Discovery at Nerwolix

by C. G. Coppola

  “Uh…” I stifle a laugh, “they’re… uh….glad you chose me.”

  “Chose you?”

  “For a mate,” Sampson tosses back. “And it is the Spirit that is happy. She says you are very deserving of Fallon.”

  “Oh,” Reid nods with a laugh. “Well…” he squeezes my hand, “glad I got the approval.”

  We are nearly there.

  We walk in silence the rest of the way, which is only a few minutes longer. Slowing, I look around, hoping for a glimpse of Her again. Even if only momentarily.

  We are here.

  “The Origin…” Sampson whispers to himself, detaching from our group as he carefully treads forward, past two of the five ancient Eckles. We’re right behind him, finding ourselves in the glowing green grass and surrounded by the glistening gossamer-coated Yulus. Scanning with awed disbelief, he nods. “Yes… yes… I know this place.”

  It is where She created life. It is where She created everything.

  “In all my preparations to become a Fychu…” he spins, absorbing the location with wonder, inhaling the air into his lungs as though he’d never breathed, “this is the most sacred… the most ancient…”

  It is where you want to be, Fychu. It is where you have searched.

  “She never tells the location. Why?” he looks to them, curious. “Why are we granted such knowledge?”

  Of all her children, She wishes to give this to you.

  “What’s happening?” Reid whispers. “Where are we?”

  Before I can answer, his fingers fall limply from mine and he collapses to the ground in a heap. I drop to my knees next to him, a horrific scream on the tip of my tongue when a new voice overshadows the fear. It’s the same voice from my dreams, the same voice I heard here before.

  “Do not be alarmed,” a flash of her dress sparkles ahead. It disappears again in seconds. “He is well. Merely asleep.”

  Sampson and Clarence drop to their knees, lowering their heads to the dirt. Even with their focus down and their eyes shut, I can’t force mine to do the same. I’m worried about Reid. He fell too quickly, like the life had been snatched out of him. What if he isn’t asleep? What if he’s hurt?

  “He could not look upon me,” She says from behind us. “It would have killed him.”

  “He’s not dead?”

  “He is not dead,” Her voice assures from the left. “Merely asleep.”

  “Oh Great Mother…” Sampson whispers, “…oh Great Spirit.”

  “You are wondering why you are here, Fychu,” She says from up ahead. “Why I have called you now and never before.”

  “I am.”

  “You are curious about several things,” She’s behind us again. “Why your life has enfolded the way it has. Why you must feel so much pain in your heart.”

  A beat and then, “Yes.”

  “It is the same with you, Clynse,” her voice rings to the right again. “So many questions. So much pain you carry.”

  He nods but doesn’t answer.

  “I do not desire that my children endure such suffering as the two of you have,” She’s behind us, her gentle voice calling. “You both pray to me often, seeking help. Comfort.”

  Both nod, Sampson silent this time.

  “But your pain—it does not recede.”

  Neither move.

  A quiet moment passes before She speaks again, this time, from up ahead. “Andrew prays constantly. He never use to. Not until the plane crash where you found him, Clynse. It was the first time he called out to me. The first time he asked for something. Now, he speaks to me daily.”

  I look over at a sleeping Reid. I know I should be focused on the ground like Sampson and Clarence are; I know I shouldn’t be wondering what I am, but it’s hard to help what I’m thinking.

  “You want to know what he prays about,” She says behind me.

  I start to say no, but figure it’s probably not wise to lie to Her. She knows what I’m thinking anyway, so why bother hiding it?

  “I’m… curious.”

  “He prays about several things. Just like the Fychu. Just like Clynse,” She is up ahead to the left. “You want to know how this war will end. You want to know what you can do to stop it.”

  I nod.

  “This war involves all my children. Not just the humans. Not just the Dofinikes.”

  “How can we end it peacefully?” Sampson asks in a delicate whisper.

  “There is no peace in war. They are two sides of the same sphere—one cannot exist without the other.”

  “Then there is no possibility?”

  “I cannot stop war any more than I can force peace. I give my children liberty to use their life as they see fit. But…” She’s behind us again, “…from time to time, I will intervene, to help direct as it is necessary.”

  “Direct?” Clarence questions, his eyes still low to the ground.

  “Francis,” She says, and suddenly, She’s right in front of me. Her eyes shine like white diamonds, glowing into mine. “When called, you will leave the others behind. You will go far from here and learn what you must so that when the time comes, you will be ready.”

  “Ready for what?”

  “You will know when you are meant to.”

  And then She’s gone, the shining Lynzees having disappeared with her. Only the shimmering Yulus and glowing grass offer any light. My mouth drops to say something, but I’m not sure what. I want to ask Her more questions, ask Her what that last part meant but we’re all alone again, just the four of us out here.

  “Oh Great Spirit…” Sampson lowers his head, whispering to himself as Clarence climbs to a stand. He looks around, possibly hoping to still spot Her but the entire forest is still. Quiet. Sampson is on his feet as well, looking between Clarence and me.

  “Well tonight was unexpected…” he laughs to himself.

  “What did that last part mean?” I ask. “About leaving the others behind?”

  “What happened?” Reid sits up, rubbing his head. “Did I pass out?”

  “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah,” he looks around, trying to piece it together.

  “Reid,” I snap my fingers in front of his face. “Look at me. Are you sure you’re okay?”

  “I’m fine,” he takes my hand and kisses my palm. “Just confused. What happened?”

  “You… fell asleep,” I rise to a stand, helping him up.

  “Fell asleep?”

  “Conked right out,” Clarence nods, but just as Reid’s about to ask, he goes on, “don’t worry—not your fault. You were put under.”

  “By who?”

  “The Spirit,” Sampson says softly. “The Mother.”

  Reid looks around, as if hoping to find her.

  “She’s gone,” the Fychu says, before turning to me. “Oh Fallon… I don’t think you realize what this means.”

  “No, I don’t. Especially that last part.”

  “What last part?” Reid asks. “What’d She say?”

  Clarence, Sampson and I exchange looks. Finally, Clarence clears his throat. “She said something along the lines of Fallon leaving us far behind to learn something so that when the time comes… she’ll be ready.”

  “Learn what?” Reid frowns. “And go where?”

  “We don’t know. That’s… all she said.”

  “How far?” Reid turns to me with fear in his eyes. “And when? And why was I put under?”

  “Had you looked upon Her, you would’ve been killed.”

  “But you all saw?”

  “Well…” Clarence stifles a laugh, “the Fychu and I focused on the ground—as you’re supposed to—but I get the feeling Fallon didn’t.”

  “I was looking at Reid.”

  “She obviously didn’t mind,” Clarence says. “I’m just surprised.”

  “So how come Fallon wasn’t killed?” he walks closer, framing my face in his hands, his fearful eyes flickering between mine. “Could she have been?”

  “No—it goes
back to her ancient blood. As the Three Worlds were created before anything else, their inhabitants are considered the oldest—their abilities stronger than others. Fallon is like us, considered a ‘first child.’ You on the other hand… your body wouldn’t have been able to take it. She knocked you out to protect you.”

  “Oh…” he nods, satisfied.

  “We must be heading back,” Sampson starts, “we must tell the others what we’ve learned.”

  “About not being able to stop the war?” I ask.

  “And what she told you. I’m sorry,” he places a hand on my shoulder. “I don’t know exactly what it means. She said when you were called… I suppose it will be quite obvious but when the time comes… you must go. There is nothing I can do about that.”

  “But you’ll go and come back, right?” Reid asks.

  “I—I don’t know. She didn’t say.”

  “But…”

  “We won’t know until the time arrives,” Sampson says. “She was purposely vague. We are not supposed to know.” It looks like Reid wants to say something but Sampson shakes his head. “We must be heading back. Not only will the others be expecting us, but I must speak with Blovid. The meeting with Hozfin did not go as we’d hoped.”

  “What do you mean?” I ask as the Fychu moves swiftly through the dark forest. Clarence claims his one side while I stick to his other.

  “He still wishes to invade Dellapalania,” he exhales. “He is seriously considering sending troops on the offensive.”

  “Because of earlier? Because he fears they will locate the Floating Ruby?”

  Sampson shakes his head. “Because he’s insulted and enraged that they actually tried to retrieve it. Those eight from earlier… like I said, he wanted to flay them alive. But his fury didn’t end there. He understands Reuzkimpart wants to bring an invasion here, but Hozfin is outraged that they even attempted stealing it. You saw how he was with the Nhazual,” Sampson tosses me a look. “And that was when we surrendered and brought information on the war. He thinks sending a counter force will delay any future visits.”

  “But he’s crazy,” Reid says. “He’ll be dividing his forces, making Zinnollo more exposed.”

  “That’s what we tried to explain. But he’s driven now. He wants to launch a massive attack on Dellapalania.”

  “When?”

  “Soon. Day after tomorrow, I think. Blovid and I are going to use the time to try and convince him otherwise.”

  “But you don’t think he’ll budge?”

  “It’s not looking good.”

  “What can we do to stop it?” I ask.

  “At this point…” Sampson sighs, “pray that the Vermix arrive first.”

  Chapter Eighteen: Beginning

  “Well?” Blovid asks as we enter Sampson’s home. “What happened?”

  “The Lynzees took us to the Origin of the Gifts,” he says and an audible gasp rings. “And then… we saw Her.”

  “The Mother?” Blovid approaches, his hand at his chest. “You actually saw Her?”

  Sampson, Clarence and I nod, just as the Arizal Leader shifts his focus to Reid. “Not him… she had him asleep by the time she appeared. But,” Sampson exhales, “She told us there’s nothing we can do to stop the war.”

  All six Dofinikes frown, Qippert nodding to himself. “No… I suppose not.”

  “Did She say anything?” Jothkore asks, “anything at all that might possibly assist…”

  But Clarence and Sampson are shaking their heads. Clarence looks at me. “Except that Fallon would need to leave us at some point.”

  “What?” Blovid’s eyes find mine. “To go where? And do what?”

  “We don’t know. She only said that when the time comes, Fallon must leave so that she can learn something so that she’ll be prepared when the time comes.”

  “That is it?”

  Clarence shrugs.

  “Well, if She has spoken… then I guess…” but he looks back at the Fychu. “Why do you think She presented herself to you now? And with such little information?”

  “I am not sure,” Sampson shrugs. “Have you contacted my father? Does he know?”

  “I… have decided to wait on reaching out to Theon. Hozfin says he will not send them until the day after tomorrow. I will give it one more chance for him to change his mind.”

  “But if he still plans an offensive attack, Dellapalania needs to be warned. The Arizals at least.”

  “Would the Zingfinolds know the difference between Vermix and Arizals?” I ask. “Maybe they could help the Arizal cause?”

  “Even if that were the case,” Clarence argues, “he’d still be leaving Nerwolix completely exposed. The last thing we need is for Reuzkimpart to obtain the Gift. That’s his main objective and if he gets it…” he shakes his head, “it’ll be detrimental. Much worse than any good the Zingfinolds would do to aid the Arizals.”

  “So what do we do?”

  “At this point…” Sampson says, “I’m not sure there’s much we can do. Reuzkimpart wants to search for the Gift and Hozfin plans on sending in a counter attack. This is going to get bad fast.”

  “And with Mybyncia still recovering…” Blovid scratches his chin.

  “They still may be able to help,” Clarence says. “I mean, if we need last minute assistance. Queen Ravan could still send some help.”

  “How?” I ask. “Would you have to go pick them up and bring them back here?”

  “No. They can travel by themselves—same as us. They would travel through their ocean and arrive here, in Nerwolix.”

  “Do you think you should notify them about the invasion?” Reid asks. “Have her send some assistance now, while we can still ask for it?”

  “The problem is, we don’t know when Reuzkimpart plans on arriving. It could be tonight, tomorrow, the day after, next week. There’s really no way of knowing. I assumed it would’ve already happened, but… I don’t know. And Pryncbia is still recovering from its loss. I couldn’t ask the queen to spare soldiers if they’ll only be sitting around here, waiting.”

  “But it wouldn’t hurt to let them know about the situation,” I say. “Even if you don’t ask for their assistance right now, at least they’d be aware and anticipate the call when and if we make it. Put it in their hands,” I step forward. “Chancellor Keller kept saying if we needed anything to let him know. Advising him of the current situation would fall in that category.”

  “She is right,” Blovid agrees. “I understand why you want to leave Mybyncia out of it at this point, but they are already involved. Plus, if we are able to capture Reuzkimpart, we could end this thing once and for all.”

  The room sits quiet, a heavy air filling the room as we all wait for Sampson’s response. Finally, he nods at Clarence. “Make the trip.”

  “Fychu,” Jothkore approaches, “I can go with him.”

  “No, I need you to return to Thias. He needs to be warned about what’s happening—across all matters. The Vermix invasion, Hozfin’s planned attack on Dellapalania and Queen Ravan’s possible involvement. I need you to go there tonight. The sooner he is informed, the better.”

  “But you yourself said he may not wish to do anything.”

  “And he may not. But this is more than just a Dellapalanian civil war. It concerns the Gifts and has now reached all Three Worlds.” He sighs, hands on his hips. “Though I hoped it wouldn’t get this far,” he nods, “I think the Nerwos will get involved.”

  “Then this is it,” Qippert nods. “The Three World War.”

  Sampson nods with a look to Clarence. “Can you journey to Mybyncia tonight?”

  “Yes.”

  “Please do so,” he turns to Jothkore. “And you to Thias, if you don’t mind.”

  “Whatever you require, Fychu.”

  “What about us?” I ask.

  “You will stay here—all the humans will.”

  “We can still patrol the beach,” Reid says. “If Hozfin plans on keeping most of the scouts to
the Hylas and around Zinnollo’s perimeter.”

  Sampson nods. “Yes, but if you do, remember, you are not to engage. You are to notify us and get out of there.”

  “How do we notify you?”

  “Use Fallon.”

  “Me?”

  “That’s right,” Reid turns to me. “You’d be like our walkie-talkie. We see something and you let

  Sampson or Clarence know. You can use that telepathy thing, right?”

  I turn to them.

  Yep, Clarence’s voice rings in my head. She can hear our thoughts and send her own.

  “This is still so weird,” I bring my palm to my brow.

  “You’ll get used to it. Okay,” Clarence looks around the room. “I’ll travel to Mybyncia and inform the queen on the current situation. Jothkore will go to Thias and starting tomorrow, the kids will patrol the beach. We’re doing the best we can with what Hozfin’s giving us.”

  “He may still change his mind about the counterstrike,” Blovid says. “I will try and council him tomorrow.”

  “I’m sorry old friend,” Sampson claps his hand on the Arizal Leader’s shoulder. “But I don’t think he’s budging on this one.”

  Blovid nods.

  “Alright,” Sampson looks around the room, “it’s probably time. Clarence, Jothkore—thank you for making the trip tonight. Reid, Fallon,” he turns to us, “why don’t you get some sleep. Especially you, Fallon. It has been a long night.”

  Reid slips his fingers in mine and leads us toward the curtain. With a last glance at all six Dofinikes, we head out, back into the crisp night air. Silently, we make our way to my home again and once we reach it, Reid shakes his head. “What a night.”

  “I can’t believe Hozfin wants to strike Dellapalania.”

  “I can’t believe he’s foolish enough to leave us exposed.”

  I lean against the wooden wall and cross my arms. “What do you think is going to happen?”

  Frowning, Reid runs his fingers up the side of my face. “I don’t know,” he leans in, kissing my forehead. “But let’s not think about it anymore tonight.”

  ***

  “So we’re manning the beaches today?” Walker stares down Reid, crossing his arms in annoyance. “How’d you convince them?”