quietly. “My trust was, of course, conditional.”
“So you do understand my intentions.”
“I’m not sure I do. Am I, like my daughter, to believe you have the ability to do the impossible?”
“Ending the awakening sequence is… not impossible.”
“The only way to end the sequence would be—” El’iadryov turned sharply to Julian, who remained impassive, as if trying to fully express the fact that he was artificially constructed. Though who he was trying to convince, El’iadryov or himself, seemed the bigger issue. “El’iadrylline knows not what she agreed to, does she?”
“No.” The word was a barely audible whisper, but its weight fell heavily within the confines of the cabin. Neither man spoke for several minutes.
“There is more,” Julian said at last. El’iadryov said nothing, but turned his head and waited for Julian to continue. “This is not the first time since its creation that the battalion has awakened.”
El’iadryov turned a skeptical eye to his companion. “Surely if that were true it would be in the archive.”
“The master at that time took measures, not just to reinstate dormancy, but to ensure the awakening and his legacy remain hidden until peace was again in crisis. I believe El’iadrylline has figured out on her own that the only outcome of allowing the battalion to awaken is death to the galaxy. Understand, El’iadryov, that my motives are not entirely selfless. My sacrifice prevents El’iadrylline from needlessly doing the same.”
“I see,” El’iadryov said absently. His head filled with his own unspoken thoughts. He understood Julian’s intent, and even appreciated the sacrifice the commander was ready to make in the name of a love that defied logic. But he was, he discovered in that moment, first and foremost, a father, whose daughter’s feelings were paramount. “I didn’t hear you say goodbye.”
“That’s because I didn’t.”
“Julian.”
“I would not have El’iadrylline suffer a moment longer than necessary.”
“She’s smart you know.”
“I do.”
“And stubborn, Julian.”
“Indeed.” A trace of bittersweet remembrance flitted briefly across his diodes. “But she is also strong.”
“That she is,” El’iadryov agreed. He stole a glance at the commander, whose swirling golden irises now fixed him with a look of utter torment. “There is something else I must ask you, Julian.”
“And that is?”
El’iadryov again weighed his words.
“Do you truly believe both Ellie and yourself phase pulsed to get to the Fhasmyrric capital city?”
“It is illogical,” Julian replied automatically. “But logic fails me in rationalizing another explanation as to what happened.”
“Curious,” El’iadryov murmured, his eyes fixed on the console before him. “The luk, I understand.”
“How is that?”
“The Transcendent in mythos always manifest in the form of lower sentient. To take the form of an advanced species is said to give them power which cannot be controlled.”
At that Julian gave his companion a skeptical look. “You believe Lady Meioak’s beloved pet to be the physical manifestation of a mythological god?”
“Only the Transcendent can phase pulse.”
At that Julian snorted. “Perhaps the stone sickness is finally getting to you, dear friend. If El’iadrylline and I were the gods manifested in corporeal form, do you think there would be anything left of the galaxy to salvage?”
“Had my daughter accompanied us to the temple, and the two of you completed that which is now supposed to be inevitable, then no, I don’t believe there would be.”
“Then god or not, it is fortunate my master is not here to stop what must be done.”
“I hope, for both your sakes, and that of the galaxy, you’re right.”
“As do I.”
Julian stared blankly ahead. His passive expression betrayed no emotion, but inside, his heart was screaming. He had made the most logical decision. The decision he knew irrefutably to be correct.
So why then, was the pain in his heart too much to bear?
Ellie’s adventures will conclude in The Needs of the Many, The Kyroibi Trilogy Book #3.
Coming in 2018.
A Note from the Author
Whether my own writing, or in reading the works of others, second books in a series are almost always my favorite. Here I must admit, I’m rather partial to the story you just read and not just because I’ve introduced one of my favorite characters. I hope you’ve enjoyed it as well.
Once again, I cannot take full credit for the final product. I must thank Missy Sheldrake for creating a cover out of the words in my head. I think she did a great job of imagining my leading ladies. Thanks to the insight of fellow authors G. G. Atcheson, Ann Livi Andrews, and J. Daniel Layfield to help make this story the best it could be.
And of course, I must thank my husband for his continued support, but for this particular story, there is another household member I need to thank, and that would be Luke, our 13 year old mutt. Luke, and all his lumpy cat-like dog mannerisms, laid the foundation for the character of Pouns. Everything from his stumpy nub of a tail to his appalling breath are lovingly recreated here.
And of course, as always, thank you for reading!
For a listing of all of my books, check out (and consider following) my author page on Amazon. For information on new releases, upcoming projects, or to read my sporadic musings on life, check out my website, Vampires and Robots. For monthly free books by up and coming indie authors, consider subscribing to my newest site, Bookworms Discover. For less seriousness and more interaction, feel free to follow me on Twitter or Facebook, where I try to be captivating and engaging, but mostly I just tell terrible jokes.
The Princess Rebellion (The Kyroibi Trilogy Book 2) Page 27