Lights twinkled inland. Was it Dakru City? The illumination spread wide on the plain, just off the coast, flickering pools and pinpricks of brilliance.
He realized he was shaking and forced his shoulders back.
“Relax,” Kalaes whispered. “Almost there now.”
Elei straightened and glanced over the other side. The faint lights in the distance had to be Ost. Memories came rushing back, his life played out on the plains of the rocky island, from the trashlands to the monastery and then the capital of Ost with Pelia. A life that felt like it belonged to someone else.
The boat swerved, and he had to hold onto the bench as the waves crashed against the bow, drenching them in icy water. Cat hissed.
Shimmering spires and neon lights, the cranes in the port festooned with lamps, and a lone boat sitting at the docks, a black shape.
“My neighborhood,” Kalaes breathed. “Artemisia.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Elei put down his pack of medicine and water and looked around the safe house while Cat set out to explore. A small apartment, floors scrubbed clean, a big window pouring morning light into the living room with honest to the gods sofas and armchairs, a low table and a bowl filled with glass marbles — echoes from a dream, blood dribbling down someone’s lips, Pelia laughing...
He walked to the window, refusing to recall what the dream had been about. Below stretched the city, tall buildings and broad streets, warehouses and empty plots. And then the sea, glittering blue — heaving as it received Albi’s body with the snarling of the dogs at his back...
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Kalaes said, coming to stand next to him, and Elei managed not to flinch, because those were memories and this was now.
“The sea?” he rasped.
“Yeah. The port.” Kalaes popped the window open and leaned out, the wind whipping his dark hair across his face. “I used to do this.”
“Do what?” Elei drew a breath and thought he smelled the sea above the fumes of aircars and the stench of the sewers.
Or maybe it was Alendra’s smell. She moved close to him, slipping a hand into his. She smiled and his heartbeat tripped.
“I used to climb up a tall building not far from here, all the way to the top,” Kalaes said. “And then I just looked at the sea.”
“Why?” Alendra murmured.
Kalaes closed the window and raked a hand through his hair, raising it into spikes once more. “To forget stuff. I told myself to remember the moment. You know, the calm, the blue, the wind.” His mouth settled in a grim line.
Elei patted Kalaes’ braids in the pit of his pocket. “You said...” He cleared his throat. “You’d take me to Akert for a drink.”
Kalaes flinched, although he tried to cover it. They hadn’t talked about the memorial ground since that night in the aircar speeding away from Gortyn, that confused, pain-laced conversation about Kalaes’ brother and the future.
“Would you really go?” Kalaes asked, so hushed Elei barely heard him.
Elei nodded. He’d promised he’d bring Kalaes home, and somehow he didn’t think Kalaes would make it back all the way unless he visited Zag’s memorial.
So he’d go, even if a shard of fear poked at his insides, because Zag was dead and perfect, haunting Kalaes’ sleep, and how could Elei compare? But Kalaes had said Elei had his own place, and he’d given up everything for him, had almost given up his life, and if that didn’t make them brothers...
“We’ll go.” He glanced at the clear skies outside. “This morning, if you want.”
“Should I ask what this is about?” Alendra arched an eyebrow at Elei, then at Kalaes.
Elei said nothing. This was up to Kalaes.
Moments trickled by.
“I’m sorry.” Alendra went to lean against the sofa, her eyes troubled. “I shouldn’t have asked. Kal, I’m—”
“My brother and my father,” Kalaes said, “their stelae are there.” And then he surprised Elei by adding, “Would you like to come along, fe?”
And then Alendra surprised him too, taking the two steps separating them and throwing her arms around Kalaes’ neck. “Thank you. And I’m sorry.”
Kalaes sort of crumpled, clutching her, saying something against her shoulder, and a hot flare went through Elei’s chest — not jealousy, only shame. He’d been getting hugs and consolation ever since he’d met these people — hells, even Hera had hugged him — but he’d forgotten that Kalaes might want some comfort too.
“Will you come, then?” Kalaes asked when Alendra finally drew away, his voice thick.
“Not this time.” She smiled at Elei. “Go on. I’ll be here when you come back.”
A small, warm promise he held onto as he followed Kalaes into the cold wind.
***
“Welcome to Akert,” Kalaes said.
A forest of square pillars erected on a cliff overlooking the waves, with the steep mountains of Ost as a backdrop. Seagulls hovered on the rising currents, occasionally flapping white wings.
Elei had never thought it’d look so peaceful. He’d thought some trace of violence would taint the place, some dark shadow from Kalaes’ nightmares.
Light played on the stelae, on names carefully chiseled in their smooth surface. Memorials, each bearing a family name, with lists of individual names running down the sides.
The wind blew and sang, and Elei huddled in his hoodie. Kalaes stopped in front of a stela close to the cliff’s edge. With slow, stiff motions, he knelt and bowed his head. The wind whipped at his t-shirt — Elei hadn’t noticed Kalaes had gone out without protection from the cold, and apparently Kalaes hadn’t, either.
Elei knelt by his side. The stela had ‘Ster’ written at its top, Kalaes’ family name. The list below was long, each name carved lovingly in perfect strokes, as if written with ink.
Except for the last two names: Zagres and Eren. They were cut crookedly into the concrete block, shallow and uneven, and there were dark smears that looked like blood. It was as if a child had carved them with a switch-knife.
In Kalaes’ hand, he saw a small bottle. “Where did you get this?”
“Got it at the bar the other night.” Kalaes’ lips twisted in a half-smile. “It’s good liquor.”
Elei nodded and laid a hand on Kalaes’ tense shoulder. “Shall we drink, then?”
Kalaes jaw trembled, then tightened. He took a swig from the bottle and deliberately splashed a few drops to the ground. “For you, Zag. For you, Dad.”
Elei pried the bottle from Kalaes’ fingers and sipped, his eyes watering. What in the hells was this stuff? He coughed and managed to pour the rest, watering the soil. “To Zag. And to your dad.”
A few dry grasses at the base of the stela rustled. A cloud sailed from Ost across the strait, casting a shadow on the sea.
“I have nothing to offer,” Kalaes muttered, a hand fisted in his hair, chin bent to his chest. “Not even a bunch of como flowers.”
“You came back.” Elei blamed the liquor for the sting in his eyes. “You kept them alive in your memory.” He reached into his pocket, drew out Kalaes’ braids. “And I’ve kept these.” He pushed them into Kalaes’ hand.
Kalaes looked up. Strange how the blue eye looked wider than the other, Elei thought, wider and so full of surprised pain. Hells, it was like looking into a mirror.
“You carried them with you all this time.” Kalaes lifted the braids in his fist and drew a deep breath. “I grew them—“
“I know.” Elei nodded. “In their memory.”
Kalaes looked away, blinking, then bent forward and dug into the soil. He placed the braids, coiled together, and refilled the small pit, then patted the soil on top. “Zag, Dad,” he whispered, his voice hoarse, “I’ll never forget you.”
Blindly he caught Elei’s hand, pulled it until it also rested on top of the small mount. “And this is our new brother.” He paused. “Elei Ster. He brought me back. Look over him like you look over me.”
Elei bent a
s if he’d been sucker-punched in the chest. But there was no pain, only a sense of joy, a joy too vast to contain. When Kalaes dipped his finger in the mud and painted three dots on his cheek, Elei mimicked him.
“This stands for family,” Kalaes said.
Family. Elei looked across the strait to Ost, where he’d set off without a hope to his name, and smiled. Albi. Pelia. I’m home.
Table of Contents for Rex Equilibrium
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
I hope you have enjoyed Elei’s Chronicles Books 1-3.
Book 4 Rex Aftermath has just been released!! Where to find it: http://tinyurl.com/buth6k6
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If you want to know how Hera met Mantis and entered the Resistance:
A novelette set in the world of Rex Rising (free)
HERA
Hera, member of the Gultur race governing the Seven Islands, thought she knew right from wrong and what her future held in store. A chance meeting with a lesser mortal, though, will turn her world upside down and force her to see her race and the laws with different eyes. For Hera, knowledge means action, so she sets out to put things right and change her world.
Taking place in the World of the Seven Islands almost three years before the events in Rex Rising, this is the story of Hera’s first confrontation with the truth.
If you want to know how Mantis met Kalaes and Pelia:
A short story set in the world of Rex Rising (free)
Mantis
Thrown into the sea, his memory of the last few hours hazy but slowly returning, young Mantis decides he can’t die just yet — not before he has put up a fight and made the regime pay for killing the people he loved.
This is the story of how Mantis met Kalaes and how Mantis started his journey with the resistance, a moment which leads to certain events in Rex Equilibrium (Book Three of Elei’s Chronicles).
About the Author
Greek Cypriot with a penchant for dark myths, good food, and a tendency to settle down anywhere but at home, Chrystalla likes to write about fantastical creatures, crazy adventures, and family bonds. She lives in Cyprus with her husband and her vast herds of books. She writes mainly fantasy and science fiction. Her dystopian YA science fiction series “Elei’s Chronicles” (Rex Rising, Rex Cresting, Rex Equilibrium) is available on Kindle and in print. Shorter stories set in that world are also available, and a Companion to the series is also in the plans.
Other links:
Blog: http://chrystallathoma.wordpress.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/chrystallathoma
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Chrystalla-Thoma/117863861560579
To keep updated on the sequels and other satellite books, make sure to check regularly this page on the author’s blog:
http://chrystallathoma.wordpress.com/rex-rising
Also join the Rex Rising group on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/282489681801529/
Author note
I hope are enjoying Elei’s Chronicles as much as I enjoy writing them. I love my heroes and heroines and I hope they will stay with you as you go about your everyday life. If they made you think, realize or learn something new, if they helped you see your world through different eyes — or even if they just gave you a few enjoyable evenings, then I’m glad.
The problem with series is that authors may get too attached to the characters. I feel Elei, Kalaes, Alendra, Hera, Sacmis and Mantis are part of my family, and find myself reluctant to part with them.
Therefore I am planning two different arcs: Kalaes’ arc, which takes place years before he met Elei (documenting his life after his father’s and brother’s death and his time with Pelia) and Jek’s arc, taking place some time after the events in Elei’s story (documenting Jek’s adventures exploring the Seven Islands and beyond). I also would like to write a brief companion telling you how this story began in my head and about its first forms and transformations.
These are plans, of course, I haven’t written those books yet. But it is very probable I will and I hope you’re looking forward to them as much as I am.
A few quasi-scientific notes
Regarding parasites
Although they may sound like pure fantasy, the parasites described in this novel are based in part on real life parasites. I do not intend to write a thesis on parasites, nor am I a biologist, so I will just say what I want to say very briefly:
Parasites fascinate me, they are indeed very fantastical creatures. Mostly they cause illnesses and death, but some are useful and we humans have coexisted with them from the beginning of our existence. If you are interested in reading about parasites but don’t want a technical book, I highly recommend the following book:
Parasite Rex, by Carl Zimmer (http://carlzimmer.com/books/parasiterex/index.html)
In case you are wondering if a parasite can really create a race of women who reproduce by parthenogenesis, i.e. cloning themselves, read about the Wollbachia (http://serc.carleton.edu/microbelife/topics/wolbachia/index.html). If you just type the name in google, you will get plenty of sites.
If you wonder if it is a good idea to control a parasite by introducing another, I admit I don’t have an example — but consider this: in ecology, if a species is introduced in an environment where it has no enemies, it will take over the environment and destroy it. Efforts have been made to control such invasive species by introducing another species. Therefore, I do think that it is a possibility. You can check on the internet about invasive species or assisted dispersion to read more about the topic.
Regarding parasites attracting each other or attracting their hosts, read for instance about the Toxoplasma gondii — parasite we humans often get from cats. Studies have shown that when rats get infected with it, instead of avoiding cats and places cats frequent (marked by cat urine), they actively seek them out. In effect, they seek to be eaten, so that they can pass the parasite to the cats where it will continue its life cycle. Read Parasite Rex mentioned above for many examples of behavior-modifying parasites.
Parasites in Elei’s Chronicles
Protozoan parasites (cronion, Rex)
Like Toxoplasma Gondii, Rex is a protozoan parasite. In between stages of growth and transformation, it exists inside tiny protective cysts, which is why the only way to get it is by ingesting it (the acids of the stomach break down the cyst, freeing the microscopic parasite).
Pathogenic fungal infections (telmion, Regina, palantin)
Pathogenic fungi (yeasts and molds and mushrooms) cause disease. A famous one is Candida (just google it for more information). Acidity in the stomach and intestines is the perfect environment for such parasites.
Note that bacteria (which are also parasitic) are used to control such diseases (for example the ones found in yogurt). Diet is the best bet for keeping healthy — in particular, in cases of Candida, it is recommended to avoid sugars because they strengthen the parasite (as is the case with Rex. Evidently, I “borrowed” this feature from Candida).
Regina: Gultur Maturation
From the start, the Gultur are shown as abrupt, a little violent and generally pissy. The reason for that is their parasite, Regina, which controls their behavio
r by the release of hormones, in particular the female hormone estrogen. In human females, estrogen production rises toward the middle of the cycle, and spikes at ovulation time, causing irritability, headaches and sometimes depression and/or aggression (controlled by the production of serotonin, brought about by an increase in estrogen production).
Hera’s maturation day is approaching. In human females, the time of their first menstruation (menarche), comes at the age of about 14 on average (sooner in Europe and north America, older in Asia). Ovulation usually starts a few years later.
In the Gultur race, instead of menstruation, there is a steady increase of hormone production over the years, starting at about 16, preparing the body for the ovulation, which in this case of parthenogenesis will most probably coincide with a pregnancy. The maturation therefore corresponds to the first ovulation and it occurs around the age of 18-19.
Gultur Echo princesses (Hera’s line) are particularly hard hit by the increase in hormone production and fluctuations. This issue is particular to the original Regina strain, before it mutated and evolved in other Gultur strains (like Sacmis’), resulting in a more balanced system.
Broken Heart Syndrome
In Rex Cresting, Elei experiences a heart attack that isn’t. It may sound like a product of my overactive imagination, but in fact it is taken from real life. Elei has Broken Heart syndrome. Normally, this happens to people after a terrible emotional event, like a death of a beloved one:
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