The Riddle of the Gods

by Lyra Shanti

  “Can you be like my older brother then?”

  “I would love that,” replied Ayn as he bent down to hug the boy.

  Axis felt twinges of jealousy again for a moment, but as he watched Ayn holding Inda, he realized their budding relationship was different than what he and Ayn had. The boy needed Ayn to be his father figure, and Ayn seemed to want to be a father for him. Axis began to smile at the thought and soon found himself imagining Inda playing with his child with Srah, which he sensed would be a girl.

  Suddenly, Axis’s vision turned to fear.

  “Ayn…” he said nervously.

  “Yes?”

  “What will happen to these people tomorrow? Will they be hurt by the war?”

  “I don’t know. Meddhi said the plan is to draw the battle to the mountains so the civilians won’t be hurt. There’s no guarantee though.”

  “There’s going to be a war tomorrow?” asked Inda with wide eyes.

  “Unfortunately, yes,” said Ayn. “Listen, Inda, I don’t know if they’ll believe you about me being The Bodanya, or about the impending battle, but… I need you to get as far away from the city as possible tomorrow morning. I want you to take Weema with you. Tell her you need her to help you go root picking near the outer farms or something. Just get as far away from the city as you can.”

  “I’ll try…” said Inda, unsure. “She’s very stubborn though. That’s why I like her so much. Well, that, and her cooking.”

  Ayn smiled and gave Inda another hug. “I’m sure you can make her do it. You have the gift of charm from the Gods. Don’t be afraid to use it for the right reasons.”

  “Yes, Bodanya!”

  “My name is Ayn. Please, call me Ayn.”

  “Or Father? May I call you Father instead?”

  “When the time is right, Inda… when the time is right.”

  With that, the three of them finished feeding the hungry, playful dini. Afterward, they headed to Inda’s room. Meddhi wasn’t there, but Hynfir was, already fast asleep. Pei was in the corner meditating in a sitting ona flower position.

  Ayn knew he would have to sleep soon, for the morning would be upon them quicker than he was ready for. Yet, with Axis and Inda nearby his cot, he felt surprisingly at ease. He wasn’t sure if it was his inner Adin telling him everything would be alright, or if it was his own delusional hopes, but he knew he wouldn’t be facing any of it alone, and that was enough to face whatever the Siri-Star brought with the sunrise.

  Chapter 22: Battle for Deius

  He could see the old, wise, owl-God of the wind on the horizon. Lazoro was its name, and it wanted to show Ayn where the heart of Deius was.

  “Go to the tomb of your brother. He will show you the way.”

  This greatly confused Ayn, since he didn’t have a brother. He had thought of Pei as a brother when he was younger, and then with Zin later on, but neither were really his brothers by blood.

  “Do you mean by blood or by spirit?” asked Ayn.

  “I mean by soul,” replied the ethereal owl. “Follow the vibration of his soul, and he will show you the way to the heart of your planet.”

  With that, the owl slowly changed shape and took the form of a long, tall creature of light. It stood upright and looked feminine, though Ayn couldn’t be sure. He wondered if Lazoro was actually a Sarax, but asking the creature before him seemed inappropriate, and so Ayn kept silent.

  “When you find the heart,” said the being of light with a voice of delicate resonance, “you will find your own power.”

  Ayn shook his head confused and somewhat frightened. “What do you mean find my power? I don’t know what more there is inside me!”

  The being of light transformed once again and took the shape of a red dragon about four times the size of Ayn. It was overwhelming.

  Ayn’s instinct was to run, but for some reason, he didn’t. His feet felt as if they were made of stone.

  “You don’t remember your promise to me, do you?!” the dragon yelled with a touch of fire in its throat, the heat of which Ayn could feel against his face.

  He couldn’t remember his promise. He had no idea what the red dragon meant by that, but he was afraid to tell the dragon.

  “I don’t remember it, no. Please forgive me. I have been busy trying to help people.”

  The dragon looked enraged, as if it were about to blow fire all over Ayn’s body.

  “Well, while you’ve been busy, I’ve grown old and angry. Our bond is gone, but you do not care, do you?!”

  “I’m sorry!” cried Ayn with his hands in front of his face, prepared for fire. “I forgot about our bond! It’s been too long!”

  “Time is irrelevant!” yelled the red dragon. “And now you parade around with someone else, as if to rub it in my face!”

  “No! I swear, I didn’t know! I didn’t do anything on purpose!”

  “No,” sneered the dragon as he paced in the cloudy ether, “you follow others and do what they tell you to do. It is disgraceful! Do you even want this war? Do you even know who you really are?!”

  Ayn was now shaking, but he also remembered something amidst his fear. This dragon was indeed familiar. It was the mighty Siya Dragon!

  As a child, he would make Meddhi-Lan read him the story of Siya, over and over again. It was the story of how the red dragon saved the planet Hun from complete extinction by allowing them to fly on his back to the safety of another dimension in time. Ayn wasn’t sure who wrote the story, and it wasn’t required reading growing up since it was more along the lines of fiction, but it was one of Ayn’s favorite nonetheless. He had thought Siya was a male dragon, but this being in front of him was definitely a female; he could tell by its distinctly feminine, though husky voice.

  “I remember you now!” burst Ayn.

  The dragon sneered again and said, “Too little too late, Bodanya.”

  “No, I remember now! Your name is Siya! And you saved the Hunians when their planet exploded!”

  “I did no such thing” snapped the raging dragon, wings spread in outrage. “I will have you know that I couldn’t save them, those poor souls! There isn’t a day that goes by I don’t regret my failure. But it is your failure as well, Adin. Do not believe yourself to be unscathed by that horror.”

  “What could Adin, I mean… what could I have done to save them?”

  “We could have stayed bonded! Instead, you chose to let me go in favor of a simple life with your wife. I became weak, and I could not do it alone. I will never forgive you for that, Bodanya! And now, your new Sarax pretends he is strong enough to face what is coming, but he is weak. You are both weak little children who have forgotten all about me! I will not stand for it!”

  Looking as though she meant to destroy Ayn, the red dragon huffed and gave a great blow of fire. Ayn tried to run, but there was nothing but sky and clouds.

  Ayn felt a flash of unbearable heat and was certain the fire had disintegrated his body, forcing his soul into the ether. However, he could still feel his body.

  How is this possible? he thought as he felt his chest where his heart was beating hard. Looking around at his surroundings, he realized he had been standing on clouds the entire time. “Oh! I’m dreaming!” he said to himself. “How silly I am!”

  Ayn laughed as the clouds shifted and slid to and fro. Realizing his new power, Ayn decided to play with the clouds’ colors and shapes. What followed was a concert of visual pleasures with Ayn as its conductor.

  The fear of the red dragon had gone and he now was the master of his playground, happy and in control. He hoped it would stay that way until he woke, which wasn’t too long afterward.

  The sun had barely risen when Ayn heard Meddhi whispering to him, “It’s time to go to the temple, Ayn. Wake up.”

  Barely coherent, Ayn sat up and rubbed his eyes.

  Meddhi smiled, quickly reminded of how Ayn used to wake when he was a child. Suddenly, Meddhi felt a twinge of sadness and regret crawl up his spine. The realization that this you
ng man in front of him - this powerful, yet extremely sensitive and loving young man - was his own flesh and blood. Somehow, Meddhi never allowed himself to truly accept it.

  He still wasn’t sure why he hid the truth from Ayn for so many years, but he now remembered all the times his son had come to him for help, especially when he was a small child, still suffering from so much anxiety and fear.

  Meddhi felt horribly selfish asking, once again, for his sweet boy to act as The Bodanya, though it seemed as though Ayn’s fate had been written in the stars long ago. If Deius had any hope of peace, Meddhi always believed Ayn was its only chance.

  Nodding his head, groggily, Ayn said, “I’m awake. I’m ready. Where’s Axis?”

  “I’m here,” said Axis, though with a pensive, unsure expression.

  “Don’t worry,” said Ayn, “Everything will be fine. I saw the great fire dragon in my dream last night. You know… Siya? And she tested me, I think. Maybe she challenged me, but I ended up alright. Actually, I saw the heavens... and I was completely in control of my own dream. It was wonderful!”

  Axis grunted and said, “Yeah, that doesn’t comfort me. It could have also meant you died and went to heaven. I’m sorry, but I’m not ready to go to a heaven just yet.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous,” said Ayn, rolling his eyes. “It was a good dream, Axis. Stop being such a pessimist.”

  “I’m not a pessimist. I’m a Sarax!”

  Ayn smirked, then got to his feet and stretched. Casually, he reached for his Tah jacket and said, “That makes no sense. Let’s have breakfast, then see the temple. I can’t wait to see it again with my own eyes.”

  “I’m not sure what has survived of it, Ayn,” Meddhi quietly replied as they went to the kitchen.

  “No matter,” replied Ayn, “it is my home. It’s where you raised me, Meddhi. Whatever still remains, I will embrace with my heart.”

  Meddhi half-smiled, feeling a little eased. Ayn was radiating a warmth that was infectious. Meddhi couldn’t help but wonder if Ayn’s dream really was a sign from the Gods that luck was with them.

  While the three of them ate breads and fruit, Weema woke and gave Meddhi a cloth-wrapped parcel of smoked eeba meat. Eeba wasn’t his favorite type of meat since it was a chewy, fatty animal from the polar mountains, but he smiled and kissed her cheek in gratitude. Ayn grinned at Axis, both of them certain Meddhi had spent the night with their kind hostess.

  “Thank you from the bottom of my heart,” said Meddhi.

  “When will I - we - see you again?” she asked shyly.

  “I don’t know,” Meddhi replied, “but I hope it will be soon.”

  Weema nodded, then said, “Please stay safe.”

  “We will do our best,” said Meddhi.

  “Weema,” Ayn politely addressed her, “did Inda talk to you about going to the farmland until the battle is over?”

  “Yes, he did, but… I don’t know if I can convince my brother to do that.”

  “Then you must go yourself, along with Inda,” Ayn said firmly. “You must get as far from The Holy City as you can. Will you do that for me, Weema?”

  “I will, I promise.”

  “Good.”

  “But…” she added, “you must promise to come back to us soon. Inda would never forgive you if you did not come back. Nor would I.”

  Ayn smiled and promised to return. It was a promise he knew he could keep, for he felt Siya’s strength with him now, and there was nothing Ayn did not feel ready to face, not even whatever lay hidden in Adin’s tomb.

  “This is a blessed day!” he exclaimed. “Let us go and reclaim our homeland, Father!”

  Meddhi smiled wide and proudly followed Ayn out the front door.

  Axis wasn’t quite as certain about their future, however. He quickly said goodbye to Pei and Hynfir who were just waking up, waiting for their orders from Baran and Reese. He then ran after Ayn and Meddhi, hoping their optimism would eventually destroy his nagging sense of fear.

  --

  “What is that?” asked Yol with a sneer. “Is it some kind of weapon?”

  Smirking, Thotwa was unable to stop the thrill of excitement coursing through his veins. “Yes,” he calmly replied as he continued to practice combat moves with the trident-shaped relic.

  “Where did you find it?” asked Yol as he approached closer.

  “I acquired it inside the tomb of Adin.”

  “You stole this weapon from the very hands of Adin himself?” asked Yol, followed by a twisted laugh. “You have far more courage than I gave you credit for, my friend!”

  “Oh, I have more than courage, My Fah! I plan to use this weapon to defeat our enemy.”

  “Our enemy? You mean the Krians?”

  “I mean The Bodanya!”

  “No,” said Yol with a firm voice, “you will not harm the boy they call Bodanya.”

  “What do you mean?” asked Thotwa, confused and almost offended. “I have told you of his power! I have explained how dangerous he is! Why won’t you believe me?!”

  “Because you are fooled by prophecy!” Yol shouted. “And even if he is dangerous, which I can hardly believe, it is not his own doing that makes him so. He is merely a child who has been used as a religious symbol for his planet. And since he is nothing but a symbol – a tool – it will do no good for anyone to kill him. Do you understand me, Thotwa? I do not want you to hurt the boy!”

  Thotwa shook his head, confused and defiant. “I do not understand, My Fah, but I will follow your orders nonetheless.”

  “Good,” replied Yol, “because when this war is over, and we are triumphant, I do not want the people to think we are murderers. We may even be able to make peace with The Bodanya… if we can first get rid of the pesky Krians who presently control him.”

  Thotwa wanted to say he did not believe anyone controlled The Bodanya, but he kept it to himself. For the time being, he needed to remain in Yol’s good graces. However, with the holy trident in his hands, Thotwa began imagining a world where he himself had the power of a God, answering to no one but the ancient spirit guiding him to destroy the reincarnation of Adin.

  “Yes, My Fah,” he said slyly, “I understand.”

  “About this weapon you found,” said Yol, “I think it best if you keep it hidden somewhere safe for now. I don’t think an old relic like this should be out in the open. You never know who might try to steal it.”

  Thotwa wasn’t sure what Yol meant by that, but he nodded and bowed in agreement.

  As Yol left the room, Thotwa was about to hide the weapon, as instructed, but was suddenly interrupted by a thundering crack in the sky. It shook the very floor and made Thotwa lose his balance, causing the trident to fall.

  Fearing it had fallen and crashed into fragments of stone, Thotwa raced to the floor to assess the damage. Luckily, the trident seemed in perfect shape, as though nothing had happened.

  “What was that?!” Thotwa heard a servant ask in the hall outside his room.

  “It’s the Krians!” yelled another servant. “They’re attacking us!”

  Thotwa grabbed the trident and threw on his leather battle-vest. He raced down the palace hallways and met Yol at the giant entrance doors.

  “Is it true?” he asked Yol, “Have the Krian ships come?”

  Looking up, Yol saw at least fifty gray ships in the sky and said, “Yes, it’s true. Get your men, and take to the sky!”

  Thotwa nodded and replied, “What about you, my Fah? Where will you be?”

  “I’ll head to my own ship. They wouldn’t dare attack the palace head on, but they’ll trap us with fire, if they can.” Turning to face servants and soldiers alike, he shouted, “Everyone get out now! Tah take to your ships! May fate be with you all!”

  The servants fled with Yol as The Tah soldiers followed orders and ran to their Ohrian built ships. Soon, they were in the sky, facing the Krians one-on-one.

  Thotwa would have followed them, but he knew his fate lay elsewhere. Secretly, he ran t
o the temple where he hoped his trident would thereby come alive, sealing The Bodanya’s doom once and for all.

  What followed was a display of warning shots in the sky. They were like harmless, beautiful fireworks at a festival of lights.

  Yol had just barely made it to his ship unscathed when he heard the doctor calling him over his wrist-communicator. “Yol! What’s happening?! Are we under attack? My aides and I are trying to get out, but the doors have been locked! Where are you? Please respond!”

  Yol sighed and softly replied, “I’m sorry, Lius, but you and your aids must stay in the laboratory at all times. It is absolutely necessary you stay with Pira, no matter what happens. You are her protector now, Doctor. Do you understand?”

  “What?! I’m her what? Yol, listen to me. Pira is not coming back! Her soul has obviously moved on! For Gods' sake, you need to let us out!”

  Yol shook his head and shut off the channel connecting him to Hessen. “What a coward,” he grumbled as he elevated the ship into battle position. Ready to die for his planet and his beliefs, Yol flew into the heart of the Krian ships, sending them an interplanetary frequency of peace.

  Talking into his ship’s communicator, he said, “I address this message to The Prime Minister of Kri, Baran of Raifar. I am willing to disregard your initial attack, and I wish to offer a truce. I do not want a war, Minster Baran. Do you? Please send me the peace signal as well, and let us talk our differences out like civilized men.”

  Yol put down his communicator and waited for a reply. Both Krian and Tah ships waited as well in a momentary air of silence.

  After a few minutes, Yol heard a message being played in an open channel, for all to hear. It was Yol’s voice speaking to Seith about their plans. It revealed their ties to Ohr and even their plans to kill Atlar, and as it played, Yol felt a sinking in the bottom of his stomach.

  “I’m sorry…” came Baran’s deep voice over the communicator, “but I do not make deals with terrorists. Yol Notama, you are hereby ordered to lower your ship and surrender. If you do not, you will be taken into custody and tried for your interplanetary crimes of war. This is your final warning.”