Godling (Kairenz Jistora Book 1)

by Dusks, Rydre

  I honestly wasn't sure what I was going to do or say, but I was certainly ready. With a nod from me, Va'th slammed the grip of his gun against the door handle twice, then kicked the damaged door open ferociously. He was never one to act subtly, even if he was under cover.

  Dentrin jumped up from his chair as the phone slipped from his hand and dropped to the desk surface. He didn't look any different from the last time I'd seen him, although instead of wearing a lab coat over a casual tee, he had on a maroon button-up and slacks. Fitting for his new title as president. What still didn't fit were his weasely features. I angled my Jux toward him as Va'th pointed his own gun at the man.

  Dentrin raised his hands up to display that he was unarmed as a small, nervous smile drifted over his lips. "...What's this?"

  "Don't 'what's this' us," Va'th spat before cocking his gun. "Insidd's ready to have your ass."

  "A resistance?" Dentrin questioned, his eyes moving to me and coasting down my new tailcoat. He almost chuckled. "Is this a sign that the Strejca are finally fighting back?"

  "Dentrin," I started, walking in past Va'th and lowering my gun. Va'th watched me in confusion. "You and I have a little history now. I know you're a sick man, and everything you do is a selfish attempt to use others, but you don't have to subject yourself to Era's every whim."

  Va'th nudged me. "Crow, don't even try reasoning. Really."

  Dentrin circled his desk. He didn't have any place to run to. All that was behind him was a wide window displaying the foggy skies of GreyCross.

  "Crow has every reason to act this way toward me," said Dentrin, his eyes cool as he lowered his arms. "We're at mutual ground, I presume, because I've saved his life twice now."

  That was right--he had. If Dentrin hadn't dropped me in that tank I probably would have died from radiation poisoning. I hated the man, but I needed to know why he wanted to keep me alive.

  "Just how much do you know about the Crei, Dentrin?" I asked. I kept my Jux at the ready in case there was any issue. If Dentrin had any attacks in store, Va'th would be the one in trouble--not me. Dentrin wanted me alive, but there was no guarantee that Va'th wasn't disposable to the man. I stepped in front of the other Strejc to keep him safe.

  Dentrin leaned forward a little, looking a bit animated. He placed his hands flat on his desk. "I don't follow the orders of a greedy machine, Crow. Era only wants to buy, buy, buy. So the more money I make, the bigger my company grows." He shrugged. "It's simple. I'm merely fulfilling the wishes of my dear Crane."

  "So you know more than you let on," I gathered.

  Dentrin loosened up a little. Even though Va'th still had his gun pointed at him, Dentrin sat down on the surface of his desk and grinned. "Crane is going to kill everyone. And since you're here, I assume you know that well enough. He's promised to spare me, though, as long as I help him."

  I gritted my teeth.

  "You wanted the truth? There's the truth. The most powerful god is GaenVrellec. Even you don't have the strength to beat him, Crow."

  So... Dentrin had officially moved from being Sylvain's dog to being Crane's. Crane certainly knew what he was doing, but Dentrin didn’t. Crane had told me he had plans to kill Dentrin. Only a fool would trust an insane lab project. Only Dentrin.

  "You've known I was a god incarnate all along," I stated. "Those brain scans proved there were links in all of us. You found it out, but you never said a word." I didn't wait another moment. "I am IkioElle, and Dentrin, you will no longer taint this city."

  Dentrin only smirked and retaliated with forceful words of his own.

  "As I said, you aren't strong enough. You don't truly believe in your own strength--and you never will since you don't remember who you used to be. Crane told me everything. Instead you ought to be thanking me. I'm the one who planted that prototoxine inside you. I have been assisting the gods this whole time." He chuckled. "Giving you a connection to Sylvain and Crane both was an attempt to group you all together. The prototoxine gives you strength beyond your natural abilities. You can communicate telepathically to Sylvain because of it--Crane lives due to it, and can jump dimensions just like Velzae could, all because of my lab-created solution. It's a magic all on its own. Just think of the power that all the gods would possess if they were pumped full of the stuff." His hand moved close to a monitor on his desk. "The reason so many experiments failed was because I was not allowed access to the gods' souls. It wasn't until I forced the souls to enter the bodies I offered that my experiments began to work. You must understand, Crow, I did it all for your benefit. It was a course of trial and error, but now that we are together again we can survive this apocalypse as a godly family with the support of the most powerful machine on Kairenz--Lozhen Era."

  I gritted my teeth as Dentrin's finger whipped over and pushed a button on the small device. Va'th pulled his trigger. The bullet slammed into the monitor and buried itself into the wood underneath. Dentrin flinched violently from the sound in the closed in space.

  "No help, doctor," Va'th spoke up before licking his pointed teeth.

  Dentrin shook his head and grinned again, already over his surprise. "A little too late, Kaliqaiah. That emergency button calls all guards to the top Zone immediately."

  I glanced back at the door.

  "They'll be scaling the emergency exit and riding the elevator by the time you make it out to the hall," Dentrin noted. "Whether you do anything to me or not, you're both cornered."

  I glanced at Va'th, who returned the look with one of "what do we do now?"

  Sylvain, do you have the guards? I asked. I waited for a few seconds but received no answer. Sylvain, can you hear me?

  I already heard commotion near the elevator at the end of the hall.

  "Crow, you get the door--your Jux will scare them off. I'll keep this rat trapped," Va'th said, keeping his gun pointed at Dentrin.

  I moved around Va'th and stopped at the door, lifting my Jux and keeping it at the ready.

  "Two Strejca against eighty percent of Saydea's security?" Dentrin wondered. "Crow, I'd rather you not die. I need you for the world cleanse."

  I glanced back at the scientist. "But Va'th can die? I'm not your test subject, and I'm not working with Crane."

  Looking back, I watched three security guards leave the elevator toting guns and storming for Dentrin's office.

  "Stop!" I ordered, and pointed my gun toward the wall, firing a warning shot. The bullet hit a steel panel covering a fire extinguisher and ricocheted, exploding in midair. The fragments went further than I hoped, and I felt a couple strike me in the arm. The guards slowed as the first one jerked from the pain of getting struck.

  "Strejc!" one of them called. "Back down, or we will shoot!"

  I didn't need to stall them any longer. The elevator doors opened a second time, and a tall, white-haired man wearing a suit walked in. With a wave of his hand, the guards in front of him collapsed in complete unconsciousness.

  "Velzae..." I breathed, lowering the Jux.

  Velzae stepped over the guards and approached me. His face was serious, and his walk was brisk. His hair was back to being cropped short to his scalp, and he held something long and cylindrical in one hand. I couldn't tell what it was.

  "Kro, step aside, please."

  Before I could react Velzae put his hand to my shoulder and nudged me out from the doorway, walking in and past Va'th. Dentrin stood back up after seeing him. His face brightened considerably.

  "Velzae! You've returned! After years! Are you here to--?"

  Velzae didn't stop walking. He came right up to Dentrin and seized him by the throat, turning around and slamming his back down against the desk. Va'th and I backed up in shock.

  "Doctor, it has certainly been a while," Velzae spoke, his voice riddled with anger and sadness. Dentrin gagged and kicked his legs. His eyes were bright with shock.

  "What are you doing?" I questioned.

  He ignored me and lifted a syringe full of a clear liquid. Dentrin struggled wea
kly under Velzae's grip, but the god was too strong for the weedy scientist.

  "By order of Fathergod SolTansra, you are to be punished for your transgressions, Allan Dentrin. Corrupting gods for the sake of sheer personal gain is a crime against the divine."

  "Wh-What?" Dentrin managed. "Velzae, you should be happy! I-I'm bringing your family together!"

  Velzae jerked Dentrin's head back and stabbed the needle into the base of his skull. The man let out a choked gasp.

  Va'th moved forward, but I grabbed his shoulder to stop him.

  Velzae shot a look over at him, his gaze venomous. "Do not meddle in the affairs of the gods, Va'th Kaliqaiah. Sylvain has you in the palm of his hand."

  I'd never imagined to hear so much fury in Velzae's voice. He looked at me then, and I saw the red-hot anger in his eyes. Something had to have happened to make him look at me in that way. Something that I wasn't aware of, but that I should have been.

  Velzae ripped the syringe out and let go of Dentrin. The scientist sank off the desk and to his knees, trembling head to toe. His face was white with shock as he felt the puncture point at the back of his head.

  "What did you do to him?" Va'th wondered.

  Velzae didn't bother to answer the question. He advanced toward us and jabbed his finger in my chest. "Kro, I have expected better from you."

  I scowled and pushed his hand away. "What are you, my father? Don't talk to me like that. What the hell is going on?"

  Velzae gritted his teeth. "I have been covering up messes made by each and every one of our family--you especially. You've been manipulated beyond what I'm sure you believe. And now you have sided with Sylvain and Crane."

  "Sided?" I repeated. "Who's siding with anyone? Sylvain is caught in a limbo between Crane and this rising resistance. He isn't against Sol. As for Crane, why would I ever choose to side with him? He's trying to kill my son!"

  Velzae only hesitated for a moment before snapping his hand up and pressing it to my head. I flinched, but then witnessed my mind flood with visions.

  Crane seized a hold of Sylvain's face, both of his hands over the sides of the other's head. "What did you tell Crow Hightower about me? What information have you been spilling with that fat mouth of yours?"

  Sylvain whimpered, squeezing his eyes shut from the ferocity of Crane's words. "I-I have not said anything, brother. I only tell Crow and the others what they want to hear."

  Crane growled and shoved Sylvain to the floor of the test lab. "You're lying. You're always lying to me, you filthy traitor."

  "No!" Sylvain protested, scrambling up to cling to Crane. "I don't lie to you! I cannot! You are all that matters to me, brother. You, the love and mercy that you show me, and nothing else. SolTansra and the other gods are my enemies. The world is the enemy."

  Crane stared at him with those vivid eyes for a lengthy moment, reading Sylvain's desperate expression. He wrapped his fingers around Sylvain's head and pulled him into an awkward hug. "You are right. I am simply too paranoid, but I have reason to be. You speak often with Crow, and you know how I feel toward that shoe-licking dog."

  "Of course," Sylvain replied breathlessly, holding tight onto the other. "It is just you and I, Crane."

  Crane looked away from him. "Then if that is how you feel, you will persuade Crow to keep a distance, whatever it takes, until I can kill him. I have a weapon to create."

  Velzae removed his hand from my head, keeping his eyes on mine.

  "No," I argued. "No, Sylvain told me where Crane is going. He said he was going to Ifearor."

  Velzae was breathing hard, trying to hold his temper, or perhaps his anxiety. "While I was tending to Rook, Crane found the Daliq'ehete and captured Stelliot. That was a day ago. I stole a copy of that memory from Sylvain himself. He is feeding you half-truths."

  "What?" I exclaimed. "C-Crane's got Stelliot?"

  "Crane dropped you in Saydea, then immediately retraced your steps to the Daliq'ehete headquarters in Santiq. Tienny asked me for help with Rook. By the time I picked up on what Crane was doing it was too late. I cannot go after him on my own right now. His power is much too strong, and he's slipped through the physical realm into one I cannot access without endangering myself."

  "Tragedy..." Va'th spoke up. "Are the Daliq'ehete alright?"

  Velzae turned his attention to the other. "They are alright, yes, albeit a little stunned by Crane's ambush. From what I discovered, they fought to keep him at bay, but eventually had to give in."

  He looked back at me. "Kro, if we are going to retrieve your son safely and save this planet, I need to take you back to southern Iason."

  My heart thudded hard against my chest. "Wh... What?"

  He took a deep breath. "Esha. We need to go there. Rook and Tienny haven't left there yet, at least to my knowledge."

  I thought back to the last moments on the streets of Esha before I'd passed out. "Do we need to retrieve them?"

  "Not quite," said Velzae. "Rook told me that you managed to remove corruption from a sun snake. You have more strength than you know, and we are going to work with it for that purpose. The drug Dentrin filled you with some time ago is now affecting your abilities. You can do more than just dish out revenge as a god. You now have strength to rival my own."

  "Why isn't SolTansra helping any?" Va'th suddenly questioned. "You'd think someone so involved in Kairenz would be here to help control his rebellious youngsters."

  Velzae glanced back Dentrin on the floor. The man was in a fit of convulsions, and his skin seemed to be in the process of burning in various areas. His lips were pulled back from his teeth in a silent peal. It was as disturbing as it was satisfying to watch. Velzae answered apathetically after a second or two. "The Fathergod cannot come here. His duties are centered in another dimension. He is fighting a war, too. As omniscient and powerful as he is, Kairenzi have ruined this planet, and it is up to the Kairenzi, with the assistance of the divine children, to fix the mistake."

  He took a step toward the door. "Kro, you need to come with me. Va'th, speak to the Strejca and have them secure Saydea. Dentrin needs to be confined before the prototoxine I injected him with gets him too ill."

  21

  Godly Mission

  After saying a quick goodbye to Va'th, Velzae ushered me out back into the hall and past the unconscious guards.

  "What do sun snakes have to do with stopping Crane and getting Stelliot back?" I wondered.

  Velzae stopped me before the elevators, turning and facing me. He looked about ready to reply, but the elevator doors opened and distracted him. I looked to my left to see who had arrived on the floor.

  The newcomer had blue hair up in a ponytail, and wore a white, cropped jacket over a green tank top with a pack slung over one shoulder. There was no mistaking her, although my mind clouded over for a moment at the sight, simply out of astonishment.

  She stopped in front of Velzae and I, looking from him to me and back. "Well it's only been two years, Crow. You can at least say hello."

  "Blank!" I suddenly exclaimed, and swept her up into my arms, hugging her tightly. I couldn't help myself, even after she squeaked in surprise. She kissed my jaw, and I kissed her lips in response. It felt good to be so close to her again. I took in everything about her, feeling so grateful that she was alright. For a moment my concerns around me, and Siyari, faded away as I focused all my attention on the girl in my arms. I missed her a lot more than I thought I did.

  "I missed you too," she whispered as I kept my arms around her. I kissed her long and hard after that. Feeling her lips on mine was the first sign of reassurance I'd had since I'd left her in Roavo. All my worries of leaving her behind with her abusive father and guards, promising to come back and then disappearing afterwards... they vanished in that moment. Knowing that she was just as excited to see me again delighted me. I wondered what she'd been up to for the two years I'd missed.

  Velzae cleared his throat. I broke away from her, getting the signal, and left my arm around her wa
ist to turn back toward the him.

  "Blank, good timing," Velzae greeted in a clear-cut manner. He changed subjects quickly. "Crow, I will need to take you to Iason immediately. Blank, please assist Va'th in securing Saydea and Allan Dentrin."

  Blank closed her hand tightly around mine. "Are you serious? I'm not doing that! I just reunited with the man who changed my life in Roavo. What makes you think I'm going to leave him again?"

  Despite all the bad happening around me, I stifled a snort, only to be answered with a glare from Blank.

  Velzae's eyes showed protest before he even spoke. "I understand you have feelings for Crow, but matters need to be addressed before--"

  I tugged myself back into clarity and cut him off. "Velzae. Let her come with me. I want this as much as she does."

  He sighed. "I cannot transport two people through dimensions with me at the same time. And if I transport the two of you individually, I will not have time to handle the situation alongside you."

  "So we'll take Siivash," I stated.

  "The dragon I gave you is still in southern Iason, Kro. It didn't follow you back here. It cannot track people who teleport, and Crane passed through dimensions to get you here."

  I felt my heart sink.

  "However," Velzae continued, "if you badly want to take Blank with you, I can arrange you transport on Rook's hovercycle."

  "It's my hovercycle," I corrected. "And how am I supposed to get through the city walls?"

  Blank answered before Velzae could. "I'll get us out."

  I looked at her in confusion, but she only returned the look with a wily grin.

  "But be aware, Kro," Velzae continued. "You will be traveling back through a land that almost killed you. It's best to take precautions this time lest you find yourself in the same state."

  "Well what do you suggest?" I asked.

  Velzae raised his white eyebrows. "Don't fall into any glowing swamps."

  The shiny white mode of transportation rested on its stand just outside Saydea in the parking lot. Blank and I eyed it for different reasons.