Plague of Mybyncia
By
C. G. Coppola
SMASHWORDS EDITION
* * * *
PUBLISHED BY:
C. G. Coppola on Smashwords
Plague of Mybyncia
Copyright © 2014 by C. G. Coppola
Cover photo copyright C. G. Coppola
Cover by Joleene Naylor
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. It remains the copyrighted property of the author and may not be reproduced, scanned, or distributed for any commercial or non-commercial use without permission from the author. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.
Adult Reading Material
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“All my writing is God Given.” – Ray Bradbury
I am blessed to have such an amazing support team of family and friends, all doubtless that I will succeed in this dream, but I can’t take the credit. I put in the time and energy because it’s what I love to do, and it’s a gift that I’m even able to do it. I could’ve been born with anything else, but I was given words. And they are only a percentage mine. Everything I do, everything I have is because He gave it to me. And that should be acknowledged.
*****
For Batman. Thanks for being so supportive of this dream.
We’ll be in the Castle-Mansion soon.
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Plague of Mybyncia
1. Qippert
2. Mybyncia
3. Feast
4. A New Friend
5. Muskos
6. Food and Facts
7. A Day at the Beach
8. Interrogation
9. Boys and Girls
10. Trouble
11. Prison
12. Retrieval
13. Dilly
14. Options
15. Forbidden Mission
16. Aftermath
17. Consequences
18. Complications
19. Third Time’s a Charm
20. King of Zinnollo
21. Homecoming
22. Confrontation
23. Three Tasks
24. Zingfinolds
25. Fire
26. Return
27. Larupip
Chapter One: Qippert
Wicked.
Jace is smirking next to me, an inch of blonde hair whipping around his face but the rest of it—his neck and everything below—is lost to the sparkling purple fogginess that surrounds us. We’re traveling from Harrizel to Mybyncia, in the cloudy lavender transit with Clarence, Pratt and Mae, the last of the five percent who aren’t able to return home to Earth, to their life before this. We finally left Harrizel only seconds ago, when a smaller, unfamiliar Dofinike appeared and told Sampson that Blovid had been located. Without much information, we were ushered into two circles and grasping hands, we jetted up into the sky as the billowing purple wind engulfed us.
Jace grins to my left. I forgot how cool this was.
How long will it take? Pratt’s voice asks to my right.
Only a few seconds more. Clarence’s eyes shift to her. It doesn’t take long to travel from Harrizel to Mybyncia, as we’re part of the same solar system. But from Earth to Harrizel and back, it would take some time to cross galaxies. This will be a shorter trip than what you’d remember. Clarence’s smile turns down as he looks at Mae next to him. How’re you holding up, Mae?
The ends of her jet-black bob whip around her oval face. She’s staring down, her dark eyes lowered.
Okay…
I don’t know how she’s able to deal with all this. She arrived on Harrizel right before the Vermix invaded the Castle, before a quarter of the humans were slaughtered by whips and Chaisles and Traxpires, hunted through the jungle and chased into the black fortress we’d known as home. At least the rest of us had time to prepare. We knew what was coming—sort of. We had anticipated the Vermix’s arrival; knew they were there to kill us, to see our demise. But Mae arrived at the tail end, with very little time to acclimate to the well rehearsed lie.
And then, to be attacked…
Sometimes I’m still surprised that we won. That we fought our way free from the Vermix’s entrapment when it seemed impossible. That we managed to send the others back when it was believed they had no home to return to. The Vermix kept it from us—all of our past lives and all of our memories of it. Designed and orchestrated by Beshib and the Vermix Leader Reuzkimpart, we were trapped under a lie that the world we had come from was gone, destroyed by our own hands. But it never happened. Earth is still there, still turning today, and we were being abducted. Collected. So the Vermix could experiment on us to create an army of zombie-like soldiers that they could pin against the Arizals, Dofinikes like Sampson and Clarence.
But it didn’t work. Not towards the end. Once discovering Sampson was a Dofinike, things changed. Once learning of his macabre past on Ellae where he’d escaped to live free as an Arizal, we had a chance. We had someone on our side. But it wasn’t until I discovered what the Vermix were doing to the humans that something actually shifted. Sampson and Clarence and Vix were slaves for their crimes on Ellae but this… the death and mutation of every person… this was what we needed. Atrocity. A cause for the Arizals to finally stand against the Vermix in a splintered culture on the verge of civil war. Ironically, our own demise had become our ticket to freedom. And once the split cracked wide open, there was no turning back. For any of us—the humans who needed to fight to return home or the Arizals who’d been hiding quietly in Dellapalania, afraid to voice their beliefs in The Way and The Three Gifts. Because all Dofinikes are supposed to be Vermix and any choosing to live as an Arizal—accepting an ideology of universal peace—are treated as traitors.
So Sampson and the other Arizal Dofinikes had to hide in the beginning, seeking refuge in the deep mask of the Harrizel jungle until the Ellae Massacre, when the Dellapalanian Leaders ordered the immediate genocide of all humans. Only a few were spared, their memories erased while the Arizals were imprisoned at the Castle alongside their former human friends or worse… sent to collect more, and for reasons unknown.
But that’s all in the past now that the battle is over, now that we’ve fought our way out, fought our way free. It ended when Sampson killed Beshib in front of everyone and the rest of the Vermix fled back to Dellapalania. And we’ve spent the last week traveling through Harrizel’s lush environment, waiting for our next move—when and where we need to meet up with Blovid, the Arizal Leader that ordered the ceasefire during the Ellae Massacre.
It came with a visit from a smaller Arizal Dofinike, telling us we were needed on Mybyncia, Dellapalania’s water neighbor. After a month and a half on Harrizel, I was finally leaving. And for the others—like Reid who had been there for almost four years, or even Sampson, who had been there for much longer—it was time to finally go.
We’re on our way to a new place, a new world—one completely submerged in water. I have no idea what it’s going to bring, but whatever it is, I’m sure we can handle it. We’ve handled worse, faced worse. But Mae hasn’t. She’s new to all this, to surviving terrible odds. No wonder she’s quiet, keeping her voice like a whisper in my head. She won’t even look at us, her eyes focused on the purple nothi
ng below.
Clarence exhales with a frown. We’re nearly there.
Are we landing near the others? Pratt’s voice rings in my head, a few inches of her hair whipping about.
On the North Shore, yes. But be prepared—the Vermix might not have fled. We were given very little information about the state of things so when we arrive, keep close.
We were given practically no information, other than that the Vermix attacked Pryncbia, Mybyncia’s royal city. Blovid was hiding there after his escape from Dellapalania once it became too dangerous for him to stay. But word was leaked on his location and the Vermix invaded. The Arizal Leader fled, but not after damage was inflicted on the water planet. And we still don’t know where Blovid went—only that he’s safe. For now.
Do you think the Vermix are still attacking? All eyes fly to me, then to Clarence for an answer.
No. Once they realized Blovid fled, I’m sure they abandoned the search. It will still be dangerous though, so keep close to me.
I wish we could travel like this all the time, Jace grins, this is sweet.
Remember that young Rogue—we may have to.
Soft, almost malleable texture hits my feet and I nearly stumble to my knees. It’s not like landing on Harrizel’s hard dirt, but trying to balance on a moving cushion. The others have difficulty standing too, but Mae immediately collapses to her knees. She looks around, wide-eyed and confused at the gobs and gobs of sand around us.
We’re on a beach.
In one direction, the yellowy-beige material leads to towering walls of grey limestone sheathed in green and brown fauna. It looks like ivy, but drapes between each jagged formation, connecting an island of sky-scraper-sized rocks. Monstrously huge, they soar into the clear sky while mammoth-sized bushes and walled shrubbery nestle between them, creating a thick, nearly impenetrable barricade.
But I can’t stop staring at the vast sapphire abyss enveloping the shore around us. I’m only a yard from the ocean, which sits quietly and, rather strangely, completely undisturbed. There are no waves or ripples or wind washing the water towards us. It’s as if there was nothing underneath the blue-glass surface, nothing but silence and stillness.
“Everyone alright? Mae?” Clarence moves for her.
“I’m fine,” she stumbles back to her feet, eyes on her dirty white tennis shoes.
“Where’re the others?” Pratt asks.
“Hmm…” Clarence scratches his chin, “must have landed a ways down. Hold on,” he concentrates on a sight in the distance but makes no movement. After a moment, he nods. “They’re over this way. Come on.”
We follow Clarence down the beach, shifting inwards toward the grey limestone walls. Everything seems quiet—but what do I know? Ever since Sampson killed Beshib—hell, even back when he coordinated our initial takeover of the Castle—we’ve all been leaning on him to guide us, to set a course. Clarence has been his second in command and Reid, a close third, but we’re really just following blindly. None of us have any idea what to expect. We’re taking it one day at a time, hoping there will be a tomorrow, just like we did on Harrizel.
“Mae? Fallon?” Clarence tosses over his shoulder, “You keep close back there. We still don’t know what’s around us.”
“Shouldn’t we have our rifles ready?” I ask.
“I don’t think it’s necessary. Just keep close and once we reach Sampson, we’ll find Qippert below.”
We walk for another minute when a soft scratching rustles the nearby fauna. Pratt and Jace merely glance over but Mae doesn’t even hear it. She’s right on Clarence’s heels, her head low and focused on the sand as she crosses it. Another rustle and I slow.
“Clarence?” I draw my gun to my front.
“Just a little farther… they should be around this boulder.”
“Clarence…” I’m watching the walled shrubbery but it’s silent. Still, again. Maybe I’m imagining it. I catch up with the others but keep my gun ready. Another shuffle sounds and I hold the rifle up, aiming as I stare into the green camouflage.
“There you are!” Clarence’s voice calls ahead. “I wonder why we landed so far apart?”
“Not sure.” Sampson approaches, Reid and the Rogues on his tail. They approach with the same caution, eyeing the nearby shrubbery as they keep their rifles close to their chests, “Any issues?”
“It’s been quiet. And you?”
“Same.”
“Now where did Qippert say he’d be meeting us?”
Another rustle in the shrubbery but it’s further up this time, nearing the two Dofinikes. It’s passed Mae and almost reaches Sampson who is busy pointing in the direction we just came. Clarence shakes his head and folds his arms.
“No, I think he’ll come to us.”
“Clarence!” I jet forward, following the rustling.
“Hmm?” he turns, just as the smaller Dofinike who landed on Harrizel steps through the walled fauna. He’s dressed in a long brown and black wrapped tunic, similar in color to Sampson’s floor length robe. “Ah—Qippert! Weren’t sure where we’d be meeting you.”
I dig my heels to a halt.
The newcomer approaches Sampson and Clarence. “I tried getting a destination but you landed some distance away. Are these all of them?” he motions to us.
“Yes,” Sampson nods. “These are them—the rest of the humans from Harrizel.”
“They could not go back?”
“Clarence selected them as we used to—those with no other alternative. All except Reid here,” he indicates to him.
My chest tightens as I look over the only person I’m constantly aware of, the only figure I feel like a force. I try not to catch his eye, which I’ve grown used to this past week, but it’s hard. Too hard, like not using your sight. Reid has a fiancé back on Earth, but he chose to stay here, to continue on with us. And I’m still unsure why. He gave me a Callix flower—supposedly the symbol of love—on Harrizel after the invasion, but asked that I wait. We haven’t spoken since, and it’s been a little over a week. He hasn’t tried and I’m doing my best to respect his request. But it’s difficult and most times, nearly impossible... especially when he’s looking at me like he is now.
“Reid can return to his former life at any time, although he’s assured me he is staying,” Sampson turns to Qippert, “and what of Pryncbia? Was the queen or chancellor injured?”
“They were not on the shore at the time of the attack.”
“Well, that’s lucky.”
“There has been no threat made on them,” Qippert leans in, lowering his voice. “They seek Blovid.”
“And where are they willing to follow him?”
“He has expressed discretion on his whereabouts until we have aided and restored Pryncbia on his behalf. At that time, he requests I bring you to him.”
“And how long will that take?”
“You should see for yourself,” Qippert begins leading Sampson and Clarence through the limestone walls.
Suddenly, the shrubbery up to my right rips apart and a Dofinike the size of Sampson flies out, hurling itself at Mae. She screams just as Sampson and Clarence morph into their true forms, all three Dofinikes knocking the assailant to the ground. Mae scampers away as Sampson pins the Vermix to the sand, his talons pinching the Dofinike’s neck on either side of his three red lines—an indicator of his Vermix status.
“Speak,” he orders.
The Vermix snarls short, curt sounds.
Sampson pinches his neck harder, interrupting him. “And why would you think we’d know where he is?”
Another spout of hisses as the Vermix tries to wrestle free.
“Well, had you paid attention to your history, you would know I have been sentenced to Harrizel since the Ellae Massacre, which would mean Blovid and I have had very little communication. I promise you, his whereabouts are just as much a mystery to you as they are to me.”
A mouthful of snapping sounds escape but Sampson shakes his head.
“Q
uite impossible—you see, you aren’t headed back to Dellapalania. For the crimes you’ve committed, you will be detained here by Chancellor Keller, in Pryncbia’s FH prison.”
“FH?” Pratt asks.
Clarence turns to the side with a mumble, “Foreign Headquarters.”
The Vermix writhes beneath Sampson’s hold but gets nowhere.
“Don’t make this harder on yourself. You knew what would happen in the event of a Vermix invasion.”
He hisses out a spout of snarls.
“Oh—but you did,” Sampson interrupts him. “You knew exactly what would happen and now you should know what comes next,” he renders him immobile with a jab to the throat. Sampson gets to his feet. Turning to Qippert, he changes back to his human form, Clarence quickly following. “Any twine or rope on you?”
Qippert shakes his head. “And he is probably not the only one.”
“Should we just leave him?” Clarence asks.
“There will be more,” Qippert motions ahead, walking towards the limestone slabs again. “The Northern and Southern Shores were badly ambushed. I would not be surprised if a few Vermix were still in pursuit of Blovid, believing he has simply been relocated within Mybyncia. I am certain Chancellor Keller will have the beaches swept clean by nightfall.”
“How many do you project may still be lingering about?” Sampson asks.
A loud, piercing sound rips through the air—it’s Pratt this time. She’s far away, barely visible behind one of the grey boulders.
I race over, grasping her by the shoulder. “Pratt!”
She’s rigid, her finger pointing to the masticated Dofinike on the ground.
Bile instantly rises as I push her behind me.
Pieces of flesh lay strewn across the sand, staining it with specks of dried crimson. The body itself is mostly a skeleton although a few gobs of fat and skin still remain in some places. All the organs are gone and both eyes have been plucked free.
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