by T J Trapp
“So you asked where we are from,” Alec began, awkwardly.
“Yes – I thought you said that you were from here – this country, anyway – and that you worked at the Alder Institute, several years ago.”
“Yes – but it wasn’t called the ‘Alder Institute’ then. And I am from here. Or was. I was born in the USA, so I am a native son. Erin, however, was born somewhere else.” He glanced at Erin, who nodded for him to go on.
“Erin was born in a different place. On another world, actually.”
“Another world?” Celeste asked. “That’s what she said last night, but …”
“Yes. A different planet. In a different universe. A place called ‘Nevia.’”
“That’s crazy.”
“Maybe…”
“That’s what Erin was telling me last night. This morning, I was thinking that maybe I hadn’t heard her right – that maybe it was the wine – she gave me some wine …” Celeste looked at Alec guiltily. “But really? Another planet? You mean – like she’s an alien?”
“Um … well…” Alec stammered, uncertain how to answer.
“But – ‘Nevia’ – I’ve heard of Nevia! I remember that that’s where Uncle Al said that Mom died. He told me that last year – that she didn’t die in the lab explosion – she died in a place called ‘Nevia.’ I thought he just meant in a different country called that, except there isn’t any country called that. And he did say ‘another world’ – but I didn’t think that he really meant ‘another world.’”
“Yes, he meant ‘another world.’ And yes, Nevia is where Sarah – your mother – died.”
“That’s right,” Erin interjected. “We were with her when she died.”
“You knew my mother?” Celeste exclaimed incredulously.
“Yes, we did. My consort knew her well.”
“You did?” Celeste said, looking at Alec wide-eyed.
“Yes.”
“On Nevia?”
“I saw her on Nevia, and I knew her here. On this world.”
Celeste sat back, speechless.
“Someday my consort will tell you the story of her life, and her death,” Erin said gently. “I don’t know if he is ready to tell you today.”
“I want to tell you about your mother – about Sarah,” said Alec. “But right now there is something more urgent, and that concerns you.” He pulled out his cell.
“I got a voice message this morning, when we were out training, so I listened to it just now while I was changing. And I want you to hear it.” He fiddled with his cell.
“It’s coming from the same source signature as the strange text messages that I showed you,” he said to Erin. “With the monsters – the hydra – out there, I think we need to take it seriously.”
A man’s voice came from the cell. “This message is to warn you, and to ask for your help. This is the only message I will send you.”
“Do you recognize …” he began, but Celeste interrupted him.
“That’s Uncle Al!” she blurted. “That’s Uncle Al’s voice!”
“Go on,” said Erin. “What is the message?”
“The elves have started their Grand Cull,” the man’s voice continued. “You need to know that there is a resistance that is organizing to make the cull fail. The resistance needs all the local help that it can get. You could be of help.
“You and your consort are well-aware of the elves and the damage they can inflict. They are cruel towards orbs, including human-kind, and will treat you no better than any other animal. The elves view Earth as an elf world. Your human population here was seeded as orbs ages ago. Usually, only a few elf herders stay on Earth in order to watch over the herds of wild orbs until the herd is ripe enough to be culled. Every thousand years or so, when the orb herb ripens, many elves come here with their herding tools to perform a Grand Cull and harvest orbs. The harvested orbs will be domesticated and trained as drones for elf colonies on other worlds. They will discard the rest.
“In the Grand Cull that has just started, I estimate that they plan to harvest two- to three-billion people over the next couple of decades. They will kill about an equal number, either as casualties of the harvest or as feeders. The hydras are a harvest tool that they use to panic the orbs – when they are in a state of panic, the orbs are easier to harvest.
“Teams of elves from several other worlds have already transported to Earth to start the cull. They are not afraid of the Earth orbs or their weapons, but they are concerned about a stampede – the local orbs are great in number and could possibly overwhelm the elf harvesters due to the sheer size of the herd if it turns against them.
“You need to know that there are off-world orbs, including some stationed here on Earth, who are trying to thwart the harvest, and the elves know this. The elves have acquired enough sophisticated equipment that they can detect off-world activity. It has become very difficult to move things onto or off of this world without the elves detecting and responding to it.
“I am warning you, for your own safety, and that of others close to you – you are in danger. The elves are responding to anything that hints of off-world orb activity and are stamping it out. Your experiments with transporters, which I have been able to detect, can also be detected by the elves.
“I am also asking for your help. Our resistance effort needs all of the local assistance it can find. You possess capabilities that few others have, and would be useful to those who resist. The resistance will contact you. I am sending you this message so that you will be prepared when the contact happens.”
The cell clicked. “Message complete,” a female computer voice said.
The three of them sat silently around the big table, digesting what they had heard.
Finally Celeste spoke. “That voice is my Uncle Al. I am sure of it. But I don’t know why he sent you a message. He doesn’t know you. And if we didn’t already know about the elves, I would think that this was the ranting of a madman.”
“But it is consistent with the elves we know, and it explains why the elves are so interested in us,” replied Erin.
“What is the ‘resistance’ he’s talking about?” Alec said to Erin. “Have you ever heard of anything like that?”
“No,” Erin said, “it sounds like something organized on this world.” Then she thought for a little while. “I have memories of a few situations during a Grand Cull where some off-world orbs prodded the locals enough that it interfered with the elves’ cull. Usually that involves stampeding the herd so they disrupt the cull, but in a way that destroys civilization. It killed most of the locals, but denied the elves of most of their harvest. That may be what the resistance is about.”
“There’s so much about this message, and the one to me yesterday, that I don’t understand,” said Celeste, clearly upset. “Why am I at risk? I don’t really know what he was talking about, although I’ve heard him talk about elves many times. And I know this sounds crazy, but I do feel like someone is watching me – someone is after me – and I’ve felt it even more so since I’ve been wearing your ring. I have no place else to go, and in his message to me yesterday, Uncle Al said he would probably never see me again! He may be a bit nuts, but he’s the only family I have! What will happen to me?”
Erin took her hand. “I have taken you in and made you a part of my family. My family is made up of fighters. My consort is a fighter, and you have similar blood in you. You can do this. You are now my daughter, and your place is with us, in our home, until we figure out the right next steps.”
Celeste burst into tears, and Alec took her in his arms. The stress had been all that she could handle, and she cried with deep gasping sobs as her frustration and pain and sense of loss emerged.
“I can sense that you two care for me, and that you consider me part of your family. I know that everything you said is true.” Celeste wiped the tears from her face and bravely looked at them. “I have found a family. I always wanted to have family – besides Uncle Al – and
now I have the two of you.” Erin nodded and Alec smiled gratefully.
43 – Calling the Birds
Leon stared at a wooly squit as it moved down the tree towards his snare. The squit wiggled its bushy tail as it looked around. A nice fat wooly one. Not one of the speckled ones. Cook will be pleased. He held absolutely still and only allowed himself the luxury of quiet slow breaths. This was a wonderful place where Grandmother had brought them. There were hills and trees and all kinds of animals just outside the back courtyard. Even the trip to reach this place had been fun with the nighttime caravan of snorting drungs and riders on their snarling trogus. At first when they arrived here, a half-turn of the moons ago, Ari had been upset, but that was because Grandmother was upset. Now that Grandmother had calmed down, even Ari was starting to like the place. Fewer servants were around to keep an eye on him here, as they had back at the Residence in the city, and he could spend his time climbing on the rocks in the hills behind the house and snaring squits.
Mamma said I need to make it fair for the squits, Leon thought, remembering Erin’s lessons on how to catch the little beasts. No fair using my medallion, or using Ari to sense to see what its feelings are. I have to do this the regular way.
Ariana started to whimper. Now, Grandmother is upset again. Leon could tell because Ariana only whimpered when Grandmother was upset. If Ari doesn’t calm down, she is going to scare my squit away. The squit took another cautious step towards the bait in Leon’s snare, but then a slight sound from Ari distracted it, and it bounded back up the tree to the safety of the upper branches.
“Ari! Mamma said I need to learn to hunt squits! I might need them for food! And now you scared it away!” He scowled at the toddler. Now he was stuck in the courtyard with just little Ariana and their amah. No squit.
He sighed a loud exasperated sigh. Ariana plopped down on the courtyard pavement, rubbing her face and whining.
Grandmother told me not to play in the woods today. And Ari wants Mamma when she senses that Grandmother is upset, and so now I am stuck here listening to her whimper.
“Why don’t you think of a game that you and Ariana can play together,” the amah said.
Leon looked wistfully at the big trees and forest undergrowth behind the house. A bird swept into view, then disappeared back into the trees.
“Ari, remember the game Mamma used to play with us? The bird game?”
Ariana stopped her whimpering. “Mamma?”
“Let’s play the bird game!”
Ariana brightened up.
“You remember? Mamma invites the birds to come and see us. See if you can do it. Like Mamma does.”
Ariana squnched up her face and thought about how nice it was when Mamma called the birds in. Nothing happened. She sensed for the birds again, and again nothing happened. She looked at Leon and her lower lip began to quiver.
“It’s okay, Ari. Don’t cry. Let me help you.”
He pulled his ring out of his pocket. Grandmother doesn’t like me to carry it around. She is afraid I will lose it. But I won’t. And I put on my medallion, too. He put the ring on his thumb.
Grandmother doesn’t like me sensing when she’s not around, but I’m tired of hearing Ari crying. Leon focused, and felt the medallion around his neck vibrate slightly. He touched his little sister’s head and pushed a little dark energy towards her. Ari instinctively sensed through his ring and moved the lines as he gave her dark energy.
A red bird fluttered down onto the patio and hopped around expectantly. Then a second joined it, and a third. Ariana stood up and stepped towards the birds. The birds took off in a flutter. She was momentarily frightened by the flurry, but then started laughing. “More!” she giggled.
“We have to hold hands to make it work,” Leon told his little sister. She looked stubbornly at the courtyard wall for a few seconds, then reluctantly took hold of Leon’s hand. This time Leon helped less than before, and soon a pair of yellow-breasted thrackers landed on the patio. The amah idly tossed some breadcrumbs towards the birds, and more birds fluttered down from the forest trees behind. Ari laughed as the birds jumped around and postured, vying for the crumbs.
“Hello there, children,” Queen Therin said, coming out of the house.
Grandmother! Leon thought guiltily. I wasn’t supposed to be doing this.
Ari released Leon’s hand and stepped towards the birds. The birds flew away with a great flapping of wings and stirring of feathers. Ari laughed as the birds left and looked at her grandmother. “More, Gamma,” she said.
The queen laughed, too. “Do you know that I taught that game to your mother? She was only a little older than you are when I first called the birds to come to her. But she was never as good as the two of you! Let me see if we can call the treepeckers to come in. They are my favorites. They are fun when they come in and make a show for us. But they are hard to call.”
Queen Therin sat down on the courtyard wall and held Ari in her lap. She sensed, and let Ari help her. Nothing happened. Leon focused, and let a little dark energy flow to his grandmother. The flow of dark energy let her increase her senses. For a long time the three of them sat on the wall, holding hands, as the queen and Ari sensed. Then with a flapping of wings a large red-headed bird landed on the grass just beyond the courtyard. The bird jumped around a few times, holding its broad wings out, and pecked at the wall with its long beak. Then the amah came over, and the bird took off with a shriek.
“My Queen, the pastries are ready,” the amah said, somewhat eagerly.
“Then have Cook bring them out to us.”
“Grandmother, we haven’t had pastries since we left the big place.”
“The Residence? You are right – not since we left Freeland City.”
The cook brought the fragrant pastries out to them on a little tray, and placed them on the courtyard table. The amah picked up Ari, and the four of them sat down to enjoy the treat.
“These are good!” Leon said. “‘Dee-licious!’” he added, mimicking his father.
“You are right, my child. They are delicious. Especially with the elvenberry preserves from last year’s crop.” She smiled, savoring the sweet dark purple filling. “I like them as much as you do. They are hard to make so I don’t ask cook to make them very often, but I know they are your favorite.”
Leon laughed and pointed to Ariana, sitting on the Amah’s lap, with purple preserves smeared around her little mouth, licking the sweet jam from her fingers.
The queen laughed also. “I think she likes them, too! Ariana has never had them before. She was too small to eat them the last time cook made them. But now she’s big enough – she has now completed her first transit around the sun!”
“Is that why we’re having them?” Leon asked.
“Yes, in honor of that milestone. We will celebrate the event today like your father and mother would have, even though they are not here with us right now.”
“Did you get pastries like this when you were little?” asked Leon.
“Yes, but when I was little, we celebrated one more transit of growth for everyone together, at the fall festival. That is when we got pastries and other treats. But your daddy says we have to celebrate for you children every time you have ridden the world around the sun one more time. I think he just wants an excuse for Cook to make pastries more often.”
“Daddy is smart. I like having pastries more times,” replied Leon. Then added pensively, “I wish Daddy could be here to celebrate with us today.”
The queen had a very wistful look as well. “I wish he and your mother would return, and bring back the world as it was before all of this happened. I do not know if that ever will be.”
Ari looked at her grandmother with concern.
“I will complete another ride around the sun, soon also,” Leon said, his mouth full of pastry crust.
“Yes, your time is not long after your sister’s.”
“Will we get pastries then too?”
“We will see, bu
t I don’t think we have much choice. Your father has created a tradition that is hard to resist.” The queen smiled.
A commotion in the front of the building interrupted them. The queen sensed and then relaxed slightly. “Finish your pastry, Grandson – this might be your last chance for treats for a while.” Leon ate the last of his pastry, and the amah cleaned the purple smudges from Ari’s face.
Then a member of the Queen’s Guard came striding into the room.
“Sorry to interrupt, my Queen, but our scouts have reported that an elf force is in the area. A mother and her clutchmen are proceeding on the road towards this forest residence. We have determined that the armed riders on drunglets, whom we have seen stopping people along the road for the last couple of days, are somehow coordinated with this elf mother.”
Queen Therin scowled. “So far the elves have not been trying to expand into our territory on this side of the Ryn River. What are these elves doing?”
“It seems that they are responding to our people who have been crossing the river to this side in order to escape elf control. They are taking escapees back to Freeland City.
“Why?”
“They torture the captured to convince others not to flee. They aren’t after you, my Queen, but you should leave this house just as a precaution.” The queen looked at him thoughtfully.
The guardsman continued, “You can go with our riders by trogus through the woods. But I don’t think that we can get the children away by that route. If we leave them here, with their amah, the elves may ignore them and keep looking for escapees. Do you wish to flee?”
“I am not going to leave the children.”
“They cannot ride on trogus well enough to go through the woods, so they can’t come that way, and we can’t get them away in a cart. They will need to stay here. If you choose not to flee, it is possible that the elf mother and her clutchmen will follow our armed troops and not bother an isolated group in a solitary house in the woods like this one.”
“You are sure that the armed riders who are checking the road are working with the elves? Our riders?”