***
It was quiet. Rosa Kealy had a job to do, and it was crucial that it be done tonight. She followed the corridors of the palace that she had called her home for so many years until she finally reached her destination. She stopped in front of a gorgeous mahogany door and knocked. Several moments later, Kayn Stafford appeared. He looked weary and dark.
“You,” he said.
Rosa frowned. Had his father not taught him respect at all? “I need to speak with you, Lord Kayn.”
“I don’t have time for this. Any council concerns are now being handled by the elders–”
“Please,” she said. “It’s imperative that you give me two minutes of your time. I won’t get another chance.”
Kayn sighed irritably, but motioned for her to come inside. “Two minutes. No more.”
Her eyes narrowed. Kayn, though only a few years older than her son, was much taller than she was. Nevertheless, she brought herself up to her fullest height and looked him in the eye.
“I understand your frustration at being forced to take on this task with my son,” she said. “And on another note, I commend you with full sincerity at taking on the duties of a nation at such a young age. But as your powers as Grand Magistrate are not effective at this moment, I am going to take the chance to give you a warning.” Her gaze became steely. “Ven is the only thing I have left to live for on this earth. If you attempt to harm him in any way, or if you fail to bring him back home in one piece, I give you my word that I will make it my life’s ambition to destroy you.”
Kayn stood there speechless. Before he could respond, Rosa Kealy turned her back on the young man who had given her orders day after day and walked, head held high, back to her room.
Once inside, she bolted the door and collapsed onto her bed, sobbing uncontrollably.
CHAPTER SEVEN
The sun was unusually bright. Ven slung his cloth satchel over his shoulder and stared up at the massive gates that led out of Cor. These gates had remained closed for generations, locked shut so none from the outside could enter. Any minute, he was going to accompany Kayn Stafford past these gates, away from the safe confines of his home and into the outside world.
He had been so preoccupied that he hadn’t bothered to stop and think about Coralie. She was somewhere on the outside, with her parents and the other Sentenced. Had they managed to locate the refugee camp and start a new life? He had no idea where the camp was. He hadn’t bothered to ask Markis, since leaving Cor had been nowhere on his agenda at the time. At least she was free now. He would see her again one day; he had faith in that.
Moments later, Kayn appeared carrying his own satchel. It seemed that the elders were serious when they said he needed to be in disguise. His usually elegant attire had been replaced with a simple worker’s outfit. Ven couldn’t help but snigger at Kayn wearing Prentice clothing. Kayn himself looked less than pleased. On his head, he wore a cloth scarf which he wrapped around his forehead to hide part of his hair.
Closely following Kayn was the first elder. He turned to Kayn, pulled something out of his robes and handed it to him. It was the Magistrate’s Dagger, wrapped in a burlap bag and tied with rope.
“Do not remove it for any reason until you reach the tomb. I do not need to stress the importance of keeping this object safe.”
“Yes.” Kayn said, taking it gently and placing it into his satchel. He looked different somehow, other than just his appearance…
“The map we have given you should be clear. We have also provided you with this transport pod. It will seat the both of you, but my advice is to let Kayn do the driving.” Gant stepped to the side to reveal a bulky-looking transport pod. It was long and cylindrical, and the two seats were embedded back to back in its thick, bronze center. The wheels were chrome and modeled after carriage wheels. It looked impressive to Ven, though he hadn’t really used transport pods anyway, so his opinion probably wasn’t worth much.
Kayn hopped in the front seat and adjusted the knobs. Ven climbed clumsily into the back seat and the transport pod droned.
“Good luck to you both.”
The elder motioned to the gatekeeper. The enormous bronze gate slowly pushed open, giving them their first glimpse of foreign territory. Ven pulled in a deep breath. He never seen beyond these gates before. In fact, he had never even been within ten feet of them in his whole life. There had never been a reason for him to venture so close. The gates creaked loudly as they were heaved open and dust rose from the ground. Finally, they were fully open.
The whole situation felt abnormal, and there was a strange feeling in Ven’s chest. He wanted to rush to the gatekeeper and make him slam the bronze doors shut before he took one step further.
“We’re going,” said Kayn.
The pod began to move. Ven stuffed his satchel at the bottom of his seat, turned back to take one last look at his home, and then watched as Cor grew farther and farther away. A cloud of dust followed closely behind them.
Ven would have to make good his promise to use whatever he had studied in class about foreign territories to help them get to Roth’s tomb as quickly as possible. He reached into his bag and pulled out the map the elders had given them. He gripped it tightly and held out the edges as the wind made it whip back and forth. The map was dotted with little villages and towns that led up to bigger, major cities.
He tried scanning the map for signs of a refugee camp of some kind, but stopped himself, feeling stupid. A refugee camp wouldn’t be on a map like this. Coralie and her parents were intelligent. They would have known not to linger too close to Cor, in case a search was conducted for them.
Kayn refused to say a word to Ven as the pod sped across the barren land for hours under the hot sun. The dry land surrounding Cor was vast. A makeshift road lined the terrain between the large, sandy hills. Ven frowned. He still hadn’t seen a single settlement, no towns or villages anywhere near Cor. How isolated were they? From the broadcasts he had watched at home, Cor had always made it look like they were the center of the civilized world – but there was no civilization anywhere that Ven could see. Just as he became lost in thought, the pod began to slow down before it came to a complete halt beside a row of small, sandy hills.
“We’re stopping now,” said Kayn. His voice was mechanical and monotone and he kept his back to Ven. Ven ignored him and jumped out of the pod, reaching for his satchel.
Kayn leaned against a cliff, reached into his bag and took a long swig of water. Ven nibbled at some of the food in his satchel and looked around at the desolate landscape surrounding them. No wonder Cor didn’t get any visitors, though it was far from a hospitable tourist destination, anyway. The city was constantly fearful of spies leaking information to rival cities like Crion, so the Elders Council was picky regarding the foreigners they allowed into Cor.
That night in prison should have been practice for sleeping on the cold, hard ground, but Ven had never pined for his soft pillow and silky duvet more than he did as their journey continued. It rained heavily later in the week, and the closest village was hours away. Ven knew Cor was an isolated nation by choice, but he had underestimated the distances in between civilized areas, even with wheels. The only shelter they managed to find each night was an abandoned airship garage or a tent left behind by nomadic limestone miners.
So far, Kayn had refrained from trying to kill him, although that didn’t stop Ven from keeping weapons hidden on his person at all times. His ears burned in embarrassment as he remembered himself flinching every time Kayn pulled out his loaded blaster. During the night, he tried to sneak in a bit of practice with some of the weapons they had brought, but finally gave up in frustration.
While Kayn hadn’t tried to murder him, he didn’t hesitate to steal Ven’s food, or shove him to the ground and snag the most comfortable sleeping space. He would often throw Ven out into the cold when he decided he needed more room. As the days pressed on, the bullying began to get worse. So far, Ven had tolerated everything. No matter how much K
ayn’s tricks bothered or hurt him, Kayn was keeping him alive.
Now, however, Ven had had enough.
It was late afternoon. They had finally left the dry, barren wasteland behind them and had reached lush green forests. They set up camp in a clear, wooded area for the night. The rain had left the forest smelling fresh and the ground damp. Ven had never seen such beauty. Seeing nature like this in a book was one thing, but smelling the air, running his hands over the soft, dewy moss and hearing the cries of exotic birds was a different thing altogether. Everywhere he looked, he could see vibrant color, greens, blues and pinks. The woods were thick, as were the tree roots that covered the forest floor. High above him, a canopy of wide leaves spread out amidst the now darkening sky. He wished Coralie, his mother and the others could see all of this.
Kayn lit a fire and began to warm up the food from his satchel. The fire reflected off the wired engine and chrome wheels of the pod they had parked on the man-made path running through the woods. Their rations had begun to grow thin. Ven rummaged through his bag searching for his food. After a few minutes, he realized that almost all of it was gone, save for a single loaf of bread. He dumped the contents of the bag on to the forest floor. Nothing remained of his rations but the meager loaf in his hand and a fistful of crumbs that now littered the ground.
Out of the corner of his eye, he could see a small smile form on Kayn’s face.
Furious and starving, Ven rounded on him. “What have you done with my food? There’s nothing left!”
Kayn continued chewing his hot meal. Ven’s blood began to boil.
“I asked you a question.”
Silence.
Forgetting who he was talking to, Ven stood up and lifted his foot, ready to kick the plate of food out of Kayn’s hands. Before he could react, Kayn leaped to his feet, seized his head and slammed it hard to the ground. Ven gasped in pain, seeing stars.
“You worthless piece of trash,” Kayn said, looking down at Ven as he clutched his head, blinking. “If you try something like that again, I will kill you.”
In a final blow, Kayn picked up the single loaf of bread that had fallen onto Ven’s satchel, took a massive bite out of it and flung it into the dirt by his face.
A mad fury erupted inside Ven. He took a deep breath, then sat upright, pain thudding in his skull. What was a few meals, anyway?
As night fell, hunger made it impossible to sleep. Ven got up and quietly walked over to Kayn, who was fast asleep. He glanced around for his satchel, but Kayn was using it as a pillow. Ven glared at him.
I could throttle you right now if I wanted, or pick up a boulder and drop it on your head.
He racked his memory, trying to think what he had read about edible plants and fungi in the forest. Ven left the campsite and pulled a small gas lamp out of his bag. He clicked it and pointed it at the forest floor, trying to find edible mushrooms by the pathway and against the trees. The woods were less beautiful after dark. The sounds of strange bird cries filled the air and he tripped several times over the thick roots. Moisture left over from the rain dripped onto his head from the hanging leaves. He made sure not to stray too far, because getting lost would mean trouble.
As he scanned the ground, a rustling noise halted him in his tracks. In a moment of exasperation, he realized how stupid it was to shine his lamp around a dense forest in the night. He would have to rely on the moonlight.
Ven clicked the light off and crouched low. Moments later, a rabbit hopped out from behind a bush and he let out a sigh of relief. The rabbit tilted its head at the strange arrival in front of it, and jumped away.
Ven turned around and continued scanning the earth for edibles. He thought he had spotted a troop of mushrooms when a horrible crunching noise made his heart stop. He turned back and almost dropped his lamp, all hunger forgotten.
A large, feline creature was licking its lips, clearly enjoying the supper of rabbit it had just consumed. Its fur was a dirty orange and it looked thick and straw-like. It turned its large head in Ven’s direction and growled, baring its teeth. Ven held his breath. He hadn’t brought any of their weapons with him. Would the creature fall for it if he played dead? Ven didn’t much like the idea of lying down in front of it, so he stood as still as possible. The animal looked at him, licking the blood that had soiled its jaw. He could feel himself shaking. Should he scream for Kayn? It pinched him to yell for help, especially to Kayn. What if Kayn didn’t help him at all, but let the beast rip him in half?
The beast growled. It sensed prey in front of it, and it was still hungry. Just as it crouched, ready to pounce, Ven did the only thing he could do. He ran.
He zigzagged in between trees and roots, trying to confuse it. He could hear the soft thudding of its paws as it bounded after him but he didn’t dare stop to see how close it was. As he neared the campsite, Ven reached down, snatched up their blasters and yanked the sleeping Kayn to his feet with all the strength he could muster.
“What the hell do you think you’re–”
Kayn took one look at the beast running at them at full speed, and leaped into the pod, jamming the buttons. Ven scrambled to get in after him, but just as the engine began to hum, there was a crackling sound. Ven looked down. The thick, steel-plated engine wires, along with much of the pod’s front, had been reduced to a sparking mess. The humming engine fizzled out pathetically as the creature ripped out the wires and the pod tipped on its side.
Ven yelped as he felt his ankle twist beneath him. Heart racing, he and Kayn clambered out from under the pod and leaped to their feet, gripping the satchels.
“SPLIT UP!” Ven yelled. To his surprise, Kayn obeyed and ran in the opposite direction.
That seemed to work. The beast spit out the engine wires and glanced side to side, trying to decide which target to attack first. As Ven ran in between the trees, he turned to see the beast closing in on him. It seemed to prefer the weaker target. Not willing to wait for backup from Kayn, Ven grabbed a branch from the first tree he could find and began to climb as fast as he could.
Just when he thought he had made it to a safe distance, he felt a sharp, excruciating pain in his leg. He yelled and looked down. The beast had slashed his calf, leaving a deep gash. His eyes watering, Ven fumbled at his waist for his knife with his free hand and flung it down at the beast’s head. It howled and let go of his leg. He fought with all his might to climb higher up the tree, dizzy from the pain and from losing blood.
The beast was on its feet again. It jumped up, trying to snap at Ven once more, but it couldn’t reach him.
Kayn appeared and shot the creature several times with his pistol. It staggered for a moment, but remained on its feet. Letting out a furious roar, it pounced on Kayn and pinned him to the ground. Ven watched helplessly from the tree as Kayn struggled to fight it off. It reared back its head, jaws opened wide. Ven turned his head in horror.
A whoosh and a yelp caused Ven to look back. The beast had fallen on its side, dead. Several javelins stuck out from its back. Kayn was still on the ground, frozen but unharmed. They both looked around for their saviors.
A group of people emerged from the trees, carrying lamps and spears in their hands. They eyed Kayn on the ground. A few of them pointed to Ven up in the tree.
“What are you idiots doing here in the middle of the night?”
A tall, muscular man holding a lamp looked at them. He wore clothes of fur and wool and had short, pale hair.
“This hideous pig-like creature stole all of my food,” Ven said after a moment. “So I went into the woods looking for something to eat. That’s when that animal appeared and began to chase us.”
He could feel Kayn giving him the death stare. Kayn readjusted the scarf on his head so it covered him properly. Ven beamed triumphantly, though he knew no one would notice in the dark.
Through the dim light from the lamp, he could make out a look of amusement on the man’s face.
“Someone get him down from there and bandage his leg.”
Ven felt the pain return. He had been enjoying his petty moment of vengeance so much he had almost forgotten about it. Two men helped carry Ven down from the tree. Another man bandaged his leg and lent him his shoulder for support. Together with Kayn and the others, they left the beast’s corpse behind and headed deeper into the woods.
“So.” The man slung his javelin over his shoulder. “Should I ask you a bunch of questions or will you just humor me as to what you were doing?”
“We were trying to get home and we…got a little lost.” Ven felt it best to see how trustworthy this person was before being honest. “Thanks for your help back there.”
“It’s lucky we usually hunt around this time. Not the smartest idea, picking this forest to camp in. You’ll stay the night in our town so my wife can take a look at that injury.” The man turned back to look at Ven. “That reminds me, there was an ugly-looking transport pod back there with its engines gutted. Is it yours?”
“Yeah.” Ven winced as he limped along. “Is there any way to repair it? We’re going to need it later.”
“I hate to say it, but it’s as good as gone. Our town doesn’t have the skills or supplies to repair a pod that’s that broken. Even if we did manage to salvage some of it, it would run pretty slow. Where did you folks even get that piece of junk? It’s definitely from another century. I’ve never seen something so archaic.”
Ven didn’t know why he felt a bit insulted. He personally thought Cor produced some of the best transport pods in the world. What did this guy know about transport vehicles, anyway? He used javelins to hunt game. Nothing could be more archaic than that. Ven glanced at Kayn. Through his scarf, Ven could see a frown form.
They walked for about half an hour more, until they reached the end of the woods. A vast, dark field lay ahead of them. Ven could see a glitter of lights a short distance away and breathed a sigh of relief. When they had reached the settlement, a group of people greeted them at the gate. A thin, pretty woman ran to the man who had asked them their names.
The Regenerates Page 6