by S. G. Basu
48: Blood, Sweat, and Tears
It was morning again even before Maia could catch a wink of sleep. Their nighttime adventure was like a sleeping potion; Ren was barely awake at his desk the following day. Everyone took turns to keep an eye on him so he would not doze off and fall from his seat. Maia and Dani struggled to keep awake as well. Nafi continued to be distracted. She had carried one of her fat books into the RC and read through breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Kusha was the only one whose senses were properly functional, and he volunteered to put extra effort into building everyone’s micro-converters. Ren, Nafi, and Maia heartily agreed to the proposal, but as was expected, Dani politely declined.
It was the same drill every day—a sleepy Maia and Dani, a barely alive Ren, a distracted Nafi, and a particularly wary Kusha herding the bunch around the place. Jiri, along with a couple of worthy assistants he had procured to help the cause of making the race fair, came by with a set of rules one fine morning. Everyone, including Loriine, Ren, and their teams gathered around him. Jiri read out the rules in a brassy voice worthy of a leader.
1. The race will comprise of three rounds in the Convolhydrae.
2. The race will end as soon as the first rider emerges from the gate.
3. The final score will be based on how quickly a rider is able to complete the rounds, as well as the number of activators a rider manages to touch.
4. A rider who falls off his/her ride will be immediately disqualified.
5. Any attempts to cause harm to each other or each other’s rides will result in immediate disqualification.
“Questions?” Jiri asked, looking from Loriine to Ren and back again. Ren, for the most part, was too sleepy to comprehend the goings-on. He simply nodded, and Loriine did not seem to mind any of the rules.
“All right then and good luck,” Jiri said, and the crowd dispersed. It was back to the sleepy grind again after that.
On the training front, Ren made progress every day. But it was not until the fifth day that Maia spotted a tremendous change in his style. They had been practicing a routine set of twists and turns that Siobah had drawn up, mimicking the layout of the Convolhydrae. Not only had Ren remembered all the turns quite well, but he seemed to glide and soar with Chylomyhrra. Even before Dani could shout out the directions or warnings to him, Ren cruised through, stopping briefly at the spots that were marked as the activator simulation points. It took Dani by surprise, and Siobah looked a little amazed as well. The customary three rounds looked half as difficult as it usually did, and when Ren emerged out of the water hole, prepared to face the usual ranting and raving Siobah, he was greeted with a warm smile instead.
“You’ve done well, boy,” Siobah laughed and thumped Ren appreciatively on the shoulders. “I’m quite happy. You should go and rest now, get a good night’s sleep before we do the final trials tomorrow.”
The trio had a spring to their steps as they rushed back to their dorms. Siobah was definitely very difficult to please, and her show of approval was a thing to cherish. Suddenly, winning the race seemed like a possibility.
A strange sight met their eyes as they got off the elevator on the 500th. It was Nafi, pacing the floor like a mad scientist, deep in thought, muttering to herself. She did not even glance in the direction of the trio as they approached her.
“Hey,” Ren whispered, careful not to startle the obviously preoccupied girl.
As hard as he had tried, she was still taken by surprise. She jumped and stared with her mouth agape before heaving a sigh of relief.
“You’re back,” she grinned happily. “How was it today?”
“Good, it was fantastic actually.” Ren went on to recount all that had happened at practice, Siobah’s approval, and his own joy.
“What are you doing here?” Dani asked.
“Oh, I’m trying to get some fresh air, that’s all,” Nafi explained. “I was tired of sitting alone in the dorm with nothing to do.”
“Whatever happened to reading those books?” Maia asked. “And why were you alone? What about Anja and the two loons?”
“I’m done reading,” Nafi declared before hastily changing the topic. “And the girls and the boys have gone shopping. Bones took them out on a sight-seeing tour.”
“A tour?” Ren exclaimed. “And what about us?”
“Just be happy that Bones didn’t ask why you three were missing in the first place,” Nafi offered a sensible reminder. “And don’t worry about it; I don’t think it was much. Kusha jumped at the idea though, took off with Jiri and his team like a rabbit.”
“That boy seems to be getting very friendly with Anja,” Nafi added after a meditative pause. “Oh well, they should be back anytime now. You want to wait for them?”
They huddled together at their usual corner in the atrium and chatted about the upcoming race, the impending final challenge, and the various tasks that remained to be completed.
The tourists returned after a while. A wave of laughter and chatter floated across the floor as the groups disembarked from the elevator. Kusha, along with Jiri and his teammates, was the first to come around the corner. They must have been discussing something silly, as Kusha, Luem, and Anja were laughing their heads off. Maia noted how happy Anja looked, wondering if there was indeed reason to believe Nafi’s comment had some weight. As soon as Kusha saw his teammates, he waved a quick good-bye to Anja and Luem.
“Hey, you guys.” He sat down next to Nafi. “Is everything fine?”
“Yes, all is good with us,” Maia replied. “Did you have a lot of fun?”
“Yes, as a matter of fact I did.” Kusha turned around to cast a quick glance in the direction of the stairs where Jiri and his friends were still laughing on their way up to the dorms. “I’m glad I decided to go out with them.”
Maia was about to ask more about the trip, but Ren beat her to it.
“And what exactly did you do?”
Kusha shrugged. “We walked around the shops. Aerika took us to this fancy place for iced cones and that’s it.”
“That’s it? You seemed to have more going on than just that.” Ren did not look the least bit convinced at Kusha’s description of the outing.
Kusha stared curiously at Ren for a while before he flushed and turned on a serious face.
“You’re right. The real reason for going on this trip was something else,” he confessed. “I wanted to take a look at Keif and Zeiss.”
The name sounded vaguely familiar, but Maia could not quite remember where she had heard it.
“Remember the place Miir, Amanii, and that creepy Remii was talking about?” Kusha reminded. “Where they were hoping to find something? Something that we assumed could be the heart the Sedara?”
Maia remembered now. She nodded eagerly, as did Ren and Nafi.
“Turns out it was the biggest and oldest antique shop in Zagran,” Kusha said in a low voice. “And listen to this, yet another strange and unusual fire destroyed it last week. All that remains now is the metal frame of the shop . . . all the rest is gone. Gutted.”
“Fire again?” Dani exclaimed, her voice sounded faint. “Why would anyone do such a thing?”
Ren sighed; it seemed like he wanted to say something, but Nafi burst out.
“Now, don’t start again.” She shook her head at Ren. “This has been going on forever now. Hooded masked figures with whip swords and strange fires in places . . . it has to be somehow connected to those Xifarian thugs that attacked the Stabilator.”
“Why do you always have to fight?” Ren retorted angrily. “I was going to say that I’m now sure people from Xif are behind it. I might be sad to admit it, but I can hardly deny it anymore.”
“Sorry,” Nafi said, busily studying her fingernails.
“But why would they set fires?” Dani asked.
“I thought a lot about it. It must be the Trial by Fire,” Ren said simply. He looked away from them, a distant gloominess clouding his eyes. “This is the only obvious way to locate the Caps
ule. The heart of the Sedara is indestructible. It can be broken into pieces, but it’ll never die unless it decides to die. If anything were to survive a fire, it would only be something that contains either the core or the chalice or both.”
A brief silence settled in before Nafi spoke, very gently this time.
“So they’re setting fires to anything that they suspect might house the Capsule?”
Ren nodded, still avoiding looking at anyone. “And this can’t be some ordinary fire either,” he added. “This has to be Tenhihula’s Fire.”
“Ten . . . what now?” Nafi blurted.
“It’s a special fire used to mold and shape L’miere crystals. If anything can survive its intense, super-heated flames, it would be something as miraculous and powerful as the heart of the Sedara.”
“Can anyone start such a fire?” Maia asked.
“The process of igniting a Tenhihula’s fire is a top military secret, shouldn’t be known outside a select few—”
“Like people at the XDA? The chancellor? Top brass at the SDS, maybe?” Maia’s mind was racing.
“Something like that,” Ren replied. “It can be a dangerous weapon.”
“Weren’t Remii and the gang talking about a weapon the other night?” Maia pondered aloud. Everything was starting to make sense suddenly. “Maybe this was it.”
“That’s possible. Tenhihula’s fire can get very hard to contain, spreads too swiftly.”
“Maybe that’s why these fires are not being detected by our systems in time,” Dani inferred.
Ren simply shrugged.
“You think they found the shard at Keif and Zeiss? We never even got a chance to look for it.” Maia recalled what Ren had said a long time ago—there was little likelihood that a few kids like them could beat a nation in this search. But she did not want to lose hope, not just yet. “But there should be more shards out there. We need to find—”
“How, Maia?” Kusha cut her off. “Let’s face it. There’s no way we’ll ever know how many pieces the Capsule or its contents were broken into, or where they were hidden. The only one who could’ve known for sure was your mother.”
This time the quiet stretched longer. Maia gasped for some air—it was getting difficult to breathe. It was hard to accept that her hands were tied; there was nothing she could do to stop the Xifarians. Here they were, spending time in these mindless games, while the Xifarians were plotting to end their world. For a moment Maia wished that she had not known, at least she would have spent her last days in blissful ignorance.
But now . . .
They would have sat there in silence forever had it not been for Dani. She rose to her feet and nudged Ren.
“You have to get some rest,” she asserted. “We have only one more day before the race, and you need some sleep.”
The whole gang walked quietly back to the dorms. A gloom was weighing heavily on Maia’s mind. Something that she could not quite place her finger on kept bothering her. It was something in the conversation they had just had, something strange, out of place. Lying in her bed, Maia wanted to go over their chat in her mind, but sleep overtook her senses far too soon.
***
The day that followed, however, was once again too busy to keep Maia and her teammates from worrying about anything but their present situation.
On their final practice with Siobah, the whole group slinked in much to the irritation of the old woman. And Ren had a terrible run. Not a single thing went right. Even the simplest of maneuvers ended in crashes, bumps, and bruises. Siobah stopped it quickly and called Ren in.
“I think we’re being a little nervous here,” she told the shivering and shaking boy. “It would be a better idea if you just relaxed a little. Try not to think too much about it.”
With those words, and a couple of reassuring pats, she sent the team back to the 500th.
49: The Wrath of Bones
Relaxing was easier said than done. As hard as everyone tried to put on a happy face to keep Ren cheerful, he remained morose and sullen. The misery carried over into the following day—the day the race was set to happen. He was droopy-mouthed in the morning, and he grew restless by the moment as Dill’s session drew nearer.
An excited and chattering crowd was already gathered inside the observation room near the Convolhydrae when Core 21 walked in. People were talking among themselves; some were arguing about who had the better chance of winning, while others were busy analyzing the racetrack. Jiri stood at the center of the room with his two assistants; next to him stood Loriine and her teammates. On seeing Ren, Jiri scooted over.
“It’s all set. Dill went off for his usual meeting with Aerika.” Jiri’s eyes shone with anticipation. “He won’t be back in a while. He asked us to follow the routine. Let’s get started.”
Soon they were ready to go. Ren plodded forward, his gaze skimming the floor as he followed Loriine to the gate of the Convolhydrae.
“Ren, wait up,” Dani shouted, and rushed to the boy as the door was about to close. She hugged him tight before declaring firmly, “It doesn’t matter if she wins. It’s not like our lives are at stake here, you know. You’re doing this for Chylomyhrra, and you should be very proud that you stood up for her.”
Ren forced a smile as Maia and the rest of the team gathered around.
“Yes, we’ll be proud of you whether you win or lose.” Maia jabbed at his arm playfully.
“We sure will.” Nafi smirked. “This scheme way more decent than the betting rings you used to run at the XDA.”
“Just go and have some fun.” Kusha landed a good-humored punch on Ren’s shoulder.
Ren seemed happier as he walked away, his steps were more confident, his shoulders a bit uplifted. As Loriine and Ren swam out into the Convolhydrae, conversation died down and all eyes inside the observation room focused on the gigantic viewing screen on the wall, beyond which stretched the serpentine waterway.
Loriine and Saem arrived inside the waterway first, followed by Ren and Chylomyhrra. They waited patiently for the starting signal from Jiri and then zoomed out. It started off without much of a tumult, Loriine speeding ahead of Ren as the light flashed a go. Ren and Chylomyhrra got out a little slowly, but they were steady. Saem, the black leathery fish with a spotted tail, glided effortlessly through the waters. Loriine surged forward smoothly, touching one activator after another, not missing a single one. Ren trailed behind, but did not miss any activators either. The swim so far was easy and predictable.
“Two more to go . . .” Nafi let out a long breath as Loriine completed the first lap around the waterway, followed closely by Ren. “He’s doing well.”
“As long as he doesn’t hurt himself,” Dani said pensively.
Inside the Convolhydrae, the pace picked up once the second lap started. Chylomyhrra now tailed Loriine and her ride closely; her snout almost touched the serrated tail of the black fish. She pitched forward and staggered back in a strange rhythm, as if struggling to stop herself from overtaking Loriine. Balanced on her long arms, Ren swung and swerved as they passed the turns, reaching out for the activators as they sped past.
Loriine glanced back at him a few times in this round, looking increasingly uncomfortable as Chylomyhrra inched closer. And then, right before they were about to complete the second lap, Chylomyhrra shot forward. As they approached the last activator in the Convolhydrae, the milk squid rolled upward, arching above Loriine and her ride, allowing Ren enough space to reach the activator that was perched high on the ceiling.
“Yes!” Dani raised her fists up in the air as Ren touched the activator before Loriine did. “Go for it, Chylomyhrra. You can do it, girl.”
“Hold off the celebrations, it’s not over yet,” Karhann, who stood with his fists clenched, snapped.
“Make him shut up, Maia, or I will break his nose,” Nafi whispered.
“Be quiet, Nafi,” Maia whispered back. The race was tense enough, a fight in the viewing chamber was not necessary at all.
> Meanwhile in the waterway, Chylomyhrra glided forward with Ren. She swam faster and faster, head to head with Loriine who clearly struggled to hold on to her pace. With every passing moment, Loriine fell behind. The more she lost, the more erratic her gait became.
“I hope she doesn’t try anything crazy,” Kusha remarked, observing intently. “I jus—”
Right then the unthinkable happened.
As Chylomyhrra surged forward some more, Loriine’s ride reared nervously. For an instant, it seemed Loriine would fall off the back of the black fish, but as a collective gasp of horror rose in the observation room, Loriine balanced herself. In the next moment she raised her fist and struck one of Chylomyhrra’s tentacles.
“No way,” shouted the tall Jjord boy from Core 10. A loud murmur rose and filled the room at the unexpected turn of events.
But nothing had prepared anyone for what happened next. In a swooshing movement of her tentacles, Chylomyhrra flicked the water behind her, sending a strange swirling wave toward Loriine. As the wave hit and swamped over the girl, she staggered, lost her balance, and fell. Chylomyhrra continued, as gracefully as before, with Ren touching every activator on his way to the final point of the race. Shouts of joy filled the observation room as Chylomyhrra emerged through the gates of the Convolhydrae, Ren waving wildly at the viewing chambers.
“This is what happens when you leave them unattended,” The voice was so chilling that the din in the room subsided in a heartbeat. Aerika stood behind them, arms crossed, and Dill stood next to her with his head bowed. Aerika’s eyes were flashing; she stared fixedly at the Convolhydrae where Loriine tried hard to reassure her ride while she wobbled outside. Not a word was spoken in the room until a jubilant Ren and a limping Loriine walked in through the door.
“Follow me, please,” Aerika said to the duo before turning to instruct Dill briefly. “Dismiss the rest for the day.”