by Chris Miller
“It’s not just any seed. What you have been given is the seed of Truth,” Aviad explained. “Pure Truth has the power to preserve, to restore.”
I was starting to get the picture…. Uh, no. Who was I kidding? This mission to pit a seed, with special powers or not, against a Titan seemed ridiculously out of scale.
Aviad hadn’t given up on me yet. “I am sending you to deliver it into the heart of the storm—the heart of your father…if you are willing.”
By now Philan had returned with the saddled Thunderbird, my friend Faith. Two other crewmen handed me a leather helmet and goggles, and assisted me in buckling on a harness. A growing crowd of Codebearers were leaning in now, looking anxiously to me, awaiting my decision. All around, the storm was whipping almost as fast and furious as the questions spinning through my head.
“Where is his heart now?” I asked before a sudden, terrifying inspiration came to me. “The Lifestream…” I whispered. “The Bloodstone’s power is in the Eye’s Lifestream. That’s the heart of the storm, isn’t it?”
Aviad nodded approvingly.
Philan, noting my nervous expression, tried to petition Aviad. “Permission to take his place, sir.”
Aviad shook his head “no.” “The Resistance needs you here, Commander. This seed has been given to Hunter…no on else can carry it.”
Catching my anxious look, Aviad added, “But I never send you alone. Go, Hunter. I have already sent others before you.”
Stepping into the cradled hands Philan offered, I mounted Faith and clipped my harness to her saddle.
“Via, Veritas, Vita!” Philan said, grasping my forearm in a warrior’s grip.
The crew around us echoed his battle call as Aviad looked on. Urged on by their words, Faith took the initiative to hop up onto the Sky Ship’s railing, waiting there for my command.
I looked back over my shoulder at Trista. She smiled supportively and hooked arms with my mom and Emily. They looked so worried and lost, not understanding the full depth of all that was unfolding around them. Even though I felt nervous, I still had the knowledge of the Code of Life to steady me—they were left on their own.
“It’s going to be all right,” I called back to them. “You can trust the Author.” The words were meant as a reminder for me as much as an encouragement for them. After all, I was the one heading straight toward a raging column of supernatural fire—a certain suicide mission if ever there was one. Just how far would this mission to save my father take me? How far had Aviad gone to save me?
Gripping the saddle’s handle, I nudged Faith with my knees and the giant bird launched out over the Void and into the deadly mix of war and storm. I sensed an extra burst of speed behind each flap of her wings as we darted between the Shadow and Codebearer attacks. It was almost as if she already understood the urgency of our mission.
Faith carried me quickly across the Void toward the insatiable fire that consumed what remained of the shards the Titan destroyed. It was in many ways like a black hole, erasing all things from existence and giving nothing in return. To enter the heart of it was certain doom, yet here we were flying straight at it like an ill-fated moth to the flame. I clutched tightly to the vial that held the strange seed, then tucked it into my pocket for safe-keeping. My only consolation was that it might provide some means of escape from the pillar of fire. The purpose of the seed still eluded me, but I knew it had to be planted in the heart of the storm. So, with my destination fixed and my heart in my throat, I guided Faith toward the brilliant flame.
The aerial battle that surrounded us was as thick as the fog in the Void. Over us, beneath us, beside us and before us, the battle raged on in an epic struggle between good and evil. The Codebearer forces continued to strike the Shadow forces down. The Resistance fleet was numerous and strong but the Shadow were putting up a good fight. For every Codebearer Sky Ship, for every Thunderbird that flew into battle, there were as many Gorewings, Treptors and dragons that took to the skies to engage them. Other creatures darkened the bloody sky as well, playing to neither side. There were untamed beasts and massive sky serpents that devoured Codebearer and Shadow forces alike, without discrimination.
As we made our way skillfully through the fray, I began to notice one friend after another, fighting within the Resistance ranks. A squadron of reptilian bird-like creatures carried Noctu warriors, among whom I identified Xaul. Captain Samryee and his cousins, the Thordin brothers, Ven and Zven, were part of another Sky Ship’s crew, catapulting netted missiles into the Shadow ranks, dropping many into the Void.
As I raced by them, one after the other, I took strength in knowing that they were fighting alongside me, even though they didn’t know the mission I was on. I truly was Never Alone.
It was only after catching a glimpse of Stone-Eye Sterling’s Sky Ship, The Bridesmaid, engaged in direct combat with one of these ghastly creatures that I considered breaking from my mission to help. Stoney and his crew were desperately fending off the long beast with flaming harpoons, but the creature threatened to coil around the ship’s balloon and puncture it, if something wasn’t done to destroy the sky serpent quickly. My fears were put to rest when a pair of Thunderbirds swooped in from above and distracted the creature long enough for Stoney and his crew to break free. I couldn’t be entirely sure it was them, but I thought I’d just seen Rob and Kim Bungle, soaring into the midst of the chaos just in time.
How long the distraction would last was anyone’s guess, but it was enough time for me to focus on the task ahead. I had to reach the Lifestream at the center of the storm. Unfortunately, this also meant that I’d have to make it past the monstrous beast undetected. The creature stood guard beside the flaming cyclone, smashing every shard that neared it into hundreds of pieces. So far, three shards had been destroyed…two more were being drawn in toward the blazing fire.
I decided my best bet was to keep low to the ground on one of the shards. I would have to keep out of sight until its attack on the shard was inevitable. At the last minute, while he was focused on the destruction of the shard, we’d fly out of hiding toward the Lifestream. If the Author was with us, I’d pass by unnoticed, just another loose piece of the broken shard.
With my plan set, I lowered myself against Faith’s back and let her dive in a dizzying spin toward the surface of a nearby shard. I didn’t recognize the terrain; it was a land I had yet to explore, a beautiful and lush jungle world, rich with deep foliage and teeming with animal life. What a pity it would soon be erased.
Faith leveled out her descent and dodged through the tangled web of giant banyan trees in search of a place to perch and wait. I failed to notice that we were being followed by a stealthy black dragon and its bloodthirsty rider. Just as Faith approached a broad tree branch for her landing, the leathery wings of the dragon ripped through the air behind us and passed overhead. As it passed, the rider of the dragon jumped free and landed on Faith’s back behind me—Desi.
“You again,” I stared, caught offguard by her abrupt arrival.
“Going somewhere without me?” Desi asked, a challenge in her eyes. Before I knew what to expect, she landed a powerful blow to my chin and knocked me clear off of Faith. The only thing that kept me from falling was a simple leather strap, connecting me by harness to the Thunderbird’s saddle. I dangled upside down, watching helplessly as Faith banked left and right through the twisted jungle. Things were not going as planned.
“Creeee!” Faith warned as she dropped further to her left from the shift in weight. Her wing tips brushed the tops of the trees and even Desi nearly lost her balance. She dropped to her stomach on Faith’s back and hung on for dear life as the massive bird began to adjust its flight in response to my dead weight.
The dragon’s talons lashed out at Faith from behind, determined to bring her down out of the sky. Faith slowed in response and did her best to avoid the dragon’s attacks with well-timed shifts in dire
ction. As the dragon turned around and came back for a second attack, Desi somehow managed to sit upright in the saddle again and began to work at loosening my only remaining lifeline...the leather strap that connected me to Faith.
“Faith, do something!” I shouted, feeling more than a little lightheaded from the ride. As the last of the tether buckle slipped loose, Faith responded with a barrel roll and caught hold of my arms with her feet. Somehow, Desi managed to keep hold of the saddle too while Faith leveled out. For the moment, I was hanging below the Thunderbird and Desi rode above, as the black dragon returned for its second attack. Faith’s taloned toes were busy holding tightly to me, leaving her no way to retaliate. With the odds stacked against us, Faith resorted to dropping below the tree line for cover, hoping to lose the dragon in the maze of trees. She moved quickly through the jungle, the trees a blur of motion beside me. Faith dodged left, then right with masterful navigation. The dragon was too big to follow us and had to settle for watching from above, waiting for another opportunity to strike.
Tree after tree whooshed by in a rush. Faith slowed to make a turn and dropped abruptly, nearly colliding with a low-hanging branch in the process. Something was wrong.
“Cra...Cra...Cree…” the bird gargled above me. I could tell by the sound in her voice that she was choking on something. A second later, I saw why.
“Put us down, you wretched thing!” Desi demanded. Somehow, during the commotion of the chase, Desi had managed to wrap her whip around Faith’s neck and was choking the life from the bird.
“Desi, stop it!” I begged, knowing full well my plea fell on deaf ears.
“Not until this dumb bird lands,” Desi said through gritted teeth, pulling tighter on the fiery whip, which burned into the Thunderbird’s neck. Faith’s grip on my arms weakened as our flight continued.
“Hang on, girl…just don’t let go!” I shouted, staring down past my feet to the forest floor as Faith’s grip on me weakened. Her movement was more erratic now and she seemed to be actually targeting the tree branches instead of trying to avoid them. The maneuver was meant to shake Desi off her back, but it wasn’t working. Desi clung viciously to Faith, her blazing orange whip singeing the beautiful feathers and into the skin beneath them in an attempt to force Faith to the ground. Unable to steer herself, Faith smashed headlong into a tree, losing her grip on me as we spun out of control through the branches.
Tumbling down through the brush and limbs, I fell, until at last my bruised body landed with a dull thud on the muddy jungle floor. The force of the impact knocked the wind out of me and for a moment I lay paralyzed. When I could stand, I stumbled wildly about, searching for my crashed Thunderbird. If any hope remained of getting to the Lifestream before this shard reached the Titan, I would have to move quickly. I needed Faith to be safe and alive. There was no telling what Desi might do to her.
Fighting through the brush, I discovered a small clearing in the trees ahead. When I broke through, I found the magnificent creature I had come to love and cherish laying helpless and unmoving on the ground as Desi casually released the whip from her neck. Her wing was bent unnaturally below her body, broken from the fall. I rushed to Faith’s side, ignoring Desi. I stroked the bristling feathers of Faith’s neck softly as she labored to breathe, but I could tell these would likely be her final breaths. She flinched slightly, and shuddered in pain.
“Easy girl, we’re safe now. You saved me. Everything is going to be okay....”
The words were meant to be a comfort for the bird, but I knew she would not be long in this world. She knew it too. Faith’s sparkling yellow eye stared back with the knowledge of her demise. She nuzzled me with her beak and blinked slowly, accepting what love I could offer through the warmth of my touch. With one final shudder, her body fell limp and her life slipped away.
“It’s your fault, you know,” I heard Desi taunt as I stood beside my fallen friend.
“You!” I growled, clinching my fists and glaring at her. “You did this! You...you murderer!”
Desi smirked at the accusation, a trickle of blood trailing from a cut on her lip. “Don’t kid yourself. Killing her was your idea.”
I glared back at her. What was she suggesting?
“You had already sentenced her to death, taking her on whatever suicide mission you were on,” Desi said. “Or didn’t you realize what you were doing?” She shot a glance up through the trees at the deadly flame of the Lifestream’s funnel, looming ever closer as our shard was sucked in.
“So what? The dumb bird just got what you both had coming a little early,” Desi continued. “Lucky for you, I stopped you before you ended up dead as well.”
As she said this the dark form of her dragon passed by overhead, circling down to land behind her. It looked hungrily at Faith’s limp form. I was thankful Desi grabbed her sharp-fanged creature’s reins.
“Now, come with me before you do something else stupid,” Desi commanded.
“I’m not giving up,” I said firmly, taking a step back from her and drawing my Veritas Sword, “and I’m never going with you!”
A terrifying look of anger flashed across Desi’s face. Before I could even think of how to counter her attack, her blazing whip flew out, wrapped itself around my arm, and yanked me face-first to the rocky ground. The violent fall caused my sword to fly away, clattering across the stoney soil.
“You will come with me!” Desi demanded, dropping her knee painfully into my back, pinning me in place. “I’ve got orders to take you and your family into the Void and I’m not going empty-handed. Tonomis and your father have big plans for your family in their new world—an Author-free world—just like your father always wanted.”
My arm throbbed from the fiery whip’s cut. I grimaced, fighting back the urge to scream.
“What my father wants…” I grunted between labored breaths, “…is not what he needs.”
“Oh, and you have what he needs? Is that what this little mission was about?” Keeping her weight pressed on me, Desi did a quick pat-down, finding the vial in my pocket.
“Ooo, what’s this?” She shook the bottle and laughed wickedly. “Some secret formula? Is this the best your futile Resistance could come up with? And you were willing to go along with it…. You know, you really are pathetic.”
Shoving my face roughly into the ground, Desi stood up, examining the fragile container more closely. I twisted around and looked at her in time to see an evil grin curl across her lips.
“Since you seem to be having a hard time getting the picture....” She threw the vial to the ground and stomped on it. The glass shattered instantly; the tiny seed it had protected lost forever among the slivers. Twisting the toe of her boot into the glass, she ground it down further for added effect.
“It’s over!” Desi said with finality. “You lost. Move on.”
She grabbed my wounded arm roughly, dragging me to my feet. Despite the pain, I couldn’t take my eyes from the shattered vial, the perfect symbol of the Resistance’s fragile hope, now completely destroyed.
“The Author’s days are over…our future is with the Titan now,” Desi added, pointing up through the tree line to the furious red sky darkened by the massive shadow of the Titan. It raised one of the neighboring shards from the sky and brought down its mighty fist. The larger mass of land broke into smaller pieces, which the Titan crushed in its hands. The end was playing out exactly as had been foreseen. What would be the purpose in fighting it? The Titan was in control. Once he destroyed the last of Solandria, he would reign supreme.
That’s when the thought struck me—the conclusion I’d dreaded was all of my own making, fashioned from my fears. The Eye had never shown anything beyond this moment. Though all seemed lost, it wasn’t—not yet. I resolved, once and for all, not to let my fears rule over me. I was a Codebearer, saved by the Author and marked for his purposes, not the Titan’s. I would never give up!
A burning in my chest seemed to strengthen me from within.
“No!” I shouted, wrenching my arm free of Desi’s grip. “My future begins and ends with the Author…. I’m not coming.”
“Enough!” Desi roared in frustration and grabbed for her whip. “I’ll take you back in pieces if I have to!”
I had no weapon beyond my words to even attempt to stop her this time. Instinct kicked in and I ducked, avoiding the burning cord as it lashed high at my shoulders. That didn’t account for her other whip. The second, blue-flamed cord swung at my ankles, catching me off-balance and knocking me down. Twirling the orange whip over her head, Desi brought it down with deadly speed at my face.
It happened so fast, I’m not even sure how I did it, but somehow I managed to catch hold of the fiery whip. It neither burned, nor tore off my skin as I’d expected. My arm was glowing all the way from my hand back to the place on my chest where the mark had been given. I felt supernatural power flowing through me in that moment.
Gripping the whip tighter, I pulled it back with all my strength, wrestling it from her hands. I threw the cruel device away and locked eyes with Desi. Her eyes reflected an expression I’d never seen her wear before—fear.
Unsure of her next move, Desi backed off. As she did, the storm winds seemed to increase, pulling harder at the branches around us. The sound of a sharp crack from a weaker tree, snapping under the strain, broke our stare-down. Desi looked quickly skyward. Our shard was closer than ever to the Titan and the Lifestream was picking up speed dangerously fast, which apparently was enough to settle things in her mind.
“Stick around if you want,” she said, retreating to her dragon, “but dying ain’t my thing.”
In one quick motion she swung herself up into the saddle and dug her heels into the dragon’s scales, shouting her urgent command. The beast snorted then took to the angry skies. Despite its strength and Desi’s screamed threats, the powerful creature was no match for the raging wind above. Its leathery wings flapped mightily, but it succumbed easily to the Lifestream’s current, dragging both dragon and rider straight into the vortex ahead of them. What I hadn’t acknowledged before was deathly clear now. There would be no escape.