Lost Empire

by Jeff Gunzel

  “How did you do that?” Jade asked as she scooted over to the wall with her legs bent up in front of her. Hugging her knees to her chest with her face half hidden behind them, it was clear she had nothing but time, so she might as well get comfortable. Perhaps learning a bit about each other’s culture was not the worst idea after all. “You know...the power you used. I have friends with similar abilities.”

  “Do you now?” Nima asked as a sudden curiosity gleamed in her dark eyes. “Please, tell me about these friends of yours. I want to learn all I can about the old world. In return, I promise to do my best to answer any questions you may have. Who knows, our lands may be far more similar than we think.”

  Jade began to speak vaguely of Tarmerria, doing her best not to go into any specifics on all that had led them to this point. She especially avoided talking about Eric’s role in the ancient prophecies, understanding full well how crazy all of that would sound. There didn’t seem to be any real gain to telling her about their mission. After all, there was really no way to tell whether or not she could trust this girl. But she did focus on Berkeni and Addel quite a bit, their incredible powers and the things they were able to do. Nima seemed to be hanging on to her every word.

  “Ancient magics,” she whispered into the air as a faint smile crossed her lips. “Raw abilities present since birth, yet never refined. Fascinating!” Jade watched as she began to pace back and forth, staring at the floor while rubbing her chin with two fingers, clearly deep in thought.

  “Are you saying you are more powerful than they are?” Jade asked, gazing at her with an eyebrow raised suspiciously. “Does this sound like child’s play to you?”

  Nima dismissed the sarcasm with a wave of her hand as she continued to pace. “An absurd notion, dear. Is an ancient tree sturdier than a stone column? Impossible to say. The only thing they have in common is that they are nothing alike. This is no different, but I do have at least some idea of what your friends are. Their powers come from within; an incredibly inefficient way to channel magic, yet effective enough, I suppose. But seeing as how their power is coming straight from their chi, or spirit, if you will, it can be incredibly taxing on the body. Unless I miss my guess, these incredible feats you speak of must have taken much preparation beforehand, and hours if not days of rest afterward.”

  Jade stared with her jaw open. It was clear Nima had a basic understanding of how her friends used their innate abilities, and what was possibly more impressive, she was fully aware of their limitations as well. “So...your power does not come from your...chi? Whatever that is. It’s channeled in some other way?”

  Nima’s eyes fluttered with exasperation as she brought two fingers up to her temples. “I’m not trying to avoid your question, dear, it’s just that I don’t know how to answer you. Your question is similar to asking a fish how it swims or a bird how it flies. They just do, and with very little thought involved. Not an easy thing to put into words.” She began rubbing her chin again as she looked up to the ceiling. “Let me put it this way. Remember when I brought you to your knees in agony?” she said with a playful wink.

  “Oh, you mean a hour ago,” Jade said, trying to suppress a smile at this girl’s bold confidence.

  “Why, yes, that was the time. Now, let’s see. The energy I used to do that never actually came from within me. We are surrounded by nature’s energy all the time. I simply borrowed some, which in turn flowed through my chi and had the desired effect on you.”

  “So it does flow through you. It just doesn’t start there the way Berkeni and Addel’s does.”

  “I suppose that is as good an explanation as any,” she said, looking as if this were the most thought she had ever given the topic. “The way your friends use their power I find quite extraordinary. Why, I would burn out within minutes.” She scratched her head as she seemed to be looking for something. “We actually do a test on our children at birth to determine who will be able to easily learn magic, and who would most likely struggle.” Reading Jade’s confused expression, she went on quickly. “It doesn’t hurt them or anything like that. And there is no shame in being one of the many—most, in fact—who will never excel in the art. Most of our finest warriors are exactly that because we learned early on it would be best for them to train in a different profession.” Giving up her search, she turned back to Jade. “I’ll be right back.” She turned and left the room.

  Jade sat against the wall as her mind raced. On one hand, the new knowledge was beyond fascinating, but guilt tugged at her gut as she realized how distracted she had become from the thoughts of her friends. How were they doing? Were they as well off as she was? She almost laughed at the notion, but it was true enough. She had a bed, a roof over her head, and food to eat. She could only hope they were doing at least as well.

  The odd, thin door slid open. Nima walked back in holding some kind of glass jar with tiny yellow lights flashing on and off from within. She closed the door behind her and held up the jar with a thin gold- colored lid. “These are miscus bugs. They can be found anywhere really and are nearly as useless as any other insect, except for one thing. They are drawn to any who have the gifts we were just talking about.”

  “You mean they can sense magic?”

  “Not exactly,” said Nima as she started to unscrew the lid. “They sense potential as opposed to actual polished magic. We are all born with a built-in…ceiling, if you will; a maximum potential already figured into our chi. In short, it’s how much power you could possibly be able to wield one day. That is why the test can even be done on infants with no polished skill at all.” She smiled widely at Jade while fumbling with the jar. “I have no real authority here in the village except for one thing. I showed more potential with this test than any other before me. For that alone I am greatly respected and have a bit of say as to what goes on here. This is also why your life was placed in my hands.”

  Jade felt foolish all of a sudden. Of course this girl had to be powerful. For them to leave Nima all alone in this room with Jade. Nima was never in any danger at all. More potential than any ever before her. She didn’t know whether to be in awe or simply be afraid. The lid popped off and the tiny insects flew out, scattering around the room, each one lazily flashing a golden light from its stomach as they buzzed around.

  One methodically lowered down from the ceiling and settled on Jade’s nose. She laughed as its tiny hairy legs tickled her. It spun in a circle like a cat searching for the perfect position to find comfort. She started to reach up gently in order to cup it with her hand when another landed on her finger before she got that far. She smiled at the little insect as she brought her finger up close to get a better look, when another landed right next to it. Then another, and another...and another. Her smile faded as confusion set in. They were beginning to land all over her one at a time. Within seconds they covered her shoulders and arms as more still began to fly down on what was quickly becoming their favorite seat. “What...what’s going on?” she asked, sounding as confused as she looked. “I thought they were supposed to—”

  She jumped suddenly from the sound of shattering glass. Nima stared at her as if seeing a ghost, with tiny pieces of glass spread out around her feet. The jar had simply slipped through her fingers. “That...that is impossible!”

  Chapter 13

  Nima stared in disbelief as Jade stood there like a scarecrow with her arms out wide, covered with the tiny insects as they twinkled away. Jade shook her arms slightly, hoping the subtle movement would send them back into flight, but it didn’t, as they continued to happily crawl all over her body. “I assume this was supposed to happen to you, not me,” Jade said while flapping a bit more aggressively now, even though the results were no different.

  “Years,” Nima said in a breathlessly. “No, centuries. It’s been centuries since a person was born with such astonishing ability.”

  “Well...well maybe there is a mistake. Maybe they are confused or something.” Jade began to sound more and more desperat
e as she shook her arms up and down harder. A few did fly off this time due to the aggressive movement, but all they did was circle over her head once or twice before drifting back down.

  “No. Impossible. One or two, perhaps. But all of them? The odds are in the trillions. It’s simply not possible.” Jade sighed loudly and sank into the stool. Placing her chin in her hands, she began to rub her temples in wide, sweeping circles. “You can’t even begin to understand the gravity of this, dear. It’s not just that they’ve detected your astonishing potential. The odds are about one in seventy-five, so that’s not completely unheard of. It’s just that—” She shook her head in disbelief once more, having a hard time believing it herself. “I’m in the room with you. Every one of them felt drawn toward you as opposed to me.”

  “Ok, I sort of understand this. But what does this ultimately mean? That I’m...somehow stronger than you?”

  “Stronger?” Nima slapped her hands down on her knees and glared at Jade. “Let me try and explain this one last time. If we were similar in potential, the insects would have been drawn to each of us in more or less equal amounts. But if your potential is double mine, a difference in ratio not seen in a century or more, the insects would have split between us with only around twenty percent more being drawn to you.” Jade stared back as the shocking revelation began to sink in. “Jade, even at ten times the potential, at least some would have would have been drawn me. They are not perfect. For all of them to make the same choice, with not a single one—” She shook her head slowly. “Jade...you are a prodigy.”

  Jade sat in total silence as she tried to let it all sink in. It was nearly too much for her to handle right now. She gently cupped another one of the little golden insects in her palm and hoisted it into the air, hoping it would fly away somewhere. Of course it simply flew a slow circle around her head before settling back on her shoulder.

  The awkward silence went on for a few minutes before Nima suddenly lifted her head and began staring at the door with a puzzled look. Jade shared her confused expression as well, but only because she didn’t understand what had suddenly caught her attention. A few seconds later, she could hear the commotion out in the street. The chatter began to grow, proving something was going on. “I’ll be right back,” Nima said as she quickly got to her feet and opened the door. Desperate shouts filled the room momentarily before she slammed it shut behind her. Jade only caught a quick glimpse of the mob forming outside.

  She stood and began pacing nervously while waiting for Nima to return and tell her what was going on. The more Jade thought about it, the more she realized she had quickly taken a liking to Nima. She had been as kind as she could be under the circumstances. After all, the only real conflict between them occurred after Jade had tried to escape. What was she supposed to do?

  But when the door finally slid back open, it was not Nima who stood in the doorway. A thin man of average height wearing black leather and a green cape stood before her. He wore a huge wicker helmet that fanned down from the top of his head while covering most of his face. His dark eyes gazed at her through the thin spaces between the wicker, as if looking through some sort of birdcage, before stepping in quickly and moving to the corner of the room. He dropped into a low stance, pointing his long spear at her as men in identical uniforms began to flood the room, each taking a different position while holding out a spear of their own.

  Jade threw her hands high in the air, showing she had no intention of resisting as the remaining insects took flight due to her sudden movement, many heading straight for the open door. Her eyes swept back and forth, moving from man to man, trying to get some clue as to what was going on here. But when she turned back at the last second, she caught a glimpse of a man through the doorway holding a black cloth of some kind. With lightning speed, the assailant pulled the sack over the top of her head, then used it to drag her to the ground. She thrashed about as survival instinct took over, which earned her several kicks to her side and the back of her head. The blows were so hard she curled up in a ball while rolling back and forth, hoping at least a few kicks might miss. It didn’t seem to be working all that well.

  “Be careful, you fools!” came Nima’s familiar but angry voice. “I told you not to hurt her! Jade, you must not resist. I’m here and I won’t let them harm you, but you must calm down.” Jade stopped rolling around, but not before a few more kicks got through. She heard a distinctive slapping sound followed by Nima saying, “Fool! Do you really fear a helpless woman this much?” A bit of laughter trickled through the room before Jade was lifted up to her feet and taken outside. Her hands were quickly bound with some sort of leather cord, as best she could tell.

  Terror swelled up inside her as she was marched down the street to the sounds of jeers and shouts while hands swiped and tugged at her clothing. With her hands tied and her head completely covered, Jade could not remember ever feeling so helpless in her life. A gentle hand wrapped around the side of her neck and tilted her slightly. “I’m right here,” came the familiar whisper. “No one is going to hurt you, I promise. It’s just a little farther. Trust me, Jade, this is for your own good.”

  She found it odd that the voice of her captor could have such a calming effect. When the strong set of arms grasping her shoulders gave a quick tug, she stopped dead in her tracks. She could hear the clicking sound of a heavy lock being opened with a key, a sound she had heard many times before, so she was quite certain of its distinctness. She was then led into a room where she could feel the crunching of hay beneath her feet as she walked.

  “Sit her down beside the others, then off with you. All of you.” Nima might not have had any true authority in the village, but it was clear she was indeed very well respected. Jade was pushed down in a soft pile of hay, where she sat motionless until she heard the shuffling of feet move away, followed by the irritated slam of a thick wooden door. Her hands were still bound, but she made no effort to free them as she waited. Her breath came in long, deep gasps due to the suffocating effect from the sack.

  A hand gripped the cloth sack as well as a generous amount of hair and yanked it off. Her vision was blurry as her head whipped around, trying to get some indication of where she was. She was able to focus just enough to see Nima reach down and yank the hoods off the two others who were seated right next to her.

  Athel and Jacob blinked incessantly as they tried to make their cloudy eyes function properly. They suddenly locked eyes with Jade, who began to sob instantly upon seeing her friends. With their hands still bound, all three inched toward each other on their knees and pressed together in an armless hug. Nima circled the three while untying their bound hands one at a time, then leaned back against the wall, determined to give them all the time they needed. The crying went on for some time before the three were finally able to compose themselves enough to engage in an actual conversation. “Have either of you seen— Is he with—” Jade could hardly ask the question for fear of the answer.

  Jacob averted his eyes as he spoke softly. “We haven’t seen him. We hoped he was with you.”

  Nima walked back over to them, rubbing a palm across her damp eyes. She looked at Jade and said, “I’m truly glad to see you reunited with your friends once more. After all, I told you we would find them. But I’m afraid there is more going on here than meets the eye, something we must discuss immediately” She glanced over to Athel. “I understand you have been going through some...changes.”

  “I need you to tell me what is happening to me,” said Athel through teary eyes. “I don’t even think I trust myself right now.” Jade gasped as she noticed her friend’s eyes for the first time, not knowing what to say.

  “Nor should you, dear. I will say this as plainly as I can. You’re about to experience a physical change, a transformation we call Aken-Duri. Needless to say, it’s extremely rare, but a few us have dealt with this before.”

  “But wait...what causes this? Is there any cure?” stammered Jacob.

  “I’m afraid there i
s no cure. You see, she was born with the seed, and the seed has remained dormant all this time. It’s usually awakened by intense suffering or some other sort of traumatic event.” Athel averted her eyes and looked down at the ground. There had been no shortage of traumatic events recently, and any one of them could have triggered this. Nima walked over to her and lifted her chin, forcing her to look her in the eye. “I’m not one to dance about when giving news such as this, so please allow me to be blunt. The moon is full tonight, and the transformation will be complete by morning. I won’t lie to you, this is going to be more painful than anything you have ever experienced before.”

  Athel shook free, returning a hard glare through her teary eyes. “More painful than not knowing what is happening to me day in and day out? More painful than thinking I’m losing my mind just as my father did right before my very eyes? I don’t find your certainty to be threatening at all. Now that I know what this is, I’ll deal with it.”

  “Well, pain is about the only thing I can assure you of. By the time the sun rises in the morning, one of two things will have come to pass.” All three were holding their breath, whether they realized it or not. “By the time the transformation is complete, you will have learned to control it. Your mind will be no different than it is now, and your physical changes will have been limited. This is the best you can hope for.” No one needed to ask. They simply waited for her to continue.

  “Of course, if things don’t go quite so well, a large portion of your mind may surrender itself to a completely primal state. In other words, you will essentially become more animal than human. You will have all the instincts of any other animal, the need for food, water, and the irresistible urge to hunt, but you will most certainly lose basic human abilities such as reading and language.” She glanced back over at Jade and Jacob but continued speaking to Athel. “You will forget all about your former self, and you will have no memory of your friends here.” Athel’s blank stare was death itself. A slight twitch in her cheek, combined with a single tear streaming down her face were the only indications she was even alive.