by Franc Ingram
They were given instructions, given charges to care for. But soon these super creatures found their tasks to be too menial, too restrictive for their great intellect and power, so they rebelled against the far away overlords that dared to limit what they could be.
Once again, the world was plunged into chaos. Kameke went about caring for her tower and those few humans that strayed into her territory. She waited for more orders, knowing new ones would come eventually. They always came. And to her, much like her creators, time was of little concern.
One day, a day that began like all the others, The Twelve spoke. "Make the control bank," they ordered her, giving her the blueprints to accomplish the task. They ordered her to fill it with the programming language of the smart particles, make it compatible with human minds, and send it out to find a host. Kameke did what she was told, but soon discovered it was too much for one mind to handle.
Four minds, The Twelve said. Make for us the four Heirs of Eternity. The cloud found its first host. Leith got the chance to see the first version of himself. He both felt instantly connected and strangely confused by the image. It was as if he were meeting his twin brother, yet they spoke a different language. And then he watched his slow decline into a mysterious sickness that killed him. When Oleana and Lorn were killed hundreds of miles away, Leith's first body started to break down. They were connected and couldn't survive long without each other, even if they’d never met.
He watched his second and third lifetimes pass by in a flash. After all that, he was left with a vision of what he could be, what having the full knowledge of the control bank at his disposal could mean.
The smart particles are what shaped Euphoria so long ago. They created The Tower, created the ultras, pulsed in everything on the planet from the core to the outer atmosphere. The ultras thought they were gods because they were stronger, more powerful, longer living than humans. But the Heirs of Eternity were even more advanced. They just needed to work together to prove that.
The history lesson upload was completed. The new knowledge sorted, categorized, and stored for later use, yet Leith was still trapped inside the network that connected the four of them. He could look around and see Oleana, Lorn, and Lysander looking at each other and him.
They stood in a circle, surrounded by gray space, a neutral place concocted by their shared minds. Thanks to the new knowledge Oleana shared, Leith understood the digital space at a fundamental level. He understood that The Twelve were artificially created intelligence. Knowing it was one thing, but accepting it was another matter. Leith didn't know how to cope with the new, alien information. Lysander and Lorn looked bewildered, amazed, but Oleana, as usual, looked pained, even apologetic.
"I needed the extra storage space," she said. "And you three were all I had. I'm sorry to burden you."
Lorn bounced on the balls of his feet, instantly shedding some of the sternness the last few months had put on him. "That was...goodness, I don't even know. It was fantastic! I feel like a new person."
Leith wasn't so sure. He knew what dark memories could do. He'd been working hard to suppress a lifetime of his own. Now he had three other lifetimes to worry about. Right now, he was still sifting through it all, didn't know what to make of it. But even from the glimpses he could remember, his past lives had not been easy ones. The history of the world around them had not been gentle. The fear, the regret, the sorrow. Those would come and hit them all hard.
"Why now?" Lysander asked.
Leith knew. They all knew because they all shared the information. The Twelve were dying, and their information, their power with them. And with that revelation came the full weight of their new burden.
"With The Twelve soon gone we'll be the last things standing between humanity and extinction," Oleana said. Every word was so crisp as if in her head she'd practiced that line a thousand times yet in saying it, somehow she'd made it real. With each syllable uttered she'd cemented their fate.
"Not a good place to be given our history of failure," Leith said. He felt the reproach of the others before looking to see it reflected on their faces. Their reproach morphed into acknowledgment. Then acceptance. Finally, they collectively agreed. They were facing some perilous times.
"All this might be coming too late," Lysander said. "The Elevated have Jonathan and we have two dragons closing in on us."
"Dragons," Leith whispered in awe.
"Cornelius was inches away from me," Lorn added, his forehead wrinkled in worry. He ran his hand over his unruly curls. "How long have we been in here? I could be...?" The question died on his lips, but Leith could taste the acrid tang of Lorn's fear.
"A second, maybe less. Time doesn't matter here. A thousand ideas can pass between us in a millisecond," Oleana explained. Her eyes widened, realizing what Lorn said. "Wait, you're fighting Cornelius?"
Leith's face felt hot with Oleana's anger. Then he was drowning in her regret, but that too burned in the fire of her rage.
"I'll kill him!" Oleana screamed, her words like a blast from a furnace against Leith's face.
"We got problems here," Leith reminded her. "City's on fire and wall breached."
"I knew I shouldn't have left," Lysander said. "I could have kept the wall strong."
"You can shore it up," Oleana half whispered, her reversion to calm shocking. "Stop them in their tracks."
Leith was about to ask how, but the information he needed floated to the surface of his mind and he knew. He could switch bodies with any of the other Heirs, even over such a long distance. They could each go where they were needed most.
"I'll kill that piece of crap Cornelius." Oleana pointed to Lorn. "You don't need a complete body to put the fires out, so take mine. Lysander and Leith swap."
Leith was actually happy to have Oleana back to giving them orders. He'd missed her no-nonsense way of ordering people about. She left no room for questions or confusion.
Oleana rubbed her chin, her eyes searching the faces of all three of them. "I feel like this should go without saying, but be respectful of each other's bodies."
Leith nodded. Sharing was odd enough. He didn't know what it was going to be like taking over another's body for an extended period.
"Move swift. Be Safe. I love you," Oleana said looking over each of them in turn. “Go now!”
Oleana didn’t hesitate before lunging at Lorn. The two of them melded together then they faded away.
Leith had a moment of calm to remember the feeling of running, the fear of being blind and lost when he was inside of Lysander's head. He had no idea what kind of battle he would be jumping into, but he'd been on a ladder against a burning wall. Lysander could jump into a body broken from the fall.
"I was chasing after a group of Elevated," Lysander said, reading Leith's mind. "Those dragons were right on us. Scariest beasts I've ever seen." Lysander shivered. "Something about those large reptilian eyes makes them worse than the yetis."
"No worries," Leith shrugged. "Tamed yetis, tame 'em dragons too."
Lysander tried to smile but it didn't quite take hold. "I hope so, otherwise I'm going to be dinner." Lysander straightened his shoulders and inhaled sharply. "Is there anything you can tell me on your end?"
"Most south wall on fire. Smoke hard to breathe. Yetis through wall. Most soldiers by or on top of the wall. Chaos." Leith said not sure what else was needed. "I was on a ladder. Not sure now."
Lysander nodded as if that was enough because he understood what he needed to do. There was a hardness in his gray eyes that said he was ready. Leith braced himself for a rough transition.
Leith and Lysander ran at each other. When they met, instead of feeling an impact, Leith felt like he was falling. He fell into darkness and pain. He opened his eyes, staring up at a moonlit sky with the dying rings, where the Twelve lived overhead.
Somebody shook him. Leith begged them to stop but his pleas went unanswered when he realized he hadn't actually opened his mouth to speak. He worked his mouth, then his ton
gue, like he was a newborn learning to use new muscles.
"Stop shaking," he sputtered.
"Lysander, my boy, I thought you dead," Daycia said putting her face so close to his, their noses touched. The assault on his senses was mind scrambling. Daycia's natural cinnamon scent melded with the pungent odor of sour fear sweat, and there was no way to tell who it was coming from. "Can you stand?" She didn't give him time to answer before she pulled him up.
Leith's limbs felt like lead weights. "What? Where? I don't...,"
Daycia pulled him forward. "They're getting away."
Lysander's memories started to flood Leith's mind including the frantic scrambling after The Elevated who barely left a trail to follow. The calls of the hungry dragons behind them were pushing the groups faster than they wanted to travel, forcing everyone to keep their head on a swivel. The dread of being surrounded by danger, severely outnumbered and out hunted was palpable in the air.
Leith followed obediently behind Daycia, his wide eyes struggling to adjust to the darkness they were traveling through. He had to rely more on hearing than sight. He heard the clanging of weapons against the hardened leather of armor as he ran in the midst of a pack of soldiers. He heard the rapid breathing of people who'd run too fast and too hard for too long. Leith caught the edge of a familiar jawline in front and just to the left. Zyair kept glancing back, trying to pinpoint exactly where the enemy was.
All of it was just a distraction. Leith was there because only he could eliminate one of the threats without a fight. Being inside Lysander's body, Leith's abilities felt muted, like his brain was shrouded, but he could still feel the animals around them, feel their hunger and adrenaline, waiting for them to pounce. The two dragons were hunting together, trying to herd their prey into the perfect ambush spot.
The fleeing Elevated seemed to be headed to the same spot the dragons wanted them to go. Leith didn't believe that was a coincidence. Lysander said The Elevated knew the island, they had to know the dragons, know their hunting style, and what places to avoid. Instead, they were using the captured soldiers as bait.
Leith dug in his heels stopping Daycia in her tracks. "Have a better way," he told her.
Someone bumped into Leith from behind. He heard a whispered apology but waved it off. Soon others noticed they'd stopped and turned to see what was wrong.
"They've already got a good lead on us, what's the problem?" Zyair asked, coming in close enough to be seen in the poor light.
"Elevated leading to dragon's den," Leith said trying to explain and catch his breath at the same time. His mind was still reeling, he had to fight for calm. "Can turn against 'em"
Zyair shook his head, "How can you know that?"
Daycia grabbed his chin, forcing their eyes to meet as she stared into them. "Why are you talking like Leith?"
Leith didn't fight her scrutiny, he smiled. He should have known she, of all people, would understand. "Cause I am."
Daycia released him and gave his shoulder a pat. "Tell us the plan then."
Leith didn't really have a plan, he just knew what awaited them if they kept running, caught between two foes. The sound of breaking branches nearby forced Leith's mind into overdrive. Words spilled out of his mouth as soon as the thoughts formed. "Split. Push Elevated forward. I wrangle dragons. Trap Elevated in own trap." Leith didn't know if he was making any sense, was even less sure that what he said would work, but there was no time to come up with anything better.
"Okay," Daycia grabbed Zyair and the Darten solider who had bumped into Leith earlier. "Follow him. The rest of us will continue after Jonathan."
Leith reached for her arm. "Need you," he said hoping he didn't sound as desperate as he felt. Daycia was there for him at the beginning of his journey. She couldn't leave him now.
"You got this, my boy," she said. Daycia spun him around. "Now run."
Leith stood there for a moment as he listened to Daycia's group run in the opposite direction. With them went his confidence and his guarantee of success. All he had left was oppressive darkness and the high-pitched growls of two large, very dangerous lizards ready to eat him.
"What now?" Zyair asked, his voice rough and breathless.
Leith had a sense of where the two dragons were, but they were coming at him too fast, their minds too scattered. He needed more time to tame them. "Distract 'em. Need moment to lock on." Leith understood how much he was asking of the two men at his side. He looked at the shadows of both of them in turn, hoping his earnestness would shine through. "I'll tame them," he promised.
"Okay, as you say, Sire." Zyair said.
"As you say," the other man agreed.
"One bout twenty yards left," Leith pointed into the trees, "circling, confused. Other ten yards direct right, intent on Daycia. Go make noise."
Leith didn't have to tell them twice. They both took off, plunging headlong toward danger, trusting him to save them. Leith remembered what he did with the yetis more than a week ago. But in many ways, the dragons were more of a challenge. The yetis were divided in their instincts, making it easy to weaken them.
The dragons were pure predators. Even the ranta in Arismas didn't compare to the single-minded need the dragons possessed to hunt. Brushing up against their minds, Leith got sucked in. He lost his place in the middle of the clearing and found himself running after a group of prey, excited by the smell of their fear in the air. He knew they were slowing, the strain of the chase finally getting to them while he still felt strong, still had power in his legs.
A sharp noise echoed through the trees attracting his attention. It was one of the ones that had broken off from the group. It was alone, clumping through the trees, easy to track. Easy to take down. So, Leith turned without hesitation, knowing dinner was soon his and the rest of the night would be for eating. The dawn would be met with a full belly and satisfaction in his heart.
He narrowed in on his opponent easily with all the noise the clumsy animal was making. For a moment the trees parted enough, and he got a glimpse of it. He stared into its amber colored eyes, saw the worry, the fear etched in its features.
Even in the dim light Leith recognized Zyair, and he remembered what he'd promised. The fear of letting Zyair down snapped Leith back to reality like a sharp slap in the face. He would tame the dragon, not the other way around.
Getting the dragons off the hunt for easy prey wasn't going to be easy but the brief stint in its mind taught Leith the one thing the dragons valued more than an easy meal. It was protecting their territory. Leith knew just the interlopers to send them after.
Leith searched through Lysander's memories for a clear image of the Elevated that had snatched up Jonathan. But he needed more than that. The dragons didn't rely on sight nearly as much as people did. Smell, sound, that was what they held on to. Lysander was an observant guy and the darkness forced him to rely on other senses, so he had enough for Leith to work with.
Holding on to as many of the details as he could manage, Leith projected the image of the Elevated into the minds of both dragons. The assault was so startling both beasts froze in their tracks. Again, the dragon’s mind so absorbed Leith, he found himself looking out of two pairs of eyes at once. He was staring at Zyair, a sword thrust against his snout. Then his attention was split as the second dragon hovered just behind the Darten solider, waiting to make the final leap.
This time Leith didn't fight it, he let the dragons soak him in, let their desire burn through him, but he showed them what was more pressing than a quick meal; the familiar ones that often cut through the forest as if it was theirs, the ones that smelled of ash from living so close to the volcano. They were headed toward the nesting area. They had no respect for the lines of territory. Tonight was the night they would pay for their hubris.
Both dragons let out angry howls that sent all manner of nocturnal creatures scurrying for safety. Their clawed feet dug into the earth as they changed direction and headed for the Elevated with blood on their minds. Leith u
rged the waiting predators. Off they shot, silent and deadly.
Something brushed his shoulder and Leith was pulled back into the body he borrowed from Lysander. Zyair leaned against him, his chest heaving, sweat pouring off him in rivulets.
"What now?" the older man asked once he had himself under control.
"We run."
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT: DAYCIA
When Emmaray first heard the rumors about a red-haired interloper darkening her shores it stirred something in her that wasn't easily recognizable. It was a feeling Emmaray hadn't experienced in a long time.
Guilt.
It was a bitter taste that invaded her whole body and froze any orders she may have given on her tongue. Emmaray didn't know why the thought of seeing her daughter had caused such a visceral reaction. What did she have to feel guilty about concerning Daycia? The girl chose humanity over her own mother. Emmaray gave her daughter the best life she could have ever wanted and Daycia turned her back on it.
Still, Emmaray blamed herself. She'd chosen to have a child by one of her loyal human subjects, producing offspring with an obvious genetic flaw. And Emmaray had to admit, she hadn't taken the time to nurture Daycia. She'd let the island and its people raise her child. Now Emmaray was going to have to eliminate that child because the corruption was too deep to fix.
When the team of Elevated she'd sent after the interlopers hadn't returned on time, Emmaray gathered the Elevated captains. She'd tried to take care of the invasion quietly, but she was impatient and needed the problem gone before word spread.
Emmaray stepped down from her throne to walk among the kneeling Elevated captains, ten men and women picked from their various villages at age twelve to start a lifetime of special service to her. They all sported the same dyed red hair, the same five alternating gold and black rings in their ears. Whether male or female they were all muscular in build and bronzed by long hours in the tropical sun. As she walked down the double line of assembled captains, she brushed her fingers over the tops of their bowed heads, warmed by the intimacy of the moment. These ten would never leave her, never doubt her.