“He would have help from Maleira,” said Orn.
“Still,” Laquin said, “It can’t be undertaken.”
“I’ll do it,” Anaxis said.
The others in the room stared at the boy.
“You don’t know what you’re saying,” said Laquin.
“No, I think I understand the situation fairly well,” said Anaxis. “You’ve got to get that amulet back into Gnirean. And I’m offering to help.”
“Anaxis…” Mills whispered.
“No,” said Anaxis. “I have already come all this way from Talx. You say that there is no one here that could reenter the city, but that one of us possibly could. I want to try.”
“But why would you sacrifice yourself for those people?” Mills asked. “Who are they to you?”
“Despite all my complaints, I do care about them, Mills. It’s because I care so much that I get angry about the situation back home. I ruined the Hunt, Mills. But this, this might help people back home more than anything else I could possibly do. How could I not try?”
“Please, Anaxis, please talk with your friends and consider this deeply,” said Laquin. “A journey to Gnirean is nothing to be taken lightly.”
Later, over communal dinner, Mills was leering at Anaxis across the table.
“You’ve done a lot of foolish things, Anaxis, but this might be the most foolish of all,” he said.
“I don’t see how it’s foolish to want to help people,” Anaxis retorted.
“Listen to you! You know nothing about Gnirean at all. What if you get caught? What if you are imprisoned, or killed? You want to do that to your family?”
“I think they’d understand. They’d be proud of me. And I just want to do something important with my life.”
“Why do you have to do something important with your life?”
“What, should I just waste it, out of fear that I might not succeed?”
“I just think it’s kind of crazy of you to think you can change things.”
“So anyone trying to change anything is crazy? That’s foolish, Mills. Maybe more people should try to do something important with their lives. You think all the decisions have been made? That all the ways of the world have been decided and we’re just supposed to follow them? And if so, was it crazy for those who made this world to do so? I think it’s self-defeating to think that we’re just supposed to fall in line. What would be the point of that, of anything?”
Mills shrugged. “It sounds like your mind is made up. But I still don’t like it.”
“Well,” Anaxis said, “I’m sorry you don’t like it. But I’m going to do my best to get the amulet to Gnirean and then get back to Talx.”
“I’m sure you will,” said Mills. “But I don’t think I’m ever going to see you again.”
“Why not be optimistic?” Xala asked. She had been listening quietly from down the table. “Why not trust that Anaxis will succeed?”
“Optimism gets you nowhere,” said Mills. “I’d rather be realistic.”
“But the future is uncharted,” said Xala. “It’s not any more real than a dream. And so to hope for the best isn’t unrealistic. Everything is yet to be determined.”
Mills poked at his food and frowned. “I guess there’s just a clear track record of things not working out.”
“Let’s just wait and see, okay?” said Xala. “It’ll be a lot better for us than just assuming things will go wrong.”
Mills sighed. “Maybe you’re right.”
“And maybe I’m not,” said Xala. “But we’ll only know that once we see what the future will bring.”
Orn sat down across from where Anaxis and Mills were seated.
“Aren’t you eating?” Anaxis asked him. “Where’s your food?”
“I’m not hungry,” said Orn. “But I wanted to tell you, the votes were tallied and it’s been decided that we’re going to send you with the amulet to Gnirean, if you still want to go. There was some opposition, but we all decided holding it here wouldn’t do us any good. Are you sure you’re up to it?”
“Sure as I am of anything,” answered Anaxis.
“Excellent,” said Orn. “We’re going to send you with our best supplies, to try and give you the best chance of success. That means you’ll get a moisture wick, a biosuit, and our only portable essence generator.”
“What’s an essence generator?” asked Mills.
“It can assemble sustenance out of almost any nearby molecular components,” said Orn. “The product isn’t always flavorful, but it’ll make sure you are fed during the journey to Gnirean.”
“How much farther is it?” asked Anaxis.
“You’ve got three or four days of travel through the Deep Caves,” said Orn.
“Why do I have to go underground?” asked Anaxis.
“The boundaries of Gnirean’s lands are highly protected,” answered Orn. “After the caves, you’ll come to the High Forests. Your success there will determine how much longer it will take you to get to Gnirean proper.”
“And there’s nothing to eat along the way?” asked Anaxis.
“There is, but it’s precious little,” said Orn.
“If I can find food along the way, then I want to send your essence generator back with Xala and Mills to Talx.”
“No, Anaxis,” said Xala. “You’re going to need that.”
“I ruined the Hunt,” said Anaxis. “The village is going to need that food more than I am. I insist that you take it back.”
“Are you trying to die?” Mills asked him.
“No, I’m trying to do what’s right,” said Anaxis. “Orn, do you think I could make it to Gnirean without it?”
“Possibly,” Orn said, “But it won’t be easy.”
“That’s what I’ll do, then,” said Anaxis. “It’s my fault Talx doesn’t have enough food for the winter. I wouldn’t feel right taking the generator to feed only one person.”
“I’ll have to confirm that it;s alright,” said Orn. “Though I’m pretty sure it will be.”
“What am I supposed to tell your family?” asked Mills.
“We’ll tell them how brave and good Anaxis is,” Xala answered for Anaxis. “And that he’ll be back soon.”
Anaxis smiled. The smile fell away from his face as he stared off into the dark of the cave.
“What is it, Anaxis?” asked Xala.
“I guess I’m sort of scared, when I really think about it,” he answered.
“You don’t have to do this if you’re not one hundred percent certain you want to,” said Orn.
“I don’t think anyone can be one hundred percent certain of anything, if they’re being honest with themselves,” said Anaxis. “But I want to make my family proud. I want to help those people in Gnirean, too. I’ll do my best.”
“It’s all any of us can do,” said Xala. “We’ll all be waiting anxiously on your actions.”
“I’ll miss you, buddy,” said Mills.
“You too, Mills,” said Anaxis. “I really hope we’ll be laughing about this all one day.”
“When do you think you’ll be ready to go?” asked Orn.
“I see no need to wait,” said Anaxis. “Tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow it is, then,” said Orn. “We’ll have a briefing before you leave, on what you should expect along your journey.”
“Alright,” said Anaxis.
“If you should accomplish what you’re setting out to do, it will be one of the greatest things anyone on Valor has ever done,” said Orn.
“And even if you don’t, the effort will be told as legend for years to come,” said Xala.
“We’ll see what happens,” said Anaxis. “And I suppose whatever will be, will be.”
The next morning, after a long while sitting around and drinking steep, preparations for Anaxis’s departure were begun.
“So the first day or two shouldn’t be too difficult,” Orn explained. “It’s only when you come to the Jaela’s Lair that you’ll have any
thing to worry about.”
“Jaela?” Anaxis repeated.
“The Jaela is a terrifying beast,” Orn explained. “A creature that never sees the light. And though it lives on slime mold and cave insects, it’s five time the size of a man. Extremely powerful. Fast. It will not be easy to pass it.”
“How am I supposed to, then?” Anaxis asked.
“The Jaela is basically blind,” said Laquin from across the room. “You’ll have to be silent, and cover yourself in guila oil to smother your scent.”
“And if it senses me anyways?” asked Anaxis.
“Then you’ll have to fight it,” said Orn.
“Anaxis doesn’t like to fight,” said Mills, seated next to Anaxis.
“I will if I have to,” said Anaxis.
“You never did before,” said Mills.
“Well, things have changed, haven’t they?” asked Anaxis.
“You’ll do fine, Anaxis,” said Xala.
“I’m sure you will,” said Orn. “When you make it past the Jaela, you’ve only the squeeze to contend with, at that point.”
“The squeeze?” Anaxis repeated.
“There’s a long stretch of hard tragga rock you’ll have to weave through. You’re still small enough to make it. None of us here in Haven could, anymore,” said Orn. “It’s why you’re our only hope.”
“None of you could, anymore?” asked Anaxis.
“When most of us here left Gnirean, we were all very young,” Laquin explained. “Younger than you. We were led here by a man of very small stature, our founder, Inda Loo. He and Saveria Gunnel were responsible for teaching us about the true history of mankind on Valor, and founding Haven.”
“Saveria returned to Gnirean after Haven was born,” said Orn. “To give our location to a man named Maleira. It is he you’ll be seeking out when you get there.”
“You all left Gnirean when you were children?” Mills asked.
“Most of us,” Orn answered. “Some of us have joined from other places across Valor over the years.”
“What about all your equipment?” asked Mills. “How’d it get here?”
“Transported on a hijacked drone,” Laquin answered. “Anything living wouldn’t have made it.”
“How long has Haven existed?” Anaxis asked.
“Not so long, relatively” Laquin answered. “Those of us from Gnirean had already started our eternity doses, before we left.”
“The people of Gnirean live twenty times as long as those outside,” said Orn. “Due to chemical conditioning, called eternity dosing. Would you believe I’m five hundred and sixty?”
“I guess we have to just believe anything at this point,” said Mills.
“Always good to have an open mind,” said Laquin.
“So where do I go once I make it through the squeeze?” Anaxis asked.
“There is a small settlement outside the city itself,” Orn said. “You’ll have to pass through it to get to the gates.”
“Who lives there?” asked Anaxis.
“The dispossessed. Criminals. Those who fell out of favor with the powers that be. Those that refuse the eternity serum. They still trade with the Gnirean, though. Some Gnirean will travel out to the settlement, to misbehave, but the dispossessed are never allowed to return to the city itself,” explained Laquin.
“So how will I make it into the city? How does anyone?” asked Anaxis.
“In the biosuit we’re sending you with, you should have no problem making it through the gates,” said Laquin, “It’s the suit the younger Gnirean wear when they leave the city for mandatory mining service. And the gates aren’t heavily guarded. It’s all automated, the vetting process. They’ll scan the back of your suit, you won’t even have to take it off. You should be fine.”
“Isn’t the suit stolen? Wouldn’t the gates, or what-have-you, wouldn’t it be recognized?” asked Anaxis.
“No,” Laquin answered. “Saveria made sure of that. Maleira’s been awaiting something like this since we left. He has access to the governing systems.”
“Why hasn’t anyone tried to reenter before?” Anaxis asked.
“We can’t, and we had no good reason,” answered Orn. “We were waiting on a sign from Alm. Which we’ve now received, in the form of the amulet.”
“And what good is taking it back in going to do, again?” Mills asked. “You restart the mothership beacons, or whatever you call it, and then what?”
“We’re hoping it triggers a communication with Alm,” said Laquin.
“And if it doesn’t?” Mills asked.
Laquin and Orn looked to one another.
“Well, then, we’ll go from there,” Laquin answered.
“This all seems very dangerous, and I don’t see the point,” said Mills.
“It’s hard to see the point in trying sometimes, when you’re up against such incredible odds,” said Xala. “But have faith in your friend, Mills. And in these people here, who saved you from the desert and have obviously devoted their lives to fighting for freedom.”
“Fighting? Who’s fighting?” asked Mills. “They’ve just been waiting.”
“An important part of any fight is knowing when to strike,” Orn said. “We’ve just now found our angle. Our strike is imminent.”
“Yeah, using my friend as a weapon,” said Mills.
“I volunteered, Mills,” said Anaxis.
“Just foolish,” Mills grumbled, crossing his arms. “It’s all just foolish.”
“If he should succeed, your people would no longer have to scramble in the sand,” Laquin said. “There could be hope for the poor Allovastians. The technology and power Gnirean hordes could make Valor explode with life and possibility.”
“Fine, fine,” Mills said dismissively.
“You can’t be mad that I’m leaving, with all that’s at stake,” Anaxis said to Mills. “That’s just selfish.”
“Well then excuse me for being selfish,” Mills said. “Maybe I think you’re being selfish. Leaving your friends and family behind.”
“I’m doing it for them,” Anaxis said. “For you.”
“Sure,” Mills said. “Whatever you say.”
“I’ll be there for you, in the meantime,” Xala said to him. “We’ll tell of what he’s doing. Your friend will be a hero!”
“Maybe I don’t want him to be. Maybe I just want him to be my friend,” said Mills.
“You could go with him,” Orn said. “We have three biosuits; you could use one, too.”
Mills lit up. “Really?”
“What, you’d want to go with me?” Anaxis asked.
“Maybe,” said Mills.
“What about the danger? What about the pointlessness?” asked Anaxis.
“That was when I thought you were going to leave me and go do it all by yourself,” Mills said earnestly.
“You’re ridiculous, Mills,” Anaxis said with a laugh. “So you want to come?”
“Sure I do, if I can,” Mills said. “You’re not going to leave and be the hero without me!”
Xala, Orn, and Laquin laughed.
“Well this is a funny turn,” said Xala. “Though I’m happy you’ll be going together. Taking care of each other.”
“Someone’s got to keep his head out of the clouds,” Mills said.
“You’ll really come?” Anaxis asked.
“Of course I will,” Mills said.
“It’ll be incredible, Mills,” said Anaxis.
“It will be what it will be,” Mills said. “Isn’t that right?”
“That’s right.”
A few hours later, all of Haven gathered to see Mills and Anaxis off.
“We’ll miss you, Xala,” Anaxis said to his teacher.
“And I’ll miss the two of you,” she responded. “But I have a feeling it won’t be long until we see each other again.”
“Tell my family I love them,” said Anaxis.
“Of course. And I’ll tell your father the same, Mills,” said Xala.
“Don’t tell him how dangerous what we’re doing is,” said Mills. “I don’t want him to worry.”
“He’ll worry anyways,” said Xala. “That’s what parents do. Now, go, go on and change the world!”
The three exchanged hugs, and then Anaxis and Mills turned to the waiting crowd.
“We’ll do our best for you,” Anaxis said to them.
“But don’t expect too much,” Mills added.
“Lightning speed to you both,” said Orn. “We’ll be waiting when you’re done.”
With that, the boys headed into the darkness with their supplies on their backs, toward all uncertainty ahead.
12
Anaxis and Mills activated glow rings they were wearing around their wrists when the illumination from Haven left them in one of the many dark tunnels branching off from the underground compound.
“Excited?” Anaxis asked Mills.
“No,” Mills answered.
“Liar.”
The two crunched along over the rocky ground for a short while before exiting their tunnel. Just beyond the exit, the ground dropped off abruptly. Peering over into the dark chasm below, Mills grumbled.
“Already reached a dead end. Great,” he said.
“That can’t be right. Let’s look at our guide,” Anaxis said, going into his bag. He produced a small barkplate text and flipped open to the first page. “Okay,” he said, reading through it. “So, there should be a rope somewhere around here…”
He waved his arm around the walls of the cave, and the illumination from his wrist found the rope.
“There it is,” he said.
“It looks pretty ragged,” said Mills.
“Give it a pull,” said Anaxis. “See if it still supports us.”
“Yeah, you can go ahead and test that yourself,” said Mills. “I’ll be right there after you.”
“So contrary. Is this the way the whole journey is going to go?” asked Anaxis.
“I’m not being contrary, I’m being pragmatic.”
Anaxis sighed, then put his guide back in his bag. He seized the rope dangling over the edge of the rock with both hands and pulled hard.
Legend of Alm -The Valor Saga Pt 1 - Falling Star Page 12