Cartlidge: Rise of the Imperfect Flame

by Devon Loos

  I raised my hand to my face to feel the blood and swelling flesh. Suddenly my thoughts focused on only two things. I was being attacked, and I needed to defend myself! Something I had never felt before overwhelmed me, and I instinctively kicked John’s leg in upper shin. His leg bent backwards and he fell to the ground screaming. How did I do that? What’s happening to my legs? I reached down to my legs and noticed the dark purple glow that emanated from them. My arms began to glow as well. I stood up as the adrenaline dulled my pain. One of my attackers swung a bat at me and, to the surprise of both of us, I caught it. I threw the bat, along with its owner, at a third terrified figure. I turned and struck another who immediately flew into the nearby wall. The fifth man, the one who witnessed the earlier fight, raised his own gun and fired. Everything slowed to a near stop. I could see the bullet flying at me and I instinctively raised my arm. I felt a burning sensation as the metal slug hit me, then bounced off. The bullet bounced off! I just blocked a bullet with my arms! He paused, shocked, but raised the gun again.

  “Just die, damn it!” He fired three more times before he was thrown sideways into an overflowing dumpster. I looked around in confusion. Another figure had struck him. The man turned to me and crossed his arms. It was the man who had previously stood in the middle of the road. Two more had joined him. I raised my arms in case they planned to attack me next. I couldn’t recognize two of them because they wore masked hoods, but the third was Ivan, my roommate.

  “Dude, do ya realize how hard it is to protect ya when ya go around, left and right, this way and that way, into every group of thugs and muggers ya find?” The tall, longhaired man joked.

  “What are you talking about, Ivan? Who are these guys?”

  “We can’t talk here. It’s too open. C’mon.”

  “I’m not moving until you tell me what’s happening. Who are these guys?” I repeated.

  “They’re the guys who know what’s happening to your arms and legs.” Ivan replied. I paused a moment to look at my hands. They glowed with a bright purple aura, and my arms were the same hue. They almost seemed transparent. One of the figures searched the street for witnesses. After a moment he nodded to the other hooded figure. The man walked towards me, so much that I was forced to take a few steps backwards. He stood half a meter higher than me and turned away and removed both his mask and hood. When he turned back around I froze in shock and horror. The man looked hardly like a man at all. He stared down at me with blackened vertical slitted pupils, like that of a cat hunting its prey in the night. His mouth sported a variety of sharp molars and menacing canines. There was no nose between his mouth and his eyes. Instead there was a small bump with two nasal openings that acted as a nose. His skin was the color and texture of dried leather, and his hair was a sleek black, as if it had been covered with oils. On top of his head were five large horns, dulled down to fit under the hood. The root of the center horn extended down the middle of his forehead in a “V” shape. The man removed one of his gloves to reveal a four-fingered hand, which began to glow just like my own arms, but with a bright crimson hue. He turned away and placed his mask and hood back on.

  “Evidence enough?” Ivan chimed in.

  “What are you?!” I blurted out.

  “You need to come with us. Your actions have put you at risk.” The man, or whatever he was, replied. His Gaia was slightly strained. It almost seemed like a second language to him.

  “At risk of what?”

  “We spend too much time here.” The third man hissed. His Gaia was terrible.

  “Ivan he needs to come with us.” The first man completely ignored me as he spoke.

  “I need this to go well for my test.”

  “Not now!” Hissed the third man.

  “C,mon Jacob. We need to go.” The third man was already gone and the first had moved around the corner and was waiting for us.

  “I don’t know. I’m still not sure what’s going on.”

  The first man swore impatiently and returned to us. He handed me a small device that looked like a touchscreen computer. Everything on the device was completely encrypted in a strange language.

  “Um, I don’t-”

  “Right.” The man took the device away, pressed on the screen a few times, then handed it back to me. On the device was a small message.

  BRIN,

  Your request to be admitted into the Elite’s trial has been granted. After completing various physical trials, you will be sent to Earth with two undercover agents to keep watch and protect the son of one of our greatest diplomats, Mr. Cartlidge. You will spend four Earth years monitoring and safeguarding the target individual and his property. He is currently entering The adult stage of his life and if he shows any signs of kingship, you are to bring him immediately to us. He may become a potential target for Clawtrodon strike teams. He is to know of your mission only if it is paramount to the success of the mission.

  Angels be with you,

  High King and Council Member Lekvaknev

  “I never knew my father.”

  “He was a good man. He prevented an invasion of Earth thirty years ago.”

  “Now will ya come?” Ivan insisted.

  I paused to think for a moment, before I agreed. We moved rapidly on a snaking path through the city. After about twenty minutes of running, followed by another thirty sitting silently in the moving car, we reached a circular opening in the middle of the woods. We stopped just short of the circle and Brin reached for his device. He then spoke unintelligibly into the device. Another voice replied. The ground began to shake violently. The earth opened its hidden maw at the center of the circle and a gigantic craft rose up.

  By the time the craft had fully surfaced it looked like the size of half a football field. The dull grey ship was entirely symmetrical in design and color, except for a large red vertical streak of paint on the right side. At the center of its bow was a large viewing window for the pilots and captain. This section was surrounded on both sides by large, triangular shaped engines. Wings protruded further from the center after that. Two dorsal fins rose upwards like mountains. The underside of the beast revealed a third triangular piece with a cargo ramp that acted as the main entrance to the ship. The tail of the ship was a single large square wing that extended over the edge of both sides. I stood in awe at the metal behemoth.

  Ivan stood in awe. “I haven’t seen a Rovanekren freighter in years!” He laughed. “Well Jacob this is where I leave you.”

  “Wait! Ivan, you’re not coming?”

  “Nah. I work best undercover here.”

  “ But… I still don’t know what's going on! Who are these people?!”

  “Well Jacob, ya know all those people who try an’ convince people that aliens exist? They’re right.” There was a moment of uncomfortable silence. “You see, these guys are called Roovenikrens.”

  “Rovanekrens” Brin interrupted. “Row-Van- Eek- Rens”

  “Stop tryin’ to change my accent!” Ivan snapped.

  “Say it properly and I will not have to.”

  “Anyways, they’re fightin’ these guys called Clawtrodons. Thirty years ago your dad worked as a diplomat. He helped renew the treaty we have with em’ to avoid fightin’ over Earth. Some of em’ weren’t too happy about that. So, the Rovanekren council has always kept a group of guards on Earth for you and your ma.”

  “Since you have shown potential as a king, we’re going to bring you to the council.” Brin interrupted again.

  “But what’s a King?”

  “Kings are Rovanekrens, or hybrids like you, who have the ability to control the energy around them.” He formed a red sphere in his hand, then allowed it to fly freely before it dissipated in the air. As it flew, it created a strange musical tune, like the soft sound of a harp.

  “Since your father was Rovanekren and your mother is human, you were born with traits from both species. You are one of the rare hybrid Kings.”

  I stood there stunned for a moment. This new infor
mation was difficult to grasp. First, I learned there were aliens; then, I learned my father was an alien, now apparently I was one too.

  “You will understand over time. I am sure this is a lot to take in.” Ivan continued.

  “What if I refuse?”

  “Then you can deal with the mess of murder and assault you behind left in New York City.”

  I thought hard. If I went, I would be leaving everything I knew behind. If I stayed, I would likely be arrested for the murder of that drunkard. Considering how quickly the woman fled, it was likely that she wouldn’t testify on my behalf. The survivors of the fight that followed after were surely going to testify against me. In truth, I only had one option.

  “I’ll come.”

  With this choice, poor Jacob’s life was about to take a turn that no human or alien would ever expect.

  [Chapter 2: New Rov]

  After we said our goodbyes to Ivan, we boarded the ship. The ship was filled with complete darkness, giving the notion that it had been hidden away for quite some time. I had to be led by hand through the ship so that I would not fall. I still tripped on several objects as we walked. I was released upon reaching the bridge, causing me to fumble in the dark. A faint humming came from all sides as the engine started. Blinding light flooded the ship. My strange new companions sat in two of the other four chairs and began to work on reviving the ship. A Third Rovanekren sat in the center. I assumed that this was his ship. Before I could ask why he kept the ship so dark Brin turned to me and pointed at the chair anchored to the floor next to me.

  “You are going to want to sit down and put those belts on.” I quickly sat down and put them on. The ship began to shake then lifted off the ground rapidly like a balloon escaping its captor and rocketed forward into the sky. I was glued to the chair by gravity. My ears popped as we ascended. Pain filled my stomach. My vision began to darken and I passed out as we broke free of the atmosphere.

  I did not wake until we had already landed. Brin was undoing the harnesses on my chair. I smelled something foul. Apparently I had vomited during the trip.

  “Welcome to New Rov, home planet of the Rovanekrens.”

  “Why is it New?”

  “Our old planet was destroyed by the Clawtrodons billions of years ago.”

  “Clawtrodons?” I stood up. “Ivan said something about those back on Earth.” Brin pulled up an image on his device. The Clawtrodon was bipedal creature with its exoskeleton open around the joints. It had flat feet, like those of an elephant, its hands held three claw-like fingers. A pair of long pincers extended from its jawline and covered the area of its mouth. Like the Rovanekrens, it had no nose, tanned skin, and sleek black hair. It also had five eyes: two below the brow, two in place of the cheek bones, and one in the center of the forehead. They truly were hideous.

  “You can learn more about them later, first I have to introduce you to the council.”

  I exited the ship to find myself in a large hangar. I was immediately fascinated with everything I saw. Rovanekrens walked left and right, carrying metallic crates, or strange parts. The walls were lined with stacks of equipment held up by netting. Pumps and hydraulic stands rose out of what I thought was a seamless metal floor to catch an incoming fighter jet. The ceiling was covered in rails designed to slingshot smaller jets upon launch.

  We continued further to the outside. New Rov looked like something out of a movie. Car-like pods flew rapidly over glass roads. The sidewalks seemed like concrete, but sparkled like fresh fallen snow in the noon sun. Skyscrapers were everywhere. Not a single scrap of litter could be seen. I felt as if I had stepped into a beautiful golden-age version of New York. One major difference, however, was the massive ships that dotted the sky.

  We took one of the pods to a large building at the center of the city. The massive structure towered over the skyscrapers around it, shining in the sunlight like an icicle in the morning light. The crown of the structure was solid glass, while the rest of the building seemed metallic. Dozens of small aircraft flew in and out of the structure. We soon joined the flow of vehicles and entered the tower. As we did, several escorts appeared, leading us past the long line of visitors, into the building itself. We then traveled past countless doors, hallways, and guard checkpoints. They took their security very seriously. Brin and I continued down a hallway towards a set of double doors. He put his hand against the door to stop me before we entered.

  “Be polite. The council here is the highest form of government you’ll ever see.”

  “Got it.”

  “Also they’ve been under a large amount of stress recently, so try not to piss them off.”

  With that, Brin opened the door and ushered me in. The council room was built in the shape of an oval, with a large podium at its center with about thirty chairs and desks surrounding it. The chairs, and their owners, were separated into three distinct sections. The center section, the one we would be directly facing, was filled with eight high kings and queens. One chair, the very center chair, remained curiously ownerless. The room itself was lit by the large glass dome, which was segmented into eight sections by large darkened beams. The center of the dome was another oval, with its center hollowed out for another glass piece. The dome was likely bulletproof, since the people it shields decide the fates of many everyday. Many a person would fear and hate that kind of power, and would do their best to destroy it.

  As we walked towards the center the officials all stood for a moment, spoke something, then sat back down. I felt like some sort of criminal, waiting for the judges to hand me my sentence. A moment of silence ensued, broken shortly after by one of the kings who spoke in Rovanekren. There was another pause.

  “Your lordship, could we perhaps conduct this meeting in Gaia?” He gestured towards me. “My friend here does not know our language yet.”

  “Very well. So Brin, your report states the outcome of your mission.”

  “Yes, your lordship. You sent us to guard Mr. Cartlidge here and-”

  “We’ve all read the report Brin. What we don’t know is why you brought him to us.” A queen interrupted.

  Brin cleared his throat. “Well, my team and I have discovered that Jacob Cartlidge here, whom you may remember as the son of Mr. Cartlidge, has shown capability as a king.”

  “Kingship you say?” One of the officials asked before addressing one of the queens.

  “Your ladyship, is this even possible for a human?”

  “It is uncommon, but if a human has Rovanekren blood within them, they can attain power equal to your average purebred Rovanekren. Mr. Jacob Cartlidge is nowhere near the first one of his generation. However, I don’t understand how Jacob could show power if his father never showed an inkling of power in his lifetime.”

  Another king jumped into the conversation. “It could’ve skipped a generation. There have been cases when a king or queen’s descendant showed power when the parents did not.”

  As the conversation died down, the first king turned the focus back to us. “Brin, What color did Jacob reveal?”

  “Purple, your lordship.” He replied. Everyone paused.

  “Purple? Are you sure?”

  “I am sure.” Silence ensued.

  I could remain silent no longer.

  “What’s wrong with purple?” The council looked upon me like an animal who had just spoken.

  “Well, Jacob, I take that you don’t know how our powers work?” The king asked.

  “N-no… your lordship.”

  “Our powers are given to us from birth, but of the few who are born with it, even fewer can unlock it, and fewer still can control it. The power itself is the capability to control the energy around us and within us. This energy is then visible in several different colors, depending on the individual. Some are tuned to lower level wavelengths of energies, like Brin here. Brin’s power is red, a common, yet powerful, spectrum. The strength of the energy lowers the further you go into the light spectrum, then increases again once you hit blue-gr
een. Purple is the strongest, but it is also the hardest to control.”

  “Why?”

  “The wavelength is the shortest, so the energy of purple is the most volatile.”

  I raised my hand and looked at it. Twenty years of life and I never knew about this hidden ability. Out of curiosity I willed the power to return. A warm feeling filled my forearm, but nothing else revealed itself.

  “It only happens in times of serious stress if you’re not trained.” One of the queens laughed.

  “Oh.”

  “If you remember, your lordship,” Brin continued, “one specific requirement of my mission was to bring him to you if he showed signs of Rovanekren characteristics.”

  “That is correct.” The first King pressed few buttons and a holographic screen appeared before every official in the room. “If you will all look at your screens, you will see two documents. The first is the mission specifications for Brin. Like he has stated, his mission was to safeguard this young human for a duration of time. Since this human has shown potential for kingship, Brin has brought him to us. The reason behind both this action and Brin’s mission is in the second document. This one is the last wishes of Jacob’s father. There is a statement here that comes into effect in this circumstance.”

  He cleared his throat. “‘If Jacob shows potential characteristics of kingship, his escort is to reveal themselves as soon as it is safe to do so. They shall bring Jacob to New Rov where he will receive his inheritance. This inheritance will fund training for Jacob in any field he wishes and the rest will then go directly into his pocket.’ Well Jacob, it seems your father has paid for all the supplies needed for you to enter just about any field someone like you can enter.”

  It felt like I was entering college again. This time however, I was in a world that was completely new to me. I had no clue what jobs were available to me. I was a simple wildcat amongst a pack of wolves.

  “What kind of fields are there?”

  “We will provide ample information for you to choose from. In the meantime you will be sent to an apartment until this time tomorrow. You are dismissed.”