by Lyra Shanti
It seemed to Lius as if Ona were saying her last goodbyes. He wasn’t sure what to think, but he planned to be supportive no matter what.
Ona took a deep breath, then stroked Pira’s motionless hand. “Until we meet again, Mother.”
“Ona?” Lius said, confused. “Does this mean…”
“It means I’m letting her go, at least in my mind. I can’t keep returning here anymore, hoping against hope, but… I also can’t end her life. I am saying farewell, though, in my own way, I suppose. Does that make sense?”
“Yes,” Lius said with a nod, “and I think you’re making a wise choice.” He then pat Ona’s back.
Slowly letting go of Pira’s hand, the mournful princess stood to her feet, taking her final leave of her mother.
Following Ona, Lius walked toward the door. As he turned off the light, they both took one last look at the sleeping queen of Kri.
“Goodnight, Mother,” Ona whispered to the dimly lit room.
As she turned to leave, she heard a faint mumbling sound. Confused, Ona turned back around to listen more closely.
“My baby….”
Ona opened her eyes wide in excited shock as she ran to her mother’s side. She couldn’t believe what was happening. Her mother was actually alive and speaking.
Again, Pira faintly muttered, “My baby… my baby, where are you?”
“I’m here!” Ona yelped in tears. “Mother! Mother, I’m here!”
Slowly, Pira opened her hazel-green eyes and looked at her daughter, groggy and dazed. Ona grabbed onto her mother’s hand and firmly stated, “Don’t worry, Mother, I’m here, and I won’t ever leave you.”
Pira slowly smiled, then looked at the doctor who was watching them with tears in his eyes. Turning back to Ona, she whispered, “Yes, my sweet child, I believe you.”
Thank you, Gods, thought Ona, even though she had never before believed in any of them. Thank you for giving her back to me, and I swear, I won’t allow myself to wallow or waste more time. I will find a cure for Plasma Sickness, and I WILL have children! I won’t ever dare give up! This, I swear!”
Chapter 5: Plans in Motion
Kurin Vax sneered at the man bowing low in front of him. If he didn’t still need the pathetic eel for his connections to the Ohrian mafia leaders once in power on Xen, he would have had him exiled, or even killed, long ago.
“Oh, for gill’s sake. Get up, Goral,” said Vax, disgusted by the over-apologetic groveler before him.
“I’m so sorry, Prime Minister,” said the ex-governor of Xen.
“Please stop apologizing,” snapped Vax, “and stand up. Have some pride. Now… answer my questions. Explain to me, step by step, exactly what happened to the new headquarters on Xen, and for pity’s sake, please do not again bring up that story about what The Bodanya supposedly did to you. I couldn’t care less about your burnt home or your hallucinations. Just tell me what really happened and why you were not able to stop The Lirhan from invading our last remaining stronghold on Xen!”
“I’m sorry! I… I can explain, my Lord.”
“I’m waiting…”
“Well,” said Goral Seith, slowly rising to his feet, “you see… we tried to fend them off with our plasma guns, but they had guns as well, as their plasma swords, and… they seemed to have a new version of The Tah on their side as well, and…”
“No, you don’t seem to understand what I am asking, Goral,” Vax coldly replied as he crossed his arms, sitting calmly on his ruling chair. “I am already aware that we are now outnumbered on Xen. I also know our remaining brethren on that planet cannot possibly thrive in plain sight now that the occupation of Deiusian and Krian soldiers outweigh us. However, my question is about how they even knew where to find our secret base. It was purposefully made to be underground - near the old temples in no man’s land… and yet, somehow, those damned Krians found it. I want to know how such a secretive operation was compromised. You were in charge of the flow of trade on Xen, Goral. How did you let this happen?”
Goral swallowed, his gills wide and inflamed with anxiety. “I’m so sorry, my Lord, but we were ambushed and-”
“Enough!” screamed Vax, losing his patience. “If you do not blame your failures on The Bodanya, you blame your bad luck! Yet, the truth remains, Goral, it is your incompetence alone to blame!”
“You’re right, my Lord,” blurted Seith, bowing his head low, “and I will rectify my mistakes, I swear!
Seith had already experienced Vax’s punishment once before when he had lost his mansion. After hours of having his head submerged in water by Vax’s personal guard, which forced him to breathe through his inactive gills, he had no urge to repeat the torture.
“Yes…” said Vax, calm and cool, “I believe you will. In fact, I have a mission for you, and only you, Goral.”
“I am at your disposal, my Lord. What do you wish me to do?”
A slight smile emerged from the prime minister’s thin, opaque lips. He bent down to Seith with his intimidating bone structure on top his head, which appeared like a jagged crown of sharp thorns. He then said, “You see, I realize now, Goral, that you’re not fit to lead. You never were, for your very genetic lineage proves your weakness.” Seith looked up at Vax with fearful eyes. “Oh yes,” Vax continued as he stood up, adjusting his long purple robe, “I dug into your records and found out that you have family living in Tirlen.”
“No!” Seith gasped. “Please, my Lord, let me explain!”
“I am not finished!” Vax scolded. Seith began to tremble as his gills swelled with sense memory of his past torture. “As I was saying,” said Vax with a sneer, “I know you have ancestry that dates back to the Tails, or Tirleni, as they call themselves, and I know you have a few in your family who still carry that gene. Therefore, you are sub-par in your brain, and should never have been allowed to become governor of Xen City. However, I have a mission that is perfect for your… tainted bloodline.”
Seith’s gills became dark red, causing most of his usually black skin to turn a burgundy color. His pride was killing him, but he knew he had to endure it if he wanted to survive.
“I want you to go to your family in Tirlen, and I want you to rekindle their trust. Make them believe that you are done working for The Imperial Order. Claim that you are yearning to return to your ancestor's old religion, even if it is outlawed. Say that you are rebelling… make them believe you. And when you have gained their favor, I want you to help me destroy those Tails once and for all. If you do this, Seith, I will reward you with a new mansion and title. You will be forgiven for your past mistakes, and your dirty bloodline shall be overlooked. However, fail me, and it will be the end of you. Is that understood?”
Seith gulped, his gills still flushing red. “Yes, my Lord,” he quickly replied. “I will not fail you.”
“Good,” said Vax, raising his left brow. “Now, go to Tirlen within the next week or so. Be prepared to be met with skepticism from the Tirleni, but do not let that stop you. As soon as you have gained their trust, we will-”
Vax stopped as his senses told him that someone was coming. Slowly shifting his neck to face the door, his right, violet colored eye stayed on Seith as his left, blueish eye looked at the door.
Walking in without knocking, Zin abruptly declared, “Minister Vax, we need to talk!”
Vax smirked and switched to speaking Uni, the universal language Zin preferred, “Ah, Your Majesty, I wasn’t expecting you. How was your… Deiusian vacation?”
Zin, who had been practicing what to say to Vax all throughout his trip from Deius, felt exceedingly uncomfortable with Seith in the room. Why is HE here? I thought that disgusting eel was in jail for illegal slave trading?
As if he had read Zin’s mind, Vax said, “Your Majesty, I’m sure you know Goral Seith. He was let out of prison a year ago... for good behavior. He has been running small errands for me as a way to earn his place back into The Family, and to prove to our people that he has learned from the err
ors of his ways. Isn’t that right, Goral?”
Seith looked as if he had swallowed a seashell, rendering him speechless.
“I don’t care why he’s here,” Zin stated sharply, “I want him out. I need to speak with you in private, Vax - right this minute.”
Vax nodded politely and then waved his hand, dismissing Seith. “You heard your king,” he added. “I will contact you shortly, Goral. In the meantime, you have your orders.”
Seith bowed, then quickly exited Vax’s study-room. Located on the fortieth floor of the palace, the prime minister of Ohr had placed his personal room one floor beneath the roof so that he could generate the most plasma from the lining of the grand silver and gold structure. Vax was also aware that if he needed to evacuate the palace, he could do so with a jet that was stationed on the roof.
Unlike Zin, who could barely think about what he wanted for his next meal, Vax was a man who liked to prepare for any and all possibilities. However, he was completely thrown by Zin’s sudden appearance.
Shutting the door after Seith’s hasty departure, Vax turned to Zin and bowed. “Please, Your Majesty,” he said as he extended his arm, “make yourself comfortable.”
“No,” Zin curtly replied, “I’m not here for comfort. I’m here to talk with you plainly and truthfully, Vax, and I will not sit, nor be silenced. I am not the boy you used to order around when my father was king, and I will be heard! Is that understood, Prime Minister?”
Vax raised his left brow and said, “Yes, completely, Your Majesty. Let us talk as truthfully as you wish.”
Zin shook back his long braid of fine, silver hair and then folded his arms, doing his best to appear authoritative in front of the calm, ever charming Prime Minister.
“First of all,” Zin said in a rushed, angry tone, “to address the reason I have been away for so long…”
“Your Majesty, no reason is necessary,” said Vax, disarming the young king. “You are entitled to leave at any time for any reason. I assure you, my Lod, I have everything completely under control. There is nothing to worry about.”
Annoyed, Zin went quiet for a few seconds, unable to speak through his silent rage. “Listen to me, Vax,” he growled in a low, serious voice, “you cannot sweet talk me into a false sense of security. I know the truth about you, and I know that everything on Ohr is not under control - or should I say - not under my control. It is, and has been for a long time now, only ever under your control, and you have done everything you can to get rid of those who threaten your power - my mother included!”
Vax slowly shook his head and smiled. “Your majesty,” he replied, “I have no idea what you are talking about. Your mother, I assure you, is in good hands and is getting the best treatment possible for her illness.”
“You took her to The Dome! I know you did! Don’t deny it!”
Raising his left brow, Vax cocked his head, which made his bony crown extend outward and to the right. “The Dome? How do you know of that term?” he calmly asked the young king.
“I know it,” Zin proudly replied, “because I dared to ask the right people about what is really happening on my planet. What I found out is that for years you’ve been hiding away the sick and infected in a giant dome deep under the sea! You do not ask for their permission either! They are simply taken from their friends and families and are never seen or heard from again! What’s worse is that you’ve taken my mother and probably even my beloved Raven! I don’t know exactly why you’ve done this, but what you are doing is illegal, Vax, and I won’t let you get away with it!”
The prime minister grinned and said, “My… what a wild accusation, Your Majesty. But what evidence might you possess that can prove what you claim to be true?”
Wanting to scream, Zin remembered his mentor’s teaching about keeping his anger in check through methods of breathing slowly. Taking a deep breath, Zin pushed away his rage. Calmly, he replied, “I will have proof very soon, Minister. And then you will be sent to jail for life. I hope your daughter will be willing to visit you, even after she finds out what sort of evil man she has for a father.”
Vax barely responded, but his gills turned an orangey-red, showing Zin that his words had indeed punctured Vax’s sore spot: his daughter, Miara.
“Let me tell you how things will be,” said Vax in a condescending tone. “You will smile and wave for your people, giving a speech from your palace window, all about how happy you are to be home, and how you will never leave Ohr for such a long time again. Then, you will apologize to Miara for leaving her only days before your wedding. Finally, you will stay completely out of the affairs of The Dome, or any other secret information within The Family. If you do not, dear Lod Zin, I promise, you will regret it.”
Zin gave a laugh and said, “Believe me, Vax, I already do. But don’t underestimate me. I have my own kind of family, and even at this very moment, they are close to exposing you.”
Now showing his annoyance, Vax snapped, “What are you talking about, boy?”
Zin smiled and said, “Nothing for you to worry about, Minister, but let’s just say that I have friends with powerful connections and your hidden dome won’t be hidden for much longer. Soon, we’ll have all the evidence the High Court, and the whole galaxy, could ask for!”
“In the meantime,” Zin added as he confidently walked toward the door, “I have a meeting with your daughter tonight. We are to discuss our relationship, and I plan on apologizing profusely to her for my sudden departure three years ago. Perhaps, I will be able to make her realize who her father really is, and then you’ll know what it’s like to lose who matters most to you, just as I have.”
Zin was about to leave when Vax said, “Do not threaten me, young king. You will most definitely regret doing so.”
Zin turned around, scowling, and said, “The only thing I regret, Kurin, is that my father allowed you to become so powerful in the first place. If you did not have so many high placed criminals in your “family,” I would have disposed of you the minute I became Lod.”
“You couldn’t have disposed of me if you tried,” Vax sneered, “and you still can’t. The people love me, and they love my daughter. You, however, they no longer trust. No one will listen to you, Zin, and you will find yourself back on Deius, exiled and homeless.”
“You are wrong, Vax. The people will listen to me,” replied Zin, “because I won’t stop until they do!”
Determined and full of spite, Zin swiftly exited. He wasn’t about to let Vax have the last word - not now, not ever again!
--
“I don’t have a choice, Kuva,” she said as she put on her Tah uniform. “They need me… my brother needs me.”
“Of course you have a choice,” said Kuva with a sad brow. “You’re their General, second only to Pei. You don’t have to go. Pei is in charge of this mission, is he not?”
“Yes,” said Fola as she buttoned up her outer jacket, “but Pei needs Sterek and I to find the location of The Dome. Without us, he’ll be lost.”
Kuva shook her head, unwilling to let Fola go. “But…” she softly spoke while reaching for her lover’s hand, “what if I’ll be lost without you?”
Fola smiled, genuinely touched and somewhat amused by Kuva’s devotion. It had taken Fola nearly three years to get past the hurt of Yol’s betrayal, but she had done it with time, and with Kuva’s love. However, she still couldn’t fathom why such a gentle, sweet soul would want someone as hardened and embittered as herself.
Kuva had often assured Fola that when she first saw her at the Sirini Harvest Festival two year ago, she saw a warrior with a deep and beautiful soul, and it made Kuva instantly lose her heart. Unfortunately, Fola couldn’t see what Kuva saw, though she wished she could. When Fola looked in the mirror, she didn’t see beauty, only sadness and strength. She also saw the madness she feared Yol had passed onto her somehow. Keeping his shadow at bay was something Fola had been burdened with ever since his death. She still had nightmares about killing him, and sh
e expected to have them the rest of her life.
There had been no trial for his murder, for everyone, including The Bodanya, believed it necessary to end Yol's life. Kuva had even dismissed Fola's actions, claiming it was a necessary evil, and that Fola should forgive herself, and move on. However, Fola had a tough time letting go. She only knew one thing that helped ease the pain: Kuva.
Her brother helped a little too, though he never spoke of that day, or of Yol. After Hynfir's burial, they never spoke of their childhood; it was just too painful.
“I’ll be fine, Kuva,” said Fola, giving a forced smile. “Don’t worry about me. I’ve survived far worse than looking for some underwater dome on Ohr. I’ll be back before you know it.”
“You better be!” Kuva said with a teasing smirk.
Fola grinned, then gave Kuva a kiss. “I will call you from Ohr.”
“Promise?” said Kuva.
“Promise.”
Fola then gently pulled away from Kuva’s embrace. Slightly resisting, Kuva slowly let her go.
Fola felt her lover’s eyes watching from behind as she left their hut. She walked to her hover-bike, put on her black helmet, and thought about the dichotomy of Sirin’s extremes. As she clicked the button that started her bike, she looked around to view the vast plains in front of her. Still mostly barren of trees and rain-water, the planet was in the process of rebuilding its environment and natural plasmic resources. The lack of modified plasma was both a setback and a blessing to the Sirini people, as they searched for a balanced way to modernize their world. Queen Srah had told Fola she wanted Sirin to eventually become as advanced as Ohr, but all the while honoring their heritage and customs. At present, however, all Fola could see was empty drylands with huts, and off in the distance, Sterek’s ship shone in the bright sunlight.
She missed her twin-brother fiercely. She hadn’t seen him in over a month, and for them, that was the equivalent of a lifetime. Sterek had been busy working on a deep-sea vessel for their mission, and for the last month, he had been testing his new machine in secret on Ohr. The vessel was funded by both Deius and Kri as Minister Baran and Shiva Ayn worked together to find an answer to Zin’s mother’s disappearance.