"It will definitely be a subject we address with your king," Damien added. "I would think a bit of compassion should be in order. Especially considering that you were the one who brought an end to Kindel's storm that threatened to wipe out your village."
"Wait, wait," Mayor Randolf interjected, waddling over to the group. "You are the ones who stopped the man who attacked Keroko?" Both Veran's and Elayna's eyes nearly burst from their sockets.
"That's correct," Kitreena said, bowing politely. "Though, in all fairness, it was Arus who finished the fight that Damien and I could not."
Arus spread his hands. "Wait a minute, that's not entirely—"
"I can believe that," Randolf said, beaming with pride. "The men of both the Lurei and Sheeth families have never been short of courage."
"Um," Vultrel spoke, moving beside Arus, "with all due respect, I had nothing to do with the events that transpired here on that night, and therefore deserve none of the credit. Arus and his comrades acted on their own."
"I see," Randolf nodded. "At any rate, it would seem that we owe all of you a debt of gratitude. If you wouldn't mind, I would love to hear the entire story over dinner at Town Hall." He glanced at Arus' bloody leg. "After you get those wounds get cleaned up, I'll treat you to a meal large enough to fill your bellies twice! What do you say?"
Before Arus could decline, Damien stepped forward and bowed. "We would be honored," he said. "Thank you ever so much."
The mayor gave him a pleased smile before turning away and hurrying off into the crowd. Arus raised an eyebrow as he looked up at the Zo'rhan. "I'm no hero, and I'm certainly no storyteller."
"Diplomatic lesson number one," Damien said softly. "Never turn down a gracious offer from a generous soul."
"Don't worry, Arus!" Kitreena chimed in, putting her arms around him from behind. "It sounds like fun!"
The dumbfounded look on his mother's face almost made Arus laugh out loud. "Mother, this is Kitreena. Kit, this is my mother, Elayna Sheeth."
Kitreena, clearly on her best behavior, made an elegant curtsy that only a princess could duplicate. "It is a pleasure to meet you," she said meekly. Kitreena, acting meek! Just when he had thought he'd seen everything out of her, too.
"How do you do," Elayna asked, eyes darting back and forth between the two of them. "Please excuse me if I seem a bit surprised, but my son has never mentioned . . . I mean, he never showed any interest . . . That is, I didn't know he'd . . ."
Kitreena giggled and looked back at Arus, her face all innocence. "Late bloomer, huh?"
Thankfully, a tap on the shoulder from Muert saved him from the conversation. "Arus, I apologize, but I'm afraid we must get going. Our people are waiting for us, and many are still quite uneasy about our intentions. It seems that keeping the peace may become just as much of a battle as obtaining it was."
"You'll do fine, Muert," Arus told him with a smile. "I know you will. It was a pleasure to have met you and your family. I have no doubt that our paths will cross again one day."
"I must thank you as well." Keilan stepped forward and curtsied, something Arus never would've expected to see a Kyrosen do. "It was your inspiration that drove my husband into action. We now have hope for a peaceful and prosperous future. We are forever indebted to the Aeden Alliance for allowing us this opportunity to begin again."
"We only did what had to be done," Arus responded. "I deserve no praise for that. It is you who should be applauded for standing up against Truce. It takes a lot of courage to do what you did, and you deserve the freedom you fought for."
The woman's face became scarlet. "You are too kind."
"That goes for all of you," Muert added, nodding to both Damien and Kitreena. "Thank you for everything. May the Maker pour abundant blessings upon you all."
"Thank you, Muert," Damien replied. He bowed so deeply that his dangling locks of hair nearly brushed the ground. "And the same to you. Should you ever need anything, the Aeden Alliance will be at your service."
They headed into the crowd again, little Sienna waving as they departed. Once they were swallowed by the masses, Arus' gaze came to rest on Vultrel. The young man was standing near the far side of the ring, speaking with Katlyn. Her plain black dress of wool seemed to fit her mood, as tears ran over cheeks blotched with red. Vultrel's head hung so low that his chin pressed against his chest. Again, he looked . . . ashamed. Arus rushed over with Kitreena in tow. "What's wrong, Vultrel?"
"Oh, Arus," Katlyn immediately began brushing the tears from her face and forcing a smile. Her eyes were fixed on the implant. "Are you . . . all right? I mean does it hurt or anything?"
Arus lightly knocked steel knuckles against the implant. "Nope, it doesn't hurt. Just like another part of my body, that's all. Why so glum?"
Vultrel didn't budge. Katlyn's eyes shifted to Kitreena and suddenly thinned. "Who's this?"
Yikes, Arus thought. He knew Katlyn had been interested in him, but he hadn't expected jealousy from her. And if Kitreena picked up on any negative emotion sent in her direction . . . Kit, listen. Katlyn has had a thing for me since we were little. She may act . . .a bit rude to you if she realizes that you and I have . . . I mean, that we're . . . Um, anyway, please try to ignore it, all right? Don't let her get under your skin.
Who, me? Even through telepathy, there was a sarcastic innocence about the question that nearly made Arus cringe. When Kitreena extended her hand toward Katlyn with a sardonic grin, he did cringe. "I'm Kitreena. A pleasure to meet you, Katlyn."
"I'm—" Katlyn stopped and blinked, and Arus cringed again. "How do you know my name?"
Kitreena opened her mouth, but Arus waved his hands and spoke quickly. "It's not important. What's going on? What's gotten you two so upset?"
"It's Melia, Arus," Vultrel said suddenly. "She's gone."
His words cast aside any questions Katlyn may have had, and tears immediately began to well up in her eyes again. Arus knew that Kindel's attack had taken many lives, but this was the first he'd heard of any of his friends. "Are you certain?"
Katlyn nodded, brushing golden hair from her face and tucking it behind her ear. "She and her parents were asleep when the storm hit. A tornado tore right through her house. They never had a chance." She barely squeaked out the last sentence before bursting into tears. Vultrel was sobbing, too.
"A friend of yours?" Any antagonistic vibes directed toward Katlyn had vanished from Kitreena's demeanor.
Arus was too busy fighting back tears of his own to respond. While he had certainly never had a romantic interest in Melia, she had still been a good friend. And even if she hadn't been a friend, he still wouldn't have wished such a fate upon anyone. "I'm so sorry, Katlyn," he said, miraculously without allowing his voice to crack. "I'm so sorry."
"We had a memorial service for them two days ago," Katlyn whimpered. "We've been watching after Pepper ever since. I can barely look at him without crying."
Pepper had been Melia's kitten, an adorable grey and black little ball of fur. "I wish we had been able to attend," Arus said softly. "Would've liked to have paid my respects."
"I can take you to the cemetery sometime," she offered. "I'm sure I'll be going there often. Melia was my closest friend. I don't know what I'm going to do without her."
It was clear that the ripples of destruction left behind by Kindel Thorus would likely resonate throughout the universe for quite some time. Eventually, the atrocities he committed would be left in the past, but for the time being, it was going to be a struggle for many to get through the heartache of losing the ones they held so dear. "It's going to be tough," Arus said, wiping a tear away, "but we'll get through this. All of us. We'll make it through because no one who died in the middle of this catastrophe would want us to spend our lives wallowing in misery over their loss. Not any Keroko citizen I ever knew would want that, and I wouldn't expect it of anyone if I had been killed. It's going to be hard, but I know that Keroko can overcome anything. And we will."
Katlyn nodded
with a sniffle, rolling her handkerchief in her hands as she did. Vultrel, however, turned and pushed his way into the crowd without a word. He and Melia had shared something special; there was no doubt of that. Dealing with this loss was going to be more difficult for him than for anyone else outside of her family, with the exception of Katlyn, of course. Hopefully, unlike when Master Eaisan died, Vultrel would allow his friends to help him through this tragedy.
"Come on," Kitreena said softly, taking Arus' hand. "Let's head back to the transport and get your injuries cleaned up."
Chapter 10
Just about every able-bodied Keroko citizen crowded into and around Town Hall that night. Arus had no interest in playing the part of some kind of hero, but Damien insisted that the people at least had a right to know what had led to the destruction of their village. And while he had promised to do the majority of the talking, it was Arus who ended up telling most of the story about Sartan Truce and the implant, Kindel Thorus and the Lifestone amulet, and, despite the doubting minds of many, the Blade of Kaleo. That had been quite the controversial topic, but those who had seen Kindel high above Trader's Square that night described the sword just as Arus had, and the testimony of Veran Lurei made believers out of many. Arus was repeatedly asked to demonstrate the power of the Lifestone, but he heeded Mateo's warnings that the power was only to be used as an absolute last resort against evil. Instead, he demonstrated some of the scanning abilities of the implant, and Kitreena happily Morphed to the amazement of the people. Arus couldn't help but feel like they were somehow showing off, and that made him uncomfortable, but Damien reassured him that they were merely proving their stories to be authentic. The people had come to learn the truth of what had happened, and so it was the truth that they were told.
Though, in the best interest of a few, there were a few details that remained unspoken. The true cause of Eaisan's death was left out, along with Vultrel's vendetta that led him to chase after Truce before turning against Arus. Vultrel, for the most part, stayed quiet, and when the storytelling was over, he promptly left. Arus had tried to talk to him a few times, but he received limited responses. Nothing suggested that he was still harboring any anger toward anyone. He seemed more depressed and worn than anything else. Arus couldn't blame him, considering all that had happened; it had certainly been a rough summer.
In the weeks that followed, the reconstruction of Keroko accelerated. With autumn winds bringing cooler days, it was imperative that additional shelter be made available for those who'd lost their homes before winter snowflakes began to fall. To his great surprise, Arus' implant became one of their most utilized tool. With its accuracy and measurement, he could calculate angles and make precise cuts through planks of wood in a fraction of the time it took for the village carpenters to perform the same tasks. The unnatural strength of his mechanical arm also came in handy, as well. Damien's bulky build made him the perfect man for lugging supplies, and Vultrel helped to organize and direct teams of workers. He had more of Eaisan's leadership in him than even he knew.
In one particularly uncomfortable moment, Arus happened to pass a group of women who were gathering old garments donated by the community and using them as scraps to fashion new clothes for those who'd lost their belongings. In the center of the circle of women sat Kitreena, fumbling with a threaded needle and a pair of cloth squares. Beside her, his mother was trying to teach her how to stitch the two together, and the lesson did not appear to be going well. Kitreena shot him a look as he passed that dared him to comment, but he simply smiled innocently and continued on his way. No way was he falling for that trap.
At Damien's request, the Aeden Alliance High Council permitted the Refuge to order the supplies required to build a base of operations within the Fourth Dimension. Having been granted permission by Mateo to use the world as a sanctuary, Damien thought it best to construct a small structure complete with medical supplies and weaponry, as well as a security vault for the two pieces of Lifestone and the golden amulet. Much to Doctor Nori's delight, a scientific research wing would be built onto the facility, and he was to be placed in charge. When asked how he intended to get all of these supplies into the Fourth Dimension in the first place, Damien conceded that he'd have to trust Mateo's claims that he was capable of safely utilizing his talent for teleportation. That was quite a surprise to Arus, but then, the war had changed a lot about the way each of them viewed themselves.
Green leaves turned to orange and brown before descending into layers of color waiting to be raked. Across the village, the last of the season's crops were harvested—those that had survived the chaos, anyway—and stored for the coming winter. The Aeden Alliance sent food and supplies as well, along with blankets and comforters and coal for the furnaces. Lord Sarathon was reluctant at first, but after seeing Arus and the Alliance at work in the village, he welcomed the assistance, and along with the leaders of neighboring kingdoms, entered into a partnership which placed Terranias directly under Alliance protection. Starships were stationed around the planet, and work began on schematics for an Outpost to be constructed within the galaxy. In Keroko, humanity's old laws regarding machinery were abolished with the wise words of a young man. "In the hands of a murderer, a knife is a weapon, but in the hands of a doctor, it is a life-saving tool."
But for some, the joy of new beginnings and ideological reform were overshadowed by the tragic events of the summer. The difficulty of coping with the losses suffered drove Vultrel into a deep depression that consumed the once joyful youth that Arus had known, sapping his former zest for life and leaving him a broken shell of a young man. He performed his daily tasks with little motivation, visibly disinterested despite routinely turning out quality work. During moments of rest, he would tell Arus that he just wanted to find peace with his losses, peace with his pain, peace with life. He understood why events had transpired in the way that they had and why his reaction had only turned a bad situation worse, but he couldn't seem to find forward direction. Put plainly, he was lost.
When the reconstruction had progressed to a point where the Keroko villagers could shoulder the workload on their own, Damien called for the withdrawal of the majority of Aeden forces. Some remained at the request of Lord Sarathon to help preserve the peace until the Keroko Militia was properly rebuilt, but Damien and Kitreena prepared to return to the Refuge with the rest, and with his mother's reluctant approval, Arus enrolled as an Initiate in the Aeden Alliance, the starting rank for any new soldier. Given his assistance during what came to be called the Vezulian War, the Aeden High Council offered to place him in advanced training courses instead of the usual basic conditioning classes, but Arus wanted to attend every course, take every test, and participate in every exercise. Even Damien was surprised by that, but Kitreena seemed to understand. Any experience he passed up would be a squandered opportunity to learn, and he hungered to be taught.
It was a cold night when he finished packing his things for the journey. The warm red and brown wools he'd worn the previous year seemed extra snug for some reason; it would seem he'd grown more than usual with the passing of the seasons. Not that it mattered much. The Aeden Alliance would provide him with uniforms, and seasons didn't exist in space, so his usual attire would suffice. There was always the tailor onboard the Refuge, too. He latched his sword to his belt and tied his usual bandana through his hair. For a moment, he considered grabbing his wool scarf and gloves, but he was only going as far as the edge of town. Damien and Kitreena would be waiting in a transport for him there.
With a quick glance through his bedroom window, he extinguished his lantern and headed for the stairs. Winter was well on its way, and delicate flecks of snow had already begun to fall, coating the branches and blanketing the rooftops. His mother sobbed quietly in her rocking chair below, sipping tea and staring into the crackling blaze in the fireplace. He hated that his leaving was putting such a strain on her, but after all that he'd been through, he was eager to explore the universe and offer his help t
o those in need. But more than that, he wanted to stay with Kitreena. The thought of staying in Keroko while she sailed the stars on her own made his heart ache. He wanted to be near her. He had to be near her.
After quiet hugs and goodbyes were exchanged at the door, Arus threw his father's old grey cloak around his back and headed into the night with his knapsack slung over his shoulder, leaving his mother waving through the foggy window. He'd done most of his crying earlier that day. Now, a jittery anticipation filled him, and questions pooled in his head like rain in a birdbath. What if he wasn't strong enough? What if they expected too much of him, given all he'd been through, and he wasn't able to live up to their expectations? What if the other new recruits didn't trust him because of the implant?
What had he gotten himself into?
He shook the thoughts away as he made his way through the quiet streets, the muffled silence of the snowy night filling his ears. "A person's abilities are limited only by their own perceptions," Master Eaisan would say. If he believed he could succeed, he would. Puffs of breath rose from his lips with each step, and a bird's cry echoed in the distance. Winter Finch, unless he missed his guess. Other than that, the only sounds to disturb the calm came from his boots as he walked. The crisp aroma of firewood being burned nearby combined with the cold air and filled his nose, bringing to mind memories of countless winters from days passed. There would be much about Keroko he would miss, but then, there came a time in everyone's lives where they had to let go of the past and reach for the future.
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