The Drellic Saga: Books One, Two and Three

by Mike Marlinski

  Chapter One

  Five billion years later, Drellic Kail was born on the fifth floor, in the north wing of Kail House. Kail House was a large stone mansion, resembling a medieval castle from modern man’s Renaissance period, and was located in a heavily wooded area just outside of Faul City; the capital of the planet, Tyrran.

  Drellic’s mother, Syll Kail, was lying on her back, screaming and writhing in pain upon the dark red heirloom quilt, draped over her long master bed. Her bare legs were spread apart and bent at her knees at the foot of the bed, as a pale, elderly Caucasian man with trembling fingers and a nervous face, dripping with sweat, was standing before her.

  It was the Kail family doctor, who reached out from behind his bloodstained gray rubber apron and took hold of the newborn child, finally exposed to the outside world after receiving one last forceful push from his mother.

  “It’s a boy,” the doctor said softly, as he raised the child high enough for his exhausted mother to see. The infant’s pearl colored skin shimmered in the sunlight, as Syll cried tears of joy upon seeing her son’s face for the first time.

  Syll was an extremely pale Caucasian with delicate cream colored skin and shoulder length brown hair. And while she appeared completely drained of life, it was the normal complexion for the people of that region, at that time.

  Syll struggled to sit up, as a pale, elderly maid dressed in a formal black gown, hurried to her bed side to reposition the stack of pillows behind her head. Syll then leaned back, pressing the pillows against the large wooden headboard. The doctor then placed Drellic back onto the bed and lightly gripped his umbilical cord.

  “Where is his father to cut the cord?” the doctor asked Syll.

  “You know as well as I do that he cannot be bothered,” Syll whispered, still weary from giving birth.

  She glanced over at the long white curtains to her right that separated the master bedroom from the outdoor balcony. The maid scoffed, rolled her eyes and quickly walked towards the curtains as they fluttered in the cool breeze.

  “Asha. Don’t,” Syll rasped to her from the bed.

  “Nonsense,” muttered the maid as she brushed passed the doctor. “He values his name more than his own son. It isn’t right.”

  Asha, the oldest of the maids at Kail House, stormed onto the stone balcony overlooking the maze of bushy trees leading to the Faul City skyline. There, she found Morn Kail, Drellic’s father and chief advisor to the Emperor of Tyrran.

  Morn, an elderly Caucasian man, nearly thirty years older than his wife, was standing at the edge of the balcony, while staring intently at the Faul City skyscrapers on the horizon.

  Startled by Asha’s abrupt entrance, he turned to her, gave her a cold gaze and said, “I asked not to be disturbed.”

  “Oh, I’m so sorry. How foolish of me,” Asha replied sarcastically. “I just thought you might be interested in seeing your newborn son!”

  Morn’s eyes widened with disapproval as he flicked his long gray hair back over his shoulders and approached Asha. His military uniform consisting of a black jacket and matching pants, golden status bars on his shoulders and heavy black combat boots, made him appear even more authoritative and intimidating; the ringed circles, the ancient symbol of unity between Siren and Tyrran, also displayed proudly on his shoulders.

  He stopped inches from her trembling lips and looked down into her frightened face with his chilling green eyes. Morn stood eight and a half feet tall, making him six inches taller than Asha. She then stared up at him, attempting to mask her fear by keeping her own stern look of disapproval intact. But it was of no use. Morn knew all too well that he was feared by all in his house, including his own wife, to a certain extent.

  His pale wrinkled jaw then dropped in front of Asha’s eyes, as his cracked lips parted ways to say, “It was Syll who chose to remain in the dark about Drellic. But I knew his gender, name and destiny, nine months ago. I also knew he would be born perfectly healthy before you even woke up this morning. Do not tell me my business. I’m sure that my heir is in perfect condition and that he will ensure that the Kail name will continue to be synonymous with leadership, long after I am gone.”

  Morn then turned his back on Asha and ordered her to leave him, before returning to the edge of the balcony to continue looking upon the city. Asha was deeply saddened by Morn’s complete lack of interest in Drellic’s first moments in the world, but dutifully returned to Syll’s side in the master bedroom.

  It was the day Morn was scheduled to stand before the Tyrran High Council. The current Emperor of Tyrran was the last of his bloodline, and the council was on the verge of deciding whether or not the Kail name would be the next to govern the planet. Knowing that decades of political ascension through hard work and determination were about to pay off for him, Morn wasn’t about to let Drellic’s birth distract him from his sacred mental preparations.

  Syll resented Morn’s lifestyle from time to time, but knew all too well what she would be undertaking by marrying him. In the end, she always loved him regardless and was proud to be his wife. Syll also believed that political corruption would ensue in the capital, if Morn was not appointed Emperor. This forced her to make a habit of obediently removing herself from his mind’s eye when she knew it was necessary.

  After gazing out at the gleaming Delendra Tower at the center of downtown Faul for several more minutes, Morn quietly retreated back to the stone wall that separated the balcony from the master bedroom. He then crept along the wall and stopped at the long flowing white curtains hanging in the open doorway. Morn then discretely moved one of the curtains to the side, giving him a clear view of his wife holding their newborn son against her chest, while gently rocking him back and forth.

  Drellic’s cries echoed throughout Kail House, sending a chill down Morn’s spine. Morn couldn’t help but be a part of that moment, despite the hypocrisy his actions implied. A single tear streamed down his right cheek, as he remained silent and continued to stay out of sight. He dared not show such emotional frailty, to even his own family, on the day of his appearance in the royal court; or ever for that matter.

  It was early morning in Faul City and Morn was mere hours away from facing the Emperor. His nerves were beginning to paralyze him. His heart rate was increasing, as he began to take short panicky breaths. It was a side of him that he had managed to keep a secret from even Syll for the twenty years they had been husband and wife.

  As he felt himself becoming entranced by his anxiety, amidst being captivated by the sight of his child, he quickly tore himself away from the doorway and returned to the railing at the opposite side of the balcony. He then clung to the cold rusting steel with both hands and returned his gaze to Delendra Tower.

  As his eyes followed the sleek, silver spear-like structure up to its summit, he noticed a bright flickering light that was blinding to look at, as it was just beside the shining sun in the Tyrran sky. The faraway flicker resembling an extinguishing candle, meant that Emperor Xene Covlar had returned.

  On the highest level of Delendra Tower, enclosed one mile above the surface of the planet, was a massive circular platform, lined with tall metal stanchions, that was in a constant state of rapid circular motion.

  The platform functioned as a stabilizer, which confined a miniature singularity within its boundaries; a comparatively tiny tear in space and time.

  The chamber, known as, “The Emperor’s Gate,” was linked via the wormhole, to an identical chamber, atop an identical tower, on the surface of neighboring planet, Siren. In short, it was an inter-dimensional transit system, capable of instantaneously transporting diplomats between the two worlds.

  Covlar’s return meant that Morn’s appearance would be the next item on his list of appointments. He took a deep breath, composed himself, wiped the tears from his face, and authoritatively entered the master bedroom.

  Upon his entry, an abrupt silence fell over the entire house. Even baby Drellic, had instantly stopped c
rying upon seeing his father for the first time. Syll, Drellic, Asha and the family doctor just nervously stared at Morn’s then cold and stern facial expression.

  “It’s time,” Morn said, as he looked into his wife’s eyes.

  She died a little inside at that moment, realizing that Drellic would never be introduced to his father the way she had envisioned it. Nevertheless, Syll remained strong and gave her husband the slightest of nods, indicating that she both understood and supported his actions.

  After that brief, seemingly heartless acknowledgment between the Kails, Morn brushed passed Asha and the doctor without so much as a kind word, or even a glance in their direction. He then left the room and prepared to depart for the city.

  Asha was noticeably offended, but had also become accustomed to Morn’s ways over her many years of service. Realizing that it was impossible to change Morn’s mind about anything, she returned to Syll’s side, as if he had never been there.

  “Why is he called Drellic?” Asha asked Syll, as the doctor stepped away. “It’s such an obsolete name, isn’t it? I thought only angry, belligerent generals in history books went by that name.”

  “It was his grandfather’s name; Morn’s father,” Syll replied. “Morn insisted upon it. Drellic Kail the 1st, was murdered by insurgents on Siren, while under Xull Covlar’s orders; the Emperor’s father. This is why the House of Covlar must be removed from power. The Emperor comes from a long line of warmongers. Had it not been for that bastard family, there would be no insurgency. And when Morn is gone, the name Drellic Kail will finally be inscribed into the throne, though it will have been long overdue.”

  Asha was inspired by the conviction with which Syll spoke, as she proudly held baby Drellic, then wrapped in a light blue swaddling blanket. Syll raised the child close to her face and lightly kissed him on his forehead.

  Drellic hadn’t made a sound since his father had first entered the room. Both Syll and Asha took note of that immediately. They perceived it as a sign that Drellic had inherited a natural respect for Morn; making him an ideal Kail.

  As the mid-afternoon came, Syll left Drellic in Asha’s care, while she slowly made her way to the edge of the stone balcony outside the master bedroom. A loud whirring sound was heard from the trees below. She looked down over the railing to see a bright orange transport, quickly gliding over the winding dirt path that stretched from Kail House all the way to the Faul city limits. It was a small and sleek ship, shaped like a missile with a tiny wing on each side of its hull.

  As it sped off into the distance, a blue haze was left in its wake from the bright energy exhaust emitted from its stern. It was Morn’s shuttle, carrying him to Delendra Tower.

  “Make it all worth it,” Syll coldly whispered to the ship, as it quickly disappeared into the trees. “Make all of this go away.”