The Battle for WondLa

by Tony DiTerlizzi

  “Soth had a similar vial,” said Eva.

  “Many elders do. It is so we might remember. When there is disagreement among one another or life on Orbona seems difficult, we can look at what we left behind and be reminded that it all can be taken away. Erased. No machine can stop it. No entity can protect from it.” Ojo seemed less like a regal queen in a majestic palace and more like a prisoner held captive by the weight of knowledge.

  “Your story sounds similar to what happened here with the human race.”

  “This planet was dormant, ready to be reawakened,” Ojo said. “Despite how many planets there are in the known universe, do you know how difficult it was to find a viable habitat for my subjects? One that wasn’t already inhabited by another species, one that was durable enough to become reestablished?” Ojo rose from her seat, reached up, and tapped one of the model planets on the orrery. Slowly the planets circled around the brightly lit chandelier. “Life here was like a second chance for us. A gift.”

  “A gift given that none may own,” Eva said.

  “Precisely.” Ojo’s eyes now focused on Eva. “A gift that is meant to be shared, to be respected and nurtured.” Four hands lightly touched Eva’s face for a moment.

  Eva stood. “By all of us.”

  “Yes. By all.” Ojo pulled a device from her robes.

  A chirpy voice on the device spoke out, “Yes, Your Majesty?”

  “Get the captain of the guard to my quarters here immediately,” Ojo commanded.

  “Yes, Your Majesty.”

  “And locate Zin and escort him back here. But be quiet about it,” she added.

  “Right away, Your Majesty.”

  “Where are my royal guardsmen now?” asked Ojo.

  “Welcoming our guests, Your Majesty.”

  “Of course. The guests are arriving.” Ojo paused in thought.

  “Shall I order them to leave?” asked the voice.

  “No,” said Ojo. “Leave them there for the time being. I want our guests to feel safe while they are here. I’ll discuss what is best with the captain.”

  “As you wish, Your Majesty.”

  Ojo put away the device and walked up the stairs to the balcony doors. “Redimus, you may enter,” she said through the cracked door.

  The Dorcean slipped into the room. “Your Majezty?” he asked. His good eye moved back and forth between Queen Ojo and Eva as if he were searching for a clue to the outcome of their discussion.

  “Redimus, I need you to protect Eva Nine at all costs. As far as I am concerned, she is the representative of the human population,” said Ojo.

  “That’s not me. We have Van—” started Eva.

  The queen cut her off. “See to it that she is hidden in a safe place until Loroc is dealt with.”

  Redimus bowed. “Yez, Your Majesty. I shall return her to Faunaz.”

  “I will send word once Loroc has been apprehended.” Ojo tapped a wall, causing the ornate wallpaper to ripple and evaporate. Behind it was a wardrobe of exquisite finery. “Then my counsel and I will arrange a meeting between you and the various leaders.”

  “Can I let Rovee know I’m okay? He is here with his father, Antiquus, representing their village of Faunas,” said Eva.

  “I would rather you didn’t. It would be wise to wait until Loroc has been dealt with and the representatives have been apprised of these recent developments,” Ojo said.

  “But he is like my father. He looks out for me and cares for me. I don’t want him to worry,” Eva said. Redimus helped her off the stool to the tiled floor.

  “A Cærulean who cares for you?” Ojo pondered this for a moment. “I am sorry, but I cannot allow it. If you were discovered down there, it would be calamitous to us all, especially your Cærulean surrogate. Understood?”

  “Underztood,” answered Redimus.

  There was a chime at the bedchamber door.

  “The captain of my guard is here. Let me brief him on what is about to transpire,” Ojo said. “You best be off before you are discovered.”

  “Thank you,” said Eva.

  “Thank you.” Queen Ojo gave a nod. “We shall meet again. I shall inform Zin he was right after all.”

  Eva was bent over the rail of the balcony, watching the procession of leaders enter the palace far below. “How do we get down to the banquet hall?”

  “Zorry, Eva Nine.” Redimus hopped onto the glider and started the engine. “We are not going to de banquet hall.”

  “Redimus, I have to see Rovender. I need to let him know how the meeting went with Queen Ojo. I know he’ll be worried if he doesn’t hear from me. Give me five minutes. After that you can take me back to Faunas.”

  Redimus shook his head and sucked his teeth. “I cannot do dis. I gave my word to da queen.” He handed her the flight goggles.

  “She asked that you protect me at all costs and make sure I was hidden and safe.” Eva put her hands on her hips. “She didn’t ask you to take me back to Faunas.”

  “But Ruzender—”

  “Made you promise no harm would come to me.” Eva put on her goggles and slid onto the backseat of the glider. “So get me into the banquet hall, keep me hidden, and make sure no harm comes to me.”

  “You are az zlippery az a zpiderfish, Eva Nine.” Redimus grumbled and pulled his helmet over his head.

  Redimus led Eva down a great hallway that was lavishly decorated with objects that clearly showed fine—yet otherworldly—craftsmanship. Giant urns filled with exotic plants were placed at intervals down the length of the hall. As they walked along, Eva became dizzy gaping up at the animated murals that covered the arched ceiling. Many images depicted a turbulent sky with fire raining down to the land below. Others displayed celestial maps of constellations that Eva did not recognize from her own night sky. It’s just like the paintings in Attican Hall, she thought. It’s the history of their world.

  “Stay cloze,” Redimus whispered. “Do not draw attention.”

  “Got it.” Eva tucked her hair under the hood of her poncho.

  “I do not know how I let you talk me into doing dis. If de queen were to find out, I would be incarzerated all over again,” he muttered under his breath, and glanced nervously over his shoulder.

  “She won’t see you, or me,” Eva whispered back.

  “Five minutez. Find Ruzender and tell him what you need to tell him. Then get out.” Redimus checked the controls on his boomrod.

  Eva pulled out Cadmus’s Omnipod. “I’m going to let Hailey know not to come.”

  Redimus nodded. “I think the queen has dis situation under control. As long as she doesn’t zee me, we are good.”

  They reached the end of the hallway and came to a grandiose doorway flanked by two pillar guards. Extending from the entrance inward was a long flower-covered walkway with royal guards lined up on either side. At the head of this walkway stood a tall, decorated individual, along with Queen Ojo’s courtier. Redimus and Eva hung at the back of the line as various representatives and leaders filed into the royal banquet hall.

  “Did you know that those pillar guards were constructed by ancients?” Eva gazed up at the giants standing stoically on either side of the banquet hall doors. “Even though they are controlled by a remote, they actually do have minds of their own. They’re not just automatons.”

  Redimus looked up at them. He continued with his mumbling. “I have a mind of my own too. I make my own decizions—good or bad.”

  “What’s that?” Eva asked. “It’s hard to hear you with my hood pulled up.”

  He waved her question off. “Nuzzing. Don’t worry.”

  After the representatives had entered, Redimus approached both the tall individual and the courtier and spoke with them in a hushed tone. Several times he pointed to Eva. Finally the tall individual nodded, and the courtier moved to the side, allowing Eva to pass.

  Redimus approached Eva. “No weaponz are allowed inzide, zo I wheel wait out here for you. Ojo haz not yet arrived, but Ruzender and hiz
zire are checked in, zo go find him and hurry back. Be quick.”

  “Okay,” Eva whispered. She stepped gingerly past the guards and slipped through the open doors into the banquet hall.

  The domed roof of the hall was a gigantic skylight that stretched up for many stories. The skylight offered a vast view of the southern districts of Solas, as well as Lake Concors. Eva could make out the towers of Lacus far in the distance. Even though the vista outside was tarnished with smoking rubble and burned-out buildings, the sheer size of the opulent room took Eva’s breath away.

  Everywhere Eva looked there were Orbonians of all different shapes and sizes. Some she recognized—like the Halcyonus, Mirthians, and Dorceans. Others were completely new to her. Most appeared wizened and elderly. She wondered, Do they all live in Solas, or are there villages I have yet to explore? The crowd of representatives was gathered near the various food stations placed around the perimeter of the room. Next to a giant urn, studying an impressive mural that stretched around the entire hall, stood a familiar blue figure.

  “Rovee,” Eva whispered as she neared her friend. “Rovee, it’s me.”

  Rovender turned his attention from the mural. “Eva!”

  “Shhh!” Eva placed her hand in his and whispered. “I’m not supposed to be here.”

  “I’d say,” he whispered back, and glanced around the room surreptitiously. His father was near a food station in deep discussions with Cærulean leaders from other tribes. “How did your meeting go with the queen?”

  “She now understands what happened and no longer blames the humans.” Eva’s heart raced as the enormity of what she’d accomplished sank in.

  Rovender straightened, his indigo eyes went wide with astonishment. “Is this true?”

  Eva nodded.

  He hugged her tight. “I’m so proud of you.”

  “Thanks,” Eva spoke into his ear. “But I need to leave. Redimus is going to take me back to Faunas until the queen is finished dealing with Loroc.”

  “I think that would be best. I’ve overheard discussions with the other leaders. As with our council back home it will to take some explaining to realign their attitudes.” Rovender led Eva back to the entrance of the hall. “Hækel is downstairs at the shuttle, so let me escort you out of here.”

  “Can you come with me?”

  “As much as I want to, I believe it would be best if I stayed. I want to witness these discussions firsthand,” said Rovender. He and Eva were almost to the door. “Perhaps I may even be called upon to verify the queen’s story.”

  Both doors of the hall swung open, and the royal guardsmen filed in. They lined up to form an entry with boomrods held at attention.

  “Oh no. Is it Queen Ojo?” Eva asked. “She’ll be upset with me.”

  “Sheesa,” Rovender hissed, and turned Eva away from the door. He pulled her hood down over her head to further conceal her face. “It’s Loroc!”

  The Arsian had grown since Eva’s last encounter and looked immense under the long extravagant robes that adorned his body. His three rings of arms waved about and a triple pair of eyes scanned the room as he floated in. All the leaders stopped and turned. Eva could see confusion and uncertainty on their faces.

  “Greetings, Orbonian leaders. Orbona and I greet you.” Loroc’s voice echoed as if three voices spoke slightly out of unison. “Many of you may know me. I am the Ojo family’s Prime Adviser. I have returned to advise and serve Solas. I am the one responsible for defeating the humans and liberating our many varied and celebrated races. You are all liberated because I am Loroc.”

  Cheers erupted from the crowd. Those who had drinks in hand toasted to victory.

  “Let me get you out while he is occupied,” Rovender whispered, and ushered Eva to the door.

  “Shhh! Don’t!” Eva countered. She pointed to the royal guards standing in the doorway. “If we try to leave now, he’ll see us for sure.”

  “You are right,” Rovender growled, frustrated. They shuffled to the back of the crowd. There they met up with Antiquus seated on his hoverdisc. Rovender leaned over and whispered into his father’s ear.

  Antiquus’s eyebrows rose in surprise, and he looked over at Eva. Smiling, he hovered near her and squeezed her hand tight. “I am proud of you,” he said. “Don’t worry. Loroc shall be dealt with. And we’ll get you out of here.” Eva gave a weak smile. She wanted to bask in this moment of achievement, but Loroc’s presence was unsettling. She watched as he floated about the hall.

  He gestured out the large window. “As you know, we suffered a full-scale invasion here in Solas. An invasion we fully won. But these battles take quite a toll—on lives, homes, and loyalty. To ensure our freedom, sacrifices had to be made—sacrifices that my family and I were willing to make. But you all must know that these sacrifices went on long before this battle. They went on long before many of you were even present.” He bowed his head. “To be honest, my sisters—Darius and Arius—and I did not want to make this journey here to Orbona.”

  This statement caused a ripple of murmurs through the crowd.

  “Do not take it as a strike against you, my good subjects. You see, my sisters and I longed to return to our home planet just prior to King Ojo’s Great Migration. We had shared all the wisdom of the past and all the knowledge that we had with your good king. We foretold of a successful voyage and provided him with the fortitude to complete his incredible starship. But for one of us this gift of our combined power was not enough. One of us was insistent that we journey here, far from our own home, to accompany the Ojo family and your ancestors. We arrived at this forsaken place, Orbona, where my poor sister Darius grew mad with constant nightmares from this planet’s violent history. A place where my other visionary sister would become but a simple fortune-teller, spitting forth predictions in exchange for a meal.” Loroc lowered his head in shame. “Their pain was my pain, and I did what I had to in order to ease it. It is an ancient Arsian ritual to consume another. I did this so that the burden of life, the pain, and the anguish could be lifted away from the body so that their spirits could rest at ease. Spirits find serenity.”

  “Spirits find serenity,” the gathering repeated.

  The doors opened wide, and the guardsmen moved to the side.

  “Now.” Rovender pushed Eva. They scooted through the crowd, close to the open door.

  “And who was the one who insisted we come here? Who was the one who cared not if his siblings were in pain as long as he accomplished his own goals? Why, it is the very one who fled this great city when the attack began. Behold my traitorous brother, Zin!” Loroc pointed to the doorway.

  Eva recognized the tall glass cylindrical cell that floated in. It was exactly like the one she’d been confined in at the taxidermist’s lab. The runty taxidermist shuffled behind the cell, holding one of the many remotes that were kept holstered in a belt around his waist. Once the specimen cell reached the center of the hall, the taxidermist aimed the remote at it and pressed a button, causing the condensation on the cell walls to evaporate. Inside Zin zipped about banging on the glass. His slit eyes were wide with fear, and he’d been stripped of all attire.

  Loroc floated around his prisoner with his many arms folded behind his back, a satisfied look on his mutated face. “Not only did my brother leave you during your darkest hours, but he knew the danger of the humans. He’d collected their refuse and displayed it in your museum as artifacts from a long-lost civilization.”

  Eva went to speak, but Rovender placed his large hand over her mouth. “This is neither the time nor the place, Eva. You must leave, for I fear what is about to transpire.”

  Eva pushed his hand away, and tears pricked her eyes as she watched Zin, helpless in the cell. There were no captive sand-snipers Eva could call to save him.

  “As if this were not enough, he also conferred with the humans, especially their most dangerous spy, Eva Nine. He invited her into our city and then spoke with her—during the time when we were being invaded!” Loroc
shot several accusatory fingers at Zin. Shouts came out from the crowd. One representative threw a bottle at Zin’s cell, and it smashed against the thick glass wall.

  “I must consume Zin so that his weakness for the humans will be eliminated. Under my control he will no longer be a threat to us all.” Loroc smiled at the taxidermist. The taxidermist responded by hitting another button on the remote. A thin rod rose up from the bottom of Zin’s cell.

  “Rovee,” Eva nearly shouted, but once again Rovender clamped his hand over her mouth. She struggled and pulled his hand away. “He’s going to paralyze him!” Eva made a move to stop the taxidermist, but Rovender held her tight.

  “If you interfere now, he will do the same to you,” Rovender hissed.

  Tears burned Eva’s eyes as she watched the mist from the rod fill Zin’s cell. His floating body fell to the bottom with a sickening thud. With her abilities Eva reached out to every living creature in Solas to swoop in and attack Loroc, but the animals and plants had abandoned the city, leaving Eva helpless.

  CHAPTER 30: FEAST

  What is the meaning of this? Loroc, stop this instant! I command it!” Queen Ojo’s voice boomed from the doorway. Behind her the captain of the royal guard entered. He ordered his squadron to surround Loroc.

  “Ojo, you are just in time.” Loroc let out a sinister chuckle. “I was just getting to the part where I tell everyone how utterly useless you were during this battle . . . and how sympathetic you’ve became to the human’s effort.”

  “You know nothing of my affairs!”

  “Is that so? Was it not you who allowed Zin to display all these ‘wonderful’ human artifacts in your museum?” Loroc moved closer to the queen.