“I think Kaiyu is having a morale crisis of his own right now, so be gentle with him,” Sable said softly. “No matter the tension between them, he just lost his father.”
“Yeah,” Raiden replied, gazing over at the skinny, blonde boy. “I sort’a know what that’s like.”
He turned back to Sable.
“Thank you,” he said earnestly, looking into her eyes. “For everything. I would’ve broken a long time ago without your help.”
“And to think you didn’t even want to dance with me,” she teased with a wink. Raiden smirked, shaking his head playfully, then walked over to Kaiyu.
“Hey there,” Raiden greeted him with a friendly smile as he arrived. Kaiyu looked up and quickly wiped a tear from his eye, trying to conceal the fact that he’d been crying.
“Hello, Raiden,” Kaiyu said, his voice shaky. He cleared his throat. “Is everything okay?”
“Yeah,” Raiden answered, matching his pace. “I just wanted to ask you for a favor. And,” he paused briefly. “To see how you were doing.”
“I appreciate your concern, but I will be fine,” Kaiyu answered.
“I’m no Reader, but I can imagine what you’re going through,” Raiden said gently. “I also lost my father when I was young.”
“I never had a father,” Kaiyu growled, his hand curling to a fist.
Raiden hesitated for a moment, not knowing how to respond to that.
“Listen,” he said finally. “He might have been a difficult man, but he was your family. It’s understandable for you to miss him.”
“He was willing to let the entire tribe die,” Kaiyu snarled, his voice trembling again. “He was controlling, arrogant, and abusive.”
Raiden opened his mouth to respond but hesitated. I might just be making things worse, he thought. Maybe he just needs some time and space.
“You said you needed a favor?” Kaiyu asked, wanting to change the subject.
“You know what, it’s nothing,” Raiden answered. “Just if you ever decide you wanna talk, please don’t hesitate.”
Raiden turned around to leave, but Kaiyu grabbed his arm.
“I am a Reader,” he said frankly. “I know what you’re trying to do, and although I appreciate the thought, it is not space that I need. What I need is to break out of my father’s restraints; to become my own person. My whole life, he forced me to serve and obey him. I was a slave. Even now, from a distance, his cursed voice haunts my conscience, burdening me with guilt and regret. But for the first time in my life, I am free, free to do something I believe in. Please,” he pleaded, a fiery spark in his eyes. “Tell me what you need. I want to help.”
Raiden hesitated, then nodded. “These villagers followed your father blindly for as long as they can remember. His sermons gave them hope, stability, and ignorant bliss. Losing him left a gap in their hearts, a desperate need for a leader. I was hoping you could fill that role. Be the leader your people need, and help them overcome all the pain and suffering they’ve endured the past couple days.”
“I have no experience in leadership, but I can try,” Kaiyu said, nodding.
“I saw the way you moved the people back in the temple’s courtyard,” Raiden said confidently. “You were powerful, even more so than your father. You can do this—I know it.”
Raiden patted the boy’s shoulder, gazing firmly into his eyes. Kaiyu nodded, his shaky expression tightening with resolution.
“Take Maxie, my pygmy. I left him with Danos, the pygmy trader, to lend to whoever needs a hand. Start by going around and talking to the people, see how they’re feeling and what they want,” Raiden suggested. “Believe me, they have a lot to say.”
“I will start immediately,” Kaiyu said, bowing courteously before taking off into the crowd.
“Raiden,” Mara called from ahead. Raiden turned around to see Mara, Ferrus, and Sable all staring at him, beckoning for him to come.
“Oh boy,” Raiden gulped nervously. He walked over.
“What’s up?” he asked.
Mara spoke for the trio. “This villager-”
“Sable,” Sable corrected her.
“Sable,” Mara repeated, “Says that there’s another village called Stebes a couple hours north of here.”
“Many of the villagers have family there. We could stop there for the night,” Sable proposed. “I think a lot of people can use the rest. I know I certainly could.”
“I think it is foolish,” Ferrus argued. “If Ankar was attacked, surely Stebes was as well.”
“But if it was not,” Mara added, “maybe some of the villagers would want to stay there. We would lessen our load.”
“Even if it wasn’t attacked, we’d have no way of knowing if it would be raided in the future,” Raiden pointed out.
“You can say the same about Balron,” Mara countered. “True, it is better defended than a mere village. But who is to say it cannot be overrun?”
“It’s too big of a risk,” Raiden insisted stubbornly.
Mara stepped up towards him. “Unless we take back that amulet,” she said slowly, glaring into his eyes. “Everyone is at risk.”
As Raiden looked into her intense expression, he hesitated, contemplating her words.
“You said to take the villagers, and I agreed,” Mara said. “Now, it is my turn to make a decision. We are going to Stebes.”
“But Mara-” Ferrus started to protest.
“It would be just as dangerous camping out here, Ferrus,” Mara said before she could finish. “If the Decrepit returned, they’d find us in an open field. My decision is final.”
With that, Mara stormed off, not looking back, and Ferrus scurried after her. Raiden let her go, not bothering to continue the argument. Just because they were going to Stebes, it didn’t mean he had to agree to villagers staying once they arrived. A nice meal and a bed wouldn’t hurt either.
“She’s great,” Sable quipped sarcastically as she watched Mara move away.
Raiden chuckled. “She’s been through a lot.”
“What’s so special about that necklace she was talking about?” Sable asked.
“I’m not really sure,” Raiden answered, looking out into the distance. “But I do know that a lot of powerful people want it, and they’re willing to kill for it.”
Raiden paused for a moment in silence, letting the somber thought linger. The memories of how he’d found the amulet replayed quickly through his mind.
“You know I’m not really Kiara’s cousin, right?” Raiden told Sable.
“I kind’a figured that out,” Sable smirked. “And I overheard some of your talking earlier with that stiff lady. Are you really from Earth?”
Raiden sighed. “It’s complicated, but yeah. I came here from Earth to find the second amulet and bring that stiff lady home.”
Sable peered downwards and kicked a rock on the ground as she walked.
“You know,” she started to say. She shook her head and chuckled in disbelief. “On our planet, Earth is a legend. It’s the place we’re always praying to get to one day.”
“I heard the sermons.”
“It’s more than just sermons,” Sable emphasized. “It’s our entire belief system. It’s who we are. The hope of getting to Earth got our ancestors through countless centuries of suffering. According to our history, after Gavriel saved us from the explosion that devastated most of the planet, he disappeared. The survivors were left with no homes, no leader, no gods. Their only company was the demons, the ones that survived the war.”
“The Decrepit?” Raiden asked.
“I guess,” Sable shrugged. “And now they’re back, and you’re here from Earth. I don’t know whether this contradicts my beliefs or affirms them. Is this some kind of prophecy coming true, or is everything just going to hell?”
“I don’t know whether it’s part of a prophecy or not,” Raiden answered, “but things are most definitely going to hell.”
Sable chuckled. “I almost miss my PDs. They made
things a lot simpler.”
“When did everyone start wearing those damn things anyway?” Raiden asked.
“About a year after the White King took the throne, he decreed that everyone needed to wear them. He said that it would reduce crime and keep everyone happy.”
“You mean tame,” Raiden corrected her. “It kept everybody ignorant and tame.”
“Maybe,” Sable sighed.
They continued talking for a long time as they traveled towards Stebes. Raiden exchanged stories of his adventures on Earth for more of Sable’s insights on legend and history. Skarai circled down from the clouds every once in a while to check on them, keeping watch from above. The villagers followed noisily behind them, and Mara and Ferrus strolled quietly in front. Every so often, a villager would approach Raiden with a question or complaint. However, much to his relief, the frequency had decreased dramatically, thanks to Kaiyu.
As Raiden listened to Sable’s stories, beneath all the anxiety and sorrow, a part of him was excited to explore new parts of the Kingdom. Although he’d traveled to the western reaches of the Kingdom before while searching for Mara, he’d never journeyed east to the Capital. Kiara had told him that since he hadn’t been registered with a pair of PDs at birth, the White Knights would throw him into prison before he could ever get past the gates.
Raiden spotted the occasional pack of aquilops scurrying across the dirt path to the neighboring fields. A flock of teratornis—massive, sharp-beaked vultures with a human-sized wingspan circled below the moon as it took the place of the setting sun.
“That’s not good,” Sable said to Raiden, her voice chilled. “Teratornis are a bad omen.”
Raiden looked up at the birds, listening to their unsettling, broken cacophony of caws. A lump of anxiety formed in his stomach. Perching himself upon Raiden’s shoulder, Skarai eyed the other birds with a hostile, challenging glare.
The dirt path widened into a clearing, and the town gates of Stebes fell into sight about a kilometer away. Raiden and Sable caught up to Mara and Ferrus up ahead.
“So, this is it,” Mara said cautiously, squinting for a better look at the small village. “Stebes.”
“Well, the gates are still standing,” Sable pointed out. “I guess that’s a good sign.”
“Only the foolish are quick to judge,” Ferrus grunted. She tapped her fingers nervously against her blade, gazing elsewhere.
“Can you check it out for us?” Raiden asked Skarai, glancing at his shoulder. The eagle bowed its elegant, crimson-feathered head and took off into the sky towards the village, flapping its bio-mechanical wings. The villagers crowded into the clearing behind Raiden, their voices rising in excitement at the sight of the town.
“Raiden, Sable,” a voice called from behind. The group turned to see Kaiyu riding in on Maxie. The pygmy’s eye’s widened into an over-enthusiastic, lopsided smile at the sight of its master as it trotted towards Raiden. It stopped before Raiden’s feet and excitedly tooted its trunk, planting a wet, sticky lick on his forearm. Raiden laughed, patting his old pet on the head, then looked at Kaiyu.
“Kaiyu,” Raiden greeted him. “How are things going with the villagers?”
“They are excited and eager at the prospect of visiting Stebes,” Kaiyu answered from atop the animal, his long, blonde hair blowing in the wind. “The people even speak of perhaps staying here and building a new home. But I am concerned. If this does not turn out to be the refuge they seek, it will crush their morale once again.”
Raiden sighed. “I wish I could say this is our happy ending, but we can only wait and see. Tell the villagers to stay here with you. They shouldn’t come any closer until we check it out and see if it’s safe.”
“It’s so quiet,” Sable said suddenly, interrupting their conversation as she stared broodingly at the path ahead.
“What do you mean?” Raiden asked.
“In Ankar, a white knight or two were always standing guard at the entrance. There’s no one at the gate.”
“Perhaps Stebes conducts its affairs differently,” Kaiyu proposed hopefully.
“I don’t know,” Sable answered. “I just have a bad feeling.”
As Raiden, Sable, Mara, and Ferrus drew closer, leaving the rest of the villagers behind, the town became more and more visible. Multi-story wooden buildings rose above the height of the gates, their windows shut. Square chimneys peaked from various homes, but none of them emitted any smoke. The closer they came, the more Raiden felt what Sable had been referring to. The town was utterly silent, lacking all the ordinary background noise. There were no guards, no voices, no hammering of construction, no stomping of pygmies or chariots coming from behind the walls.
“Something is definitely wrong,” Sable said, stopping before the tall wooden gate. A hefty, iron lock dangled from a metal bar on one side of the door, having been smashed from its place. Sable turned to her companions. “Maybe we should turn back.”
“Agreed,” Ferrus said quickly, relieved that someone else finally saw reason.
“True, it is suspiciously quiet,” Mara said, “but if the town were under attack, or even if it were overrun, we should be hearing the cries of men or the shrieks of undead. Something unusual has happened here, and I believe we should investigate. Perhaps we can find some valuable answers as to what is happening to this Kingdom.”
“I’m with you,” Raiden nodded towards Mara. “But we stick together. No wandering off, in case we’re attacked.”
The four of them stood side by side as Mara pushed open the creaking, splintered gates. A wide, dirt path led from the gate into the town, splitting off into various side-streets.
“This place is a lot smaller than Ankar,” Raiden noted as they began walking down the the road, studying the surrounding homes. The village was spacious but empty, each wooden farmhouse built far from its neighbors and surrounded by a garden. Some of the structures were damaged, with wooden planks jutting from the white-painted walls or collapsed, plastered roofing. A few were completely demolished, reduced to a pile of splinters sitting atop a jumble of furniture. The town had an unsettling quietness to it, not a soul to be seen. The only perceivable sound was the faint creaking of a rusted porch chair as it rocked back and forth ominously in the cool breeze.
“It seems a battle took place here,” Ferrus said anxiously, bending down to inspect a blotch of blood-stained dirt as they walked.
“But there are no bodies,” Mara said curiously.
“Undead?” Raiden asked.
“Maybe, but where have they all gone? Mara answered, inspecting a pile of pygmy dung on the side of the road. “They couldn’t have been gone too long. These droppings are a couple days dry.”
“Maybe they heard what happened to Ankar, and they evacuated before the destruction,” Sable said wishfully. She wiped a tear from her face, the sight reminding her of what had happened to her own village.
“Evacuated without their pygmies?” Mara asked, pointing to a pygmy den beside one of the collapsed structures. The furry animal lay in the corner of its pen, its eyes wide with fright at the sight of them.
“It’s terrified,” Raiden said sadly, feeling bad for the creature. The water bucket inside the den was nearly empty, and the animal’s hay bundle lay outside the fence, just out of reach of its trunk. He walked around the den, picked up the hay, then returned to the front and lifted the hatch for the fence door, opening it.
“Careful,” Mara warned. “A frightened animal is a dangerous one.”
“I know what I’m doing,” Raiden answered confidently, slowly approaching the small mammoth. The creature’s fearful eyes were glued to Raiden as he approached. It let out a desperate, threatening grunt.
“Hey, hey,” Raiden said softly, holding out the palm of his free hand. “It’s alright; I’m not here to hurt you.” He extended his second hand forward, offering the creature its fodder. The pygmy stood up, emitting a second, slightly less aggressive grunt, and took a cautious step forward. Finally, it
turned its eyes away from Raiden and to the hay, which it inspected with its trunk. Raiden placed the food on the floor and backed away, giving the pygmy space to eat. It dug in, voraciously gulping down mouthfuls of fodder. After it was about halfway through the bundle, Raiden moved in again. The creature’s eyes looked up at him suspiciously for a moment, but it did not stop eating.
“Good boy,” Raiden said in a friendly tone, and he patted the creature gently on the side.
“You know your way with animals,” Sable complimented him as they watched.
“I’m an Ankarian farmer,” Raiden smiled proudly. “It’s what we do.”
Sable smiled back at him, her heart warmed by his pride in her hometown.
“We do not have time for this,” Ferrus complained bitterly. “We must continue our investigation.”
“On the contrary,” Mara answered. “If there are more pygmies here, we should take them with us. They would speed our travel considerably.”
“Once we determine if it’s safe or not, I’ll send a team of villagers to gather them,” Raiden said.
Mara nodded, while Ferrus shot Raiden a distasteful glare.
A musical bird cry echoed from the distant sky. Raiden looked up to see Skarai swooping in towards him, his feathers glowing majestically in the pink-orange sunset.
“Found something?” Raiden asked as Skarai stopped in front of him, beating his powerful wings to hover in place.
Skarai confirmed with an enthusiastic caw, then took off down one of the side-streets.
“We should follow him,” Raiden said to the others, then sprinted after the bird across the dirt roads. The others followed suit.
“So, you speak to birds now?” Sable quipped as she bounded next to Raiden with the legs of a leopard.
“Just Skarai,” Raiden answered, speaking in short, breathy sentences. “We have a special bond.”
“He’s beautiful,” Sable said, watching the bird glide skillfully and elegantly through the window of an abandoned, blood-stained chariot in the middle of the road, then exit the other side.
The Chamber of Genesis Page 12