The Riddle of the Gods

by Lyra Shanti

  Axis nodded, then held Ayn's arm for a moment. “I won't abandon you in this fight, or any other.”

  “I just don’t understand why we couldn’t have landed inside the temple,” grumbled Pei, still a little queasy.

  “Because,” said Meddhi as he took out a Krian digi-compass from his chest-pocket, “the plan is for us to go undetected. The Holy City's plasma-sensors would most definitely pick up a flying, time-traveling Sarax.”

  Pei and Hynfir nodded, regaining their balance while Meddhi searched for the best route to the hidden pass that would lead them into the Holy City. Their plan was to disguise themselves as Tah warriors, then secretly advance toward the temple while remaining undetected by anyone at the palace. If all went according to plan, Yol would have no idea Ayn was deep inside the temple; he'd be too distracted by Baran’s army who were on their way.

  Holding up the digi-compass, Meddhi detected the secret road. “Everyone, over here!” he announced. “We can climb down through the Western mountain pass.”

  “Do you know these mountains well, Meddhi?” asked Hynfir as he grabbed the large buckle-bag that had been chucked onto the ground when Axis switched forms. Reaching into the bag of Tah insignia, which had been replicated with his help, he then passed them around so they could fasten the magnetic symbols onto their fake, Tah uniforms.

  “Yes,” Meddhi replied, “I think I do. I don’t remember exactly how or why, but I know I’ve been here before. I think I used to come here sometimes… to be alone.”

  Pei was curious and walked up next to Meddhi. “When was that? Was that before I came to the temple?”

  “Yes… I think so,” said Meddhi under his breath.

  Hynfir raised his hands and boisterously stated, “Alright, Meddhi, since you know where we’re going, you lead the way!”

  Meddhi smirked and nodded. He then turned around and said, “You should stay in the back, Ayn… just in case. Even in these Tah disguises, I worry you’ll be recognized, especially after your heroics on Sirin, which may have been broadcast by the Ohrians. Just to be safe, keep your hood over your head as well.”

  Ayn nodded, though he didn’t like having to hide. Part of him wished he could enter the city and openly embrace his people. He had wished for that scenario ever since he was a child.

  Cloistered and sheltered as he was, however, The Dei never allowed him to interact with anyone outside of their order, other than occasionally with his mother. Even his royal cousins had been kept from him, and now, Ayn couldn’t wait to see what his city was really like. Other than seeing pictures of Deiusian life, he had never seen his planet outside of the palace and temple walls.

  The five men gathered up their soldier’s knapsacks and proceeded to follow Meddhi down the secret pass. It was rocky and sloped downward in a twisty fashion. The air was dry and cold, causing them to cover their mouths with their hoods for warmth.

  Meddhi suddenly remembered The Holy Mountains were a sacred place to him, and to Amya. As he walked, he saw flashes in his head of meeting her in secret at the base of mountain’s pass. He was young, maybe around sixteen. He remembered it clearly now. He loved Amya even then, and he began to recall the first time he saw her.

  He was only ten when he saw her in a parade. She was a beautiful princess, and he was only a peasant: a child of two musicians who were also secretly Tah supporters. How could he ever have her? It was impossible, and it became even more impossible once he took his priestly vows.

  Yet, only a few years later, he met with her in secret, and they loved each other greater than any of the lovers in the stories throughout time.

  “Oomph,” Pei let out as he bumped into Meddhi who had stopped, temporarily lost in his memory.

  “I’m sorry,” said Meddhi as he regained his footing.

  “Are you alright?” asked Pei.

  “Yes, sorry.”

  “Keep moving!” shouted Axis from the rear. He seemed irritable and agitated, which bothered Ayn. He was trying to concentrate on the trek down the mountain, so he hadn’t asked Axis what was wrong, nor did he want to say it aloud. At this point, though, he felt the need to know what was on Axis’ mind.

  “Why are you so annoyed, Axis?” questioned Ayn silently.

  Strangely enough, Axis didn’t reply. He merely kept walking.

  “Axis? Can’t you hear me?”

  Again, no answer. Ayn began to panic. Had their bond somehow been broken? Had they spent too long apart? Ayn couldn’t believe that was possible.

  “Axis?!” he shouted in his mind.

  Turning around, Axis audibly yelled, “What?!”

  Everyone stopped and turned around to look at them.

  Embarrassed, Ayn half-smiled nervously and said, “Um… sorry. I just... wanted to know if you’re alright.”

  “I’m fine,” said Axis as he turned back to face forward.

  Everyone else, realizing nothing terrible had happened, kept moving.

  “You’re not fine,” Ayn replied in his head.

  “I’m perfectly fine,” said Axis mentally. “I’m just… cranky. It's all this traveling and carrying people.”

  Ayn frowned and thought to him, “That’s not it. You’re upset about something, I can tell.”

  Axis took a breath, stopped walking, then looked back at Ayn and silently replied, “It’s Srah, Ayn. She’s pregnant, and I’m worried about her, that’s all.”

  “Srah’s pregnant?!” Ayn accidentally said aloud.

  Axis rolled his eyes and shushed him. “Yes, she is,” he said to mentally. “Why don’t you announce it from the top of the mountain?”

  Ignoring Axis’ snide remark, Ayn hugged him and silently exclaimed, “Congratulations! That’s wonderful!”

  Axis nervously smiled. “I guess so…”

  “Why aren’t you happy about it?” asked Ayn.

  “I am, I’m just… worried.”

  “She’ll be fine,” reaffirmed Ayn as he held his arm around Axis as they walked. “You’ll see.”

  “Is that what you sense, Bodanya?”

  “Yes, it is, Sarax.” replied Ayn with teasing eyes.

  Axis was cheered against his will as the both of them walked side by side down the mountain.

  --

  Caught completely off guard, Lius went flying backward, hitting his back against the wall, causing his small bifocals to drop onto the floor. Winded, he couldn’t get up from the floor, even though Yol shouted for him to do so.

  “I tried everything,” he whispered as he rubbed the right side of his face where Yol had struck. “I swear on my wife’s soul, I tried my best to bring her back.”

  “Well, you didn’t try hard enough!” Yol snapped. Looking as if he hadn’t slept in days, Yol’s bloodshot eyes were slightly puffed up from tears and stress. “You know what I think?” he asked the doctor, grabbing him up from the floor. “I think you’ve been against this from the start, and you've purposefully kept Pira from returning to me.”

  “That’s ridic-”

  “Silence!” snapped Yol. After a moment, he gathered his wits, then stood directly in front of Lius, firmly bracing the wall with his hands. The doctor felt literally surrounded in Yol’s insanity.

  “Now, you listen to me, Doctor Hessen,” said Yol in a calm, but threatening way. “I don’t know what you’ve done differently from how you regenerated Meddhi, but you will bring my Pira back. Is that understood? I don’t care what you have to do, but you will make her wake. Now, when you’ve done that, I will hold my end of the bargain and release you. But not until then. In fact, every day that goes by where you play these games with me, I will make you suffer for it. I’ve been generous with you, Lius. I’ve given you the finest tools, the latest technology... and at no small price, mind you. But what have you given me in return? You’ve regenerated a man who was only supposed to be the test subject, and who now probably wants me dead. Yet you refuse to regenerate the woman who really mattered!”

  “I’m sorry, Yol, but as I’ve to
ld you before, her body is alive. It’s her spirit which doesn’t seem ready to-”

  “Shut up!” screamed Yol as he sharply slapped the doctor’s face with the back of his hand. “Enough excuses! Either you wake her, or I will end you! Is that clear?!”

  “Yes…” Lius nodded with a bleeding lip, genuinely frightened.

  Only a few months had gone by since Meddhi had awakened. Yet, in Lius’ eyes, it felt like years. It seemed to Lius that the regeneration experience changed Yol, and for the worse. Their once uneasy friendship had turned to full-fledged captor and slave. Although, deep down, Lius knew it was actually that from the beginning.

  “Now…” said Yol as he fixed Lius’ white lab jacket, “clean this area up, and force Pira to consciousness. I want her looking at me by midnight. If you don’t succeed, you will never see your children again.”

  “Is there any word about them?” asked Lius, though he knew it would be in vain. “Did they survive the fire at Seith’s?”

  “Yes, they did,” said Yol with a twisted smirk. “In fact, from what I’ve been told, your daughter is living on Sirin, pretending she is their holy queen. All the while, your adopted son imagines he is a God on Kri. You’ve raised quite a delusional pair, Doctor.”

  “Then you know who they are,” stated Lius, wondering why Yol hadn't mentioned Zin as well. “And you know about Ayn being the…”

  “Of course I’ve known! What sort of fool do you take me for?!”

  Before Lius could sarcastically answer, there came a loud beeping noise from Yol’s arm. It was his communication-band, which was usually set to silent. This call, however, was important. So important Yol was forced to take it in the lab, and in front of Lius.

  As Yol pressed the receiver button on his wrist, a projected, three-dimensional image appeared in front of him. It was an Ohrian male with dark purple hair, hung in a long braid down his back. His head appeared accented with a bony, pale crown, and he wore an official looking black and red robe.

  Lius could only see the back of the man since his projection was facing Yol and in between the two of them.

  Collecting himself, Yol calmly answered with, “Ah, Prime Minister, how good it is to hear from you.”

  “Good evening, Yol,” said Kurin Vax with a rich, debonair voice. “I am glad you are pleased to hear from me, though what I have to say may not be so pleasing.”

  “Really?” Yol said with a forced smile. His dealings with the Ohrians, and with Vax in particular, had been brief, and he hoped they were coming to a close. He had been stalling with sending Ohr the shipment of plasma Vax had demanded as payment for their supply of Ohrian weapons. The truth was Yol never planned on giving them the plasma, and he assumed Vax was now catching on to that fact.

  “Let’s not play games, Notama,” said Vax with a slight wave of his elegantly smooth, opaque hand. “I am well aware you are withholding your planet’s plasma from us, despite our original agreement or that it was Ohrian weaponry which made it possible for your pathetic Tah to conquer The Holy City in the first place.”

  Yol was about to counter, but Vax spoke again before he had the chance.

  “Please do not speak until I am finished, Yol, because I want to explain what is going to happen to you, and to your planet. You see, my sources tell me that the young Shiva you tried to destroy is actually quite alive, and he has now convinced The Krian Army to aid him in taking back Deius. Not only that, but he has grown in strength and power. Some are even saying he is The Adin reborn, which is some sort of God to them. Now, I could easily dismiss such religious nonsense, but what I cannot ignore is the fact that our Ohrian satellites have picked up two hundred Krian war cruisers en route to your planet.”

  “What?!” snapped Yol.

  “Yes,” replied Vax with a smirk. “Were you not aware of that? Oh, that’s right. Your chief engineer and intelligence leader, General Sterek, has gone rogue. That, I’m certain you are aware of, since my spies have all confirmed you are the one who gave the orders to imprison him on Sirin.”

  “Look, Kurin, you don’t know the truth behind what's been happening here.”

  “No, Yol, of course I don’t. That is the problem, actually. No one seems to know what you are truly up to as of late. Not one of my spies has been able to penetrate your new Holy City, or is it still called that under your regime?”

  “Look, Vax, I-”

  “You will listen to me now, Yol, and you will do as I say. You have squandered and wasted my aid, and you have turned away your best generals for reasons I cannot understand, nor do I care enough to try. However, I care deeply about the future of Deius, for your planet has the last remaining plasma farms in this galaxy. If you were a smarter man, you would have already harvested them in abundance, selling to both my planet and Kri, especially now that Atlar is out of the way. Instead, you’ve been obsessed with ending slavery, which is a silly, pointless endeavor when one weighs our galaxy’s problems. The loss of plasma is far more disturbing, and yet, you’ve ignored that fact.”

  “I haven’t ignored it, Kurin,” Yol denied, finally getting a word in. “I’ve merely had more important priorities.”

  “Yes, you’ve been squandering your time and my planet’s resources on your other priorities, and in the meantime, you will soon have two hundred Krian ships entering your atmosphere.”

  “Well, I thank you for warning, Minister, but I can handle-”

  “No, you do not understand, Fah Notama. You cannot handle this. If you try to fight the Lirhan and their war ships, you will not only fail, but your commitment to me and my planet fails. We are depending on that plasma, Yol, and in a way I don’t think you fully understand since you live on a relatively small planet with a very low population. Unlike your planet, Ohr is densely populated and is the most advanced society in the universe. I will not allow my home to be dependent on your small mind and foolish pride!”

  Suddenly, Vax’s coloring changed. From dark purple, his hair became a fiery red. It appeared as if his entire aura changed to an angry flame.

  Seeming to calm himself, Vax added, “Ohr is my family, Yol, and I am its father... and no one - absolutely no one - hurts my family.”

  Yol smirked and said, “How touching, but I don’t need a lecture, nor advice about how to defend my planet. I will fight off these foolhardy Krians with The Tah, my own family. And we will win, and you will have your plasma. You have my word.”

  “To be quite honest, Yol, your word means nothing to me any longer. I held up my end of Atlar's demise, and have given you weapons and soldiers. So far, you've given me empty promises. However, your planet's resources are precious to me. Therefore, I am sending a mining ship to the mountain farms to collect the plasma you promised. If I find you have not harvested enough, or have not allowed the transaction to take place for any reason… well, let’s just say it won’t be merely two hundred Krian ships you will have to deal with. Am I clear?”

  “Yes, Minister, but you really should have some faith. We will fight back The Krians, and you will have your plasma.”

  “Faith,” Vax replied with a sneer, “is a primitive, superstitious concept now long dismissed by my people. However, I will wish you good luck, as your people are wont to say. I have a feeling we will not speak again, Notama - not in this level of existence anyway.”

  With those words, the Prime Minister of Ohr faded from sight.

  Yol stood silent for a moment. He then turned to Lius and said, “Well, Doctor Hessen, it looks like you have less time than I thought.”

  As Yol turned to leave the laboratory, he turned back around and added, “Midnight. No more.”

  Once Yol left the room, Lius looked at Pira's lifeless body and sighed in exasperated frustration.

  “I'm sorry, Your Majesty, but your madman demands you return to him. I fear this planet's well-being may depend on you doing so. I have done all that I can. Our fate lies with you now, my queen.”

  Chapter 21: The Abandoned Temple

  Gulp
ing in complete awe, Ayn wanted to take a picture of the immense beauty before him. Unfortunately, he hadn’t brought a picture taking device. All he had with him was his communicator band, and his Viha.

  “Meddhi...” he said while motioning with his hand, “come here and look at this.”

  Meddhi walked to the cliff which Ayn stood upon and saw the grandeur before them. “Yes,” he said while nodding, “this is the Un-Mei Waterfall. I believe I taught you about it when you were a child. Did I not?”

  “Yes, but… I never realized how beautiful it is!”

  Everyone else soon joined them and marveled at the huge, rushing waterfall that poured in several directions over the snow-capped mountains. Behind the waterfall, the sun was setting and the sky was becoming a glaze of pink and red.

  “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything more beautiful,” said Hynfir.

  “It is quite exquisite, yes,” said Meddhi. “However, we only have a few more minutes before nightfall. If we have any hope of making it into the city by then, we need to keep moving.”

  Nodding, Hynfir and Pei followed Meddhi as they headed further down the path. Ayn and Axis took a few more seconds, breathing in the scenery.

  They were almost at the bottom when Hynfir turned to Pei and Meddhi, saying, “Alright, when we get into town, just follow my lead. Remember, you are all my recruits. These townsfolk don’t really keep up on the latest in Tah ranks, so I doubt they’ll question it. All we have to watch out for is Tah lieutenants. I highly doubt any of them will be roaming the streets, however. The guards who are posted at night are mostly the lower end soldiers who are merely keeping the peace as a formality.’

  “What was Yol afraid of?” asked Ayn. “Did he think religious believers would hold riots when I was supposedly killed?’

  “Honestly, I’m not entirely sure what we expected to happen, Ayn,” Hynfir replied uncomfortably. “We knew there might be opposition, yes.”

  Ayn shook his head and then folded his arms, unable to find words that suited his emotions.