by Jasmine Walt
“So, what have you decided?”
Rai rubs the back of his neck. “You know this is our last chance. This is the time to speak up, if we have any doubts.”
“Else hold our words forever,” agrees Yudi.
“We are together, for better or worse. Is anything stopping us?” asks Rai.
Yudi does not hesitate. “I am in. This is how I change the course of my destiny, so why not?”
They both look at Tiina, who bursts out, “Okay! Okay! I am not thrilled. I would do anything else rather than spend more time with him.” She nods toward Yudi. “But I don’t want to be the one who calls this mission to a halt. So I suppose I don’t have a choice.” For a second, she thinks about it. “I am in, but on one condition.”
A frown crosses Yudi’s lips. “What is it?”
“One false move, one wrong word from you, and I am out.”
He nods slowly.
Not convinced, she says again, “You get me? Just try not to get in my way.”
“Don’t get in your way! I get it!”
When he glowers at her, Tiina feels a lot better.
“What about you, Rai?” she asks. “Why are you doing this?
“For a long time, I wondered why I didn’t feel comfortable in any place. I wandered the entire galaxy, and never found a space that felt like home. And then…,” he pauses and turns to them, his brown eyes piercing and warm, “and then it dawned on me. It isn’t the place. It is the people that make it feel like home. I found the two of you at Arkana, and for the first time, I felt I belonged. It was as if…” He struggles for a word to describe how he felt then. “As if I were whole again, you know? I was safe, and could just be myself with both of you. I did not have to pretend anymore. If I could only hold onto that feeling forever, well, then I would die happy.”
“That was from the heart, Rai,” says Tiina. “Almost poetic.”
Yudi asks, “The words, you mean?”
“No, the feelings.” More than he would know, they struck a chord in her heart. Blinking back the sudden tears that spring unbidden in her eyes, she clears her throat and says in a husky voice, “So that settles it then. We are all in then Mimir.”
“Great!” exclaims Yudi. “Shall we leave?”
“Hang on. Do we even know where to start?” Her brow pinches.
Mimir eyes them. “You will be guided every step of the way. When you need me most, I will be there. Just follow your instincts to find the way.”
“Where do we begin?”
“Never a better place than the beginning. See where it takes you.”
It’s not the answer she wanted to hear, and she presses him further. “Mimir, you are a true-words wizard, but give us a clue, a direction—something to go on.”
“You are too impatient, Tiina.” He hesitates before giving in. “Okay then, I’ll make it a little easier for you. You have to find the Eye-Mountain first, then get to the summit where you will find the lake. This is no ordinary lake, though; it is the Gateway to the Other Side. Once you cross, you will be on Saturn, where you will find Shaitan and the Isthmus.”
“Uh! That sounds easy,” says Yudi.
Too easy, she thinks, unconvinced. “What’s the catch?”
“Aha! Well you will face challenges, and let’s say some…interesting situations on the way. However, know this—reach there, you will. So don’t give up!”
“So we’ll make it in one piece?”
“Much improved for the experience,” agrees Mimir.
“Much wiser, no doubt?” asks Rai.
“All you have to do is cross over to the Other Side, then follow the signs to your destination.”
“Is that all you have for us? Not much to go on, then, is it?”
“You are as mortal or as invincible as you feel, Yudi.”
“So how do we get to the Eye-Mountain? I suppose we can always teleport.”
“Aha! Teleporting is too lonely a way to travel, and the distance is too great anyway. You have to travel as a group, or you will fail and Shaitan will destroy all. Besides, you need to get to know each other better on the journey.” Delight warms his wrinkled face. “Won’t that be fun?”
Tiina mutters under her breath, “Yeah, that’s just awesome!”
“What was that Tiina?” Mimir sounds innocent enough.
Damn, he may be ancient, but his hearing is as sharp as a fox. I bet he is just as sly too. “No I was just saying…ahem…you know, at least tell us how we can enhance our strength. How do we face Shaitan’s power?”
“With our bare hands?” ventures Yudi.
The old guardian walks up to him and holds up his palm. “There’s more power in your hand than in the entire universe.”
“What do you mean? How can I possibly have more power than everything and everyone in the world put together?”
“The energy of intent can move a thousand mountains. Yet given your doubts, here are a few real props to shore up your confidence.”
They follow him to the docking station and through a group of panels that melt away, and step into the control room of a spaceship. “Welcome to Artemis.” Mimir spreads his arms toward the deck.
In response, the walls promptly dissolve and change shape.
“This is more than a ship, I warn you. This is the only shape-shifting travel device in the entire galaxy. She is alive, real, and quite responsive, as you are going to find out very soon.”
Tiina places her palms on one of the two driving pods. A grin spreads across her lips as warmth seeps from the wall into her hands. “I can sense her; she’s an incredibly optimistic and adventurous soul.”
In response, the lights of the ship brighten a shade, taking on a rose-tinted hue. The panel in front of Tiina illuminates and glows in shades of blue and violet and the headlights switch on, lighting the way.
Yudi nudges her. “You said the right thing, obviously. Artemis sure seems ecstatic.”
When Artemis settles down, her shape is sleeker, like a powerful streamlined bullet. The nose of the ship extends out, as if to pass right through any obstacles; the sides are tapered with flowing, arching wings that fold over like a crane’s when not in flight, and she has an extended tail. Artemis is as slim as a silver snake on the exterior, yet spacious enough on the inside that they have enough room not to get in each other’s way.
The trio gape in amazement.
It is as if Artemis has no self-imposed barriers. Tiina admires her sheer fluidity and freedom to do as she pleases, her ability to take on whatever shape she chooses, to go where she wants. A thrill runs through her as Tiina recognises a kindred soul. A free spirit.
“Wow!” she gasps. “That was impressive. I do believe my doubts are receding. So with such a fast machine, why not just fly to Saturn, and go straight for the Isthmus?”
“Now, here’s the thing. The way through the Eye-Mountain is a shortcut not known to many. This way you’ll get to Saturn in half the time it would have taken if you were to use a spaceship, but as amazing as Artemis is, she can’t fly through this lake, at least not on the way to the Isthmus. So you’ll have to do it the old fashioned way. Walk up the Eye-Mountain, find the lake, and go through the gateway. If you do that, you will actually reach Saturn.”
Yudi stops fiddling with the controls of the ship and cocks his head to the side. “Wait a minute. You said she can’t fly through the lake, at least not on the way to the Isthmus, but once we have the Isthmus?”
“Once you retrieve the Isthmus, she’ll find you and bring you back.”
“How will she find us?”
“Trust me, Yudi!”
Hearing the impatience in Mimir’s voice, Tiina nudges her former boyfriend.
Mimir places his hand on the wall closest to him. “Artemis, guide these three to their destiny. Protect them, but first, take them to the essence, the Elixir of Half Lives.”
In response, the walls dissolve again and the ship changes shape once more. For a few seconds, they are surrounded by
shifting beams of light, some of which seem to have travelled many light-years, like other energies of many frequencies all focus right in this space and time to bring a massive boost to the moment.
“The Elixir?” Yudi turns to their old friend.
“That is my final gift to the three of you. Once you drink from the Elixir, its powers will guard you long enough to get you past Shaitan’s army and to the Ishtmus. And its effects will last long enough to see you back home.”
“That’s amazing, Mimir!” They might make it through the mission.
“Remember, you must drink of it; if you don’t, you may well not fulfil your purpose.”
Yudi rubs his chin. “I thought just the three of us coming together was enough to help in completing the mission!”
“That is the minimum!”
“Well.” Rai rests a hand on Yudi’s shoulder. “Guess we’ll have some fun along the way, at least.”
“And that’s important. For when the adventure is over and you reflect upon it, you will regret that you did not make the most of every minute you spent during it.”
A calming vibration runs through the machine and Tiina leans against one of Artemis’ walls, enjoying the sensation. “It is always easier to laugh in hindsight. No?”
“That is why you are half human; you still have faults. Enjoy them, for this is what the gods envy.”
“So, if we already share their faults, is there any difference between us and purebred humans?”
“Your lifespan; most humans live to a hundred years. Half lives live much shorter lives. You tend to age faster as you grow older, and many of you will not live past fifty.”
“Is that good?”
“It is, Tiina; it gives you half lives a sense of urgency, so that you pack a lot more into your existence. In fact, you experience emotions much more intensely.”
“I’ve always hated that. It is exhausting, feeling all those ups and downs.”
Just as Rai is about to speak, Yudi interrupts him. “So if we get the Elixir of Half Lives, then will we make it through alive?”
A hint of impatience lights Mimir’s eyes. “There are no guarantees, Yudi.”
“But you are God, or close enough, right?”
“Am I?”
“But, aren’t you immortal?”
“I am…almost.”
“Tell us more Mimir, please.”
“Even spirits are not immortal. Sure, we lead very long lives, centuries more than humans, but each of us has a weak spot. An Achilles heel, as the humans on Earth would say.”
“What is your Achilles heel? Go on Mimir, you can’t come this far and not tell us everything.”
Mimir hesitates, his lips pulling into a frown. “Well, I hold the secret of my life at the base of my neck. If I were to be pierced there by a weapon, I would probably die.”
“Probably? So you don’t know?”
“I haven’t tried it yet, Yudi.”
She giggles at the expression on Yudi’s face, and before he can ask anything else, she interrupts. Rarely does Mimir get irritated, and on this occasion, he has been pushed to the brink of his infinite patience.
Not a shred of common sense in this one. This is one half life who will never grow up. “Let’s go, Yudi. I am sure we will find out more in good time.”
“When you are ready, we will speak again, and I hope you will have more to tell me from your experiences.” Under his breath he adds, “About your Achilles heel, perhaps.”
Taking that as a sign that they were dismissed, she gets into the main driving pod of the spaceship. In response to her imperceptible signal, Rai takes his place at the parallel driving pod. They turn to their companion, and with a resigned groan, Yudi sits in the pod behind the two of them.
She turns to Mimir. “When will we see you again?”
“At the appropriate juncture.” He gives them a familiar all-knowing, all-seeing smile and raises his hands in farewell.
“Where to?” Rai asks her.
“Plot a course for the Eye-Mountain!”
She shakes her head. “No, Yudi. First stop, the Elixir.”
Rai slides the lever forward, and they prepare to take off.
3
Ka Surya, 2990
An intermittent shining in the distance catches his eye. Thinking it is perhaps a piece of jewellery belonging to the royal family, he goes toward the light.
It leaps at him right from the bushes; a snarling lion club. Athira draws back, whipping his sword out from its scabbard. They stare at each other, the lion cub and the sword master. The cub quiets and cocks its head to the right, as if listening to some sound in the distance. Then, purring, settles back on its haunches and licks its feet.
The sudden change in its attitude surprises Athira. He cautiously sheaths his sword and approaches the animal before patting it on the head with a quaking hand. The lion cub looks up; its unblinking brown eyes lock with Athira’s blue ones. It gets back on its feet and, turning around, walks into the bushes. Athira follows the animal into the undergrowth, his hand gripping the dagger sheathed at his hip. A brilliant light reflects straight into his eyes and he is blinded for a second.
When it clears, he spots the lion cub just ahead. It circles a child and settles down next to it, licking a paw and waiting.
In form and feature, he looks so royal, thinks Athira of the baby wrapped in the bright orange cloth.
Athira approaches with caution, realising that what he saw earlier was the glow reflecting off the child wrapped in a golden cloth. As he picks up the child, the cloth falls aside and reveals a birthmark over his left hip. Strange. He runs his fingers over the mark. It is familiar, yet he is unable to place it.
The infant yawns and smiles in his arms, and its indigo eyes gaze up at Athira. It snuggles into his arms, yawns again and, after closing its eyes, falls asleep peacefully.
Athira takes the baby back home with the lion cub in tow, which purrs as it follows him. The boy is named Yudi, after Yudishtra, the righteous one, the one who never lies.
Yudi grows up in the shadow of the enormous palace of Ka Surya with his companion, the cub. The lion cub and Yudi are inseparable and are firm playmates; two bodies, one soul, laughing, rolling together in the first blush of childhood, gawking at the universe.
Yudi grows fast, shooting up like a tall sunflower, but Athira notices that the cub stays the same. The realisation dawns on him that the lion cub is not ordinary by any means. The cub is divine in some form, blessed by something from beyond this realm.
“Perhaps it has been sent just to see the boy to me,” he considers.
With Yudi safe, Athira wonders how long the cub will stay. His answer is not long in coming. On the day Yudi turns five, the lion cub disappears. The two of them are playing together by the waves on the beach. They are flush with the joy of youth. Caught up in the exuberance of life, they surf the crest and are unaware of their surroundings. It is then that the lion cub comes to a standstill, looking into the distance as if it has sensed something. Then, its chest heaving with exertion, it turns to Yudi with those special melting brown eyes, as if engaging in a conversation from which there is no return.
Abruptly, it turns around and paddles out into the sea. The cub jumps over the waves and swims out, further and further, appearing first like a dolphin, then fading to a speck in the distance.
Yudi watches the cub, at first enjoying the sense of freedom, then it hits him that his friend is not coming back. It is the first loss of his young life and Yudi takes it to heart.
While the child experiences such pain, Athira tries to comfort him. Yet somewhere in the back of his mind, he notes that his son grieves in a very adult manner. He would have expected his young boy to throw a tantrum and be done with it, but he does not.
Instead, Yudi indulges in a flurry of activity; climbing walls, fighting imaginary dragons, bouncing around from room to room in the house, the garden, and the mountains, trying to surf the waves, until, finally, he falls into a c
oma of desperate exhaustion on the sands. Nights are spent on the beach looking up at the shadowy sky, which turns to day as the sunrise paints the heavens red.
His soothing words are like silken cream poured to cover his child from head-to-toe, but Yudi just slithers away, crying harder as he does so. Stuffed toys remain untouched.
When Athira tries a headstand to get his attention, Yudi exclaims, “Dad! I knew yoga long before you were born!”
“Really?” his father asks, happy to have at least distracted him a little. “How is that?”
“Just do. Just like I know this.” He takes Athira’s bow and arrow, aims at a bird flying in the distance, then lets loose and brings the bird down. He hands the weapon back to his dumbstruck father.
This only confirms that Yudi is not going to stay for very long, either.
“He is going to leave, just like the lion cub.” It lends his fatherly heart an edge of desperation. He cannot avoid that which has been staring him in the face for so long.
Since first finding the child, he suspected Yudi had illustrious lineage, but he had assumed he was an illegitimate son of someone related to the royal family of Ka Surya. Then, something he had never thought of comes to mind.
“What if, what if…he is actually the boy Shaitan is searching for?” It is the only thing to explain why his sudden appearance coincided with the worldwide hunt for little boys born around the time Yudi was found.
News of Shaitan’s cruel hunt of newborn boys had reached Ka Surya around the time that he had found Yudi, yet he never really thought to make the connection until now. Perhaps Yudi is related to the most powerful, the most evil man in the galaxy. Athira does not want to believe it, yet it seems inevitable.
The unusual birthmark on Yudi’s skin could be proof. When Yudi was an infant, Athira spent many hours gazing at the mark, wondering what to make of it. Over the years, the anxiety has faded into a corner of his mind. A scar to be worried about sometimes, but not something he carries around with him.