Through the Never

by J. A. Culican

  She felt the heat of a blush rising from her chest and looked away from his stare. His green eyes that she loved having their intended effect. “Practicing your ceremonial vows?”

  “No, speaking from my heart.”

  He grabbed the portable light from the table, and hand in hand they walked out of their future home.

  Rodan stood close to Jabok, still holding his hand as they waited for Kada to answer his door. Around them the music from the festival entwined with the sounds of the late helio creatures calling out and scurrying about in the nearby woods. The small light Jabok carried illuminated a circle large enough for them to see their boots and nothing more. After Jabok’s second set of knocks, Kada opened the door to his quarters.

  The family who had taken him in had allowed Kada to move into a small room connected to the storage building out behind their main home since Kada had told them he did not want to live in their family’s house. No one talked about it openly, but even though everyone in the encampment agreed it was odd, the family had not objected to his wishes.

  Kada stood in the open doorway, his piercing gray eyes staring at them.

  Jabok, who was about the same height, returned Kada’s glare. After a few moments, Jabok walked past Kada, pulling Rodan in with him without waiting for an invitation to enter. “Why were you not at the festival?”

  Kada watched them as they entered uninvited, but did nothing to stop them. “Because there should not have been one. The Resistor fighters from Gamma faction, Eta faction, and Tau faction all refused to remain and celebrate with us this annum. For as long as I have lived here, they have always remained to celebrate with you. If they did not think it was safe to stay, the festival should have been cancelled.”

  Rodan silently looked around the room for an inconspicuous place to stand. Kada’s quarters were almost just as sparse as the room she and Jabok had just left. There was a single person sleeping unit, a table with one chair, and storage shelves. The room was neat and orderly with everything in its place. However, it was so sterile that it did not look as if anyone lived in it.

  She finally decided to stand in the corner near the table. As she walked across the room, she realized Jabok had been right. Kada was planning to leave. On the sleeping unit was a travel bag. And, if Rodan had to guess, it was likely filled with clothes and belongings Kada was going to take with him when he left.

  Jabok placed a hand on Kada’s shoulder. “You cannot let the Resistor fighters scare you. They are fighters, so all they see are potential enemies everywhere. Whether real or imaginary.”

  Kada brushed Jabok’s hand away. “Imaginary? So, you think it was imaginary Keeper forces who razed Poncot encampment?” asked Kada, raising his voice.

  “No,” answered Jabok holding up his palms.

  “But we know why Poncot encampment was attacked. They tried to do business with both the Resistors and The Keepers. That is not smart. They were asking for trouble,” Rodan said from the corner.

  Kada spun and looked at her with his eyes wide. “Asking for trouble? So, you believe The Keepers only destroy those who have asked for trouble?”

  Rodan took a few steps toward Kada. “No. Of course they do not only attack people who ask for it. But. But.” Frustrated, she stopped talking and took a deep breath. “You are using rumors about an attack against another encampment as an excuse to run off, join this war, and get yourself killed. You and the other survivors have been living with us for six annums, and almost everyone else has settled in and made a life for themselves. In fact, Birm will likely have her own bonding ceremony after the End of Harvest festival next annum. Why can you not do the same? Why can you not mourn the loss of your family, while going on to lead a normal life?”

  Kada walked toward Rodan and placed his hands on his chest. “Because I am not willing to pretend the past did not happen.”

  Jabok walked around Kada and stood between him and Rodan. “Kada, no one is pretending the past did not happen. Birm, the other survivors, they simply do not want to repeat the mistakes of the past. You all have seen what The Keepers do to their enemies. Why would you want to involve yourself in the war against them?”

  Kada looked up at the ceiling and shook his head. “Because The Keepers are evil. Everyone should join the fight against them because no one is safe. In my former encampment, we thought we were safe, and you know what happened.”

  Rodan walked closer to Jabok. “Yes, we do know what happened. Members of your encampment began openly fighting with and supporting the Resistors. That is what made you a target to The Keepers. Here in Lewu, we do not join in the fighting. We grow food and sell it. That is all.”

  “You are so naive.” Kada shook his head again. “To whom do you sell your food? The Resistors. Do you not realize that as far as The Keepers are concerned, that makes you the enemy?” Kada exhaled an exasperated scoff and turned his back to them. “There is no such thing as neutral in this war.”

  “Okay, maybe we are not neutral. But we are not fighting. We supply the factions, and in exchange, they buy our products and agree to protect us,” said Jabok.

  “We thought we were also protected,” said Kada.

  “Yes, and we learned from that, too.” Rodan stepped to Jabok’s side. “Now, instead of only selling to Tau faction in exchange for protection, we also sell to Gamma and Eta factions. Yes, we make less currency, because Gamma does not even use currency for bartering, but it ensures that we are well protected in the event of an attack by The Keepers.”

  Kada walked to his sleeping unit and placed the strap of the travel bag onto his shoulder. “Well, since you all have thought of everything, stay here and enjoy your nice, safe lives. I owe my family a debt. As a survivor, it is my duty to avenge them. So, I am joining Gamma faction—”

  “Gamma faction,” Rodan interrupted. “Why not join Tau? They are the best equipped and have the most fighters. Gamma is one of the poorest factions, and they have the highest mortality rate. Is that what this is about? You feel guilty for surviving?”

  “No!” shouted Kada as he slammed his fist against the frame of his sleeping unit.

  Rodan started.

  “Kada,” Jabok pushed Rodan behind him and held his palm out in front of him. “She did not mean to upset you. It is just that joining Gamma faction does seem like a big risk.”

  “Yes, it is a risk. They are on the border of Keeper-controlled territory, but they are one of the only factions actively fighting The Keepers. I do not want to join Tau to watch the fighting from afar.” Kada stared at Rodan as he said Tau. “I want to go where I can do some good. And that is in Gamma faction.”

  Kada gripped the travel bag’s strapped and took two steps toward the door. Then he stopped. “I know neither of you understands why I have to do this. If the universe is kind, you will never know. However, it is more likely you will understand one helio, and by then it may be too late for both of you.”

  “Kada wait,” Jabok said. He walked up to Kada and held out his hand.

  Kada stared at it, then slowly raised his hand and gripped it.

  Jabok squeezed Kada’s hand and gave it a shake. “Be safe, and stay alive for as long as you can. And always remember, if you decided to leave and return to life here in Lewu, wherever Rodan and I have a home, you are always welcomed.”

  Chapter 2

  It was early helio, and Rodan was walking along one of the hidden paths from her parents’ home to her future home. The rays of the sol broke through the canopy of trees warming her as she strolled through the forest. She and her mother had finished her bonding ceremony dress the previous late helio, and she wanted to bring it to her home. Her home. Her home. Fantasies about the future she and Jabok would have together ran through her head. In fact, this was why she was out in the forest this early. While it was traditional to rest the seven helios following End of Harvest festival, Rodan could not wait for five more helios to get her life started. She wanted to get started now.

  Rodan was so wr
apped up in her fantasies, in fact, that she did not see the fighter until she stumbled across him. Literally. After stepping on his leg as he lay covered in leaves and other debris, Rodan was able to regain her balance after a few awkward steps before she fell to the ground.

  “I am so sorry.” She turned to the fighter who now stood, favoring his leg. “Did I hurt you?” She walked back toward him.

  “I am fine. Who are you?” He straightened up as he spoke.

  “I am Rodan. And you are?”

  “Where are you walking from? I was not able to find anything in this wilderness.”

  “I am from Lewu encampment, of course. Is that not the encampment you were searching for?”

  “Yes, it is. I was merely confirming Lewu encampment is where you were from. And since I have found you, I can stop searching and you can show me the way.” He walked closer to Rodan.

  She took an involuntary step back, but had no idea why. Everything around her seemed to go silent. For as long as she could remember, Resistor fighters had visited her encampment every annum during harvest, so she was no stranger to them. But for some reason, being around this fighter felt…off.

  “I am not going back to my encampment.” Rodan gripped the strap of the bag containing the dress as it crossed her body. Her mouth felt dry. She swallowed. “Which faction did you say you were with, again?” As she stared at the fighter, she realized she did not recognize his uniform as one she had seen Gamma, Tau, or Eta wear before.

  He smiled at her. However it did not put Rodan at ease.

  “I will walk with you until you return to your encampment, then.” He took another step closer to her.

  “No. I really should be going.” Rodan backed away from the fighter. Now she wished she had waited for Jabok to walk with her instead of going alone.

  As if her thoughts had summoned him, Jabok’s voice called out to her. “Rodan? Who are you talking with?”

  She turned in the direction of his voice, watching for him as he came through the brush. As soon as she saw him, she looked back at the fighter.

  He was gone.

  She ran to Jabok, shaking slightly.

  “What is wrong?” he asked.

  “There was a fighter here. I tripped over him. And he asked me where I was from. And said he wanted to go to the encampment with me,” she stammered.

  Jabok hugged her while looking around, burying her head in his chest. “I do not see him. Did he say which faction he was with?”

  “No,” she said into his chest. “And I did not recognize his uniform.”

  He twisted to look behind him. “It was probably a Gamma faction fighter. They have been known to wear uniforms given to them by other factions at times.”

  She nodded, even though, deep down, she did not agree. However, as he held her, she willed the unreasonable fear to go away. Jabok was right. The fighter was likely a Gamma faction fighter on a mission of some sort. Rodan had no idea why she was overreacting. When her shaking stopped, she looked up at Jabok. “I am better now.”

  “Good,” he said. “Let us continue on to our home. I want to get started framing the lower level.”

  Our home. Rodan smiled at the words. With the unease she had felt now gone, she once again dreamed of her future with Jabok. Hand in hand, they walked the rest of the way home, together. She only looked back once before putting the incident out of her mind for good.

  After safely storing the bag containing her dress, and sternly warning Jabok not to open it, Rodan and her intended mate went to work setting the frame for the lower level of their home. It was hard work, but she did not mind because she knew what the end result would be. Before she knew it, the blue Treborian sol was directly overhead and her stomach was growling. It was time for mid-helio meal.

  She fastened the wooden plank she was working on in place and turned to Jabok. “Time to eat.”

  Jabok stood not far from where she was working and nodded. “My stomach agrees. My mother volunteered to make mid-helio meal for us.”

  “That was very nice of her,” said Rodan.

  “No. It was not about being nice. It was about her making sure we did not spend the entire helio out here. My parents are very traditional. So, she would prefer my first late helio with you be after our bonding ceremony.”

  Rodan blushed. After their bonding ceremony she knew she would be sharing a sleeping unit with him, but the thought of spending late helio with Jabok before their ceremony had never entered her mind. Though, she was nervously excited about sleeping with him, she was also traditional. Her parents had raised her properly. She would have to find a way to make sure her soon to be mated-mother knew she would uphold all of their peoples’ beliefs and traditions.

  “If we are going to visit with your mother, I will need to clean up,” said Rodan.

  “You can clean up when we make it to my parents’ home.”

  “No, I cannot. I will not visit with them looking like this,” she replied using her hands to point to her mussed hair, the sweaty grime she felt on her face, and the dirt on her hands and arms.

  “Fine,” Jabok huffed. “I will go to the well and draw water for you. But please hurry. I am quite hungry.”

  Rodan went into the single room structure and found towels she could use when Jabok returned with water. As she waited, she heard the sound of distant thunder which was followed by the feeling of the ground trembling. She set the towels on a table and walked to the door.

  What was that? she wondered.

  She looked in the direction of the main part of the encampment. The sound had seemed to come from there. As she watched, she saw what looked like a flash of light. Since the sol was still in the sky, it was hard to tell what type of light she had seen.

  Jabok came running up to the door of their home.

  “Did you see and feel that?” he asked.

  “I felt something. And I think I saw a flash of light. But what was it?”

  “I do not know for sure, but I believe something is happening back in the center of the encampment. We must go back and find out.”

  “Okay,” Rodan replied. She did not particularly want to go back to find out what the noise and the flash were, but she also did not want Jabok to leave her alone as he went to check it out.

  Rodan followed Jabok as he sprinted into the woods. They were quiet. Doing their best to only travel within paths already created by wildlife, they cautiously made their way closer to the center of the settlement. However, just as they reached the edge of the encampment, something fell from the sky and exploded.

  The Keepers were attacking.

  Rodan stopped in her tracks and grabbed Jabok’s arm.

  “We do not have much further to go,” he said.

  “We cannot go into the encampment. They are under attack. We need to go and call for help. The factions need to know we need help.”

  “There is no time. We need to go and help our people fight. My parents are there. Your parents are there.”

  “I know my parents are there,” Rodan snapped. “But you and I are not fighters. We need to call for assistance.” Rodan walked away from their encampment and toward the comm center.

  Jabok pulled his hand from hers. “I cannot abandon my family like this.”

  “You are not abandoning your family. Remember,” she placed her hand on her chest over the ring she wore on a necklace under her shirt, “‘Where you go I go, and anywhere I go, you go.’”

  He paused. He came back and kissed her. And then ran toward the encampment.

  Rodan watched as he disappeared into the brush. She wanted to follow him.

  When he had asked her to be his mate, she had vowed to remain with him forever. But their only hope was help from one of the factions. If she could get to the comm center and call for help, fighters would come and Lewu would be saved.

  She closed her eyes and exhaled. He will be safe, she thought to herself and ran in the opposite direction.

  Rodan wheezed and breathed ragged breat
hs as she reached the rock outcropping. She stood at the base of the incline and recited the poem all children of Lewu encampment learned.

  Early helio’s sol on your face.

  Marked spot will be at your waist.

  Down the slope, you are too far.

  Near the apex is where you are.

  She climbed up the inclined rock surface clumsily. She had to get to the top of this rock. As she ascended, she slipped a few times cutting and scraping her hands. However, this did not deter her.

  Finally, she was at the peak. She turned to face where the sol rose. Then, at waist height, she started searching the rock for the symbol. Three claw marks, not the four or five of most animals.

  She wiped away the sweat which stung her eyes. The mark. There. She touched it, and pressed the rock between the three jagged cuts. When it depressed, she heard a click. Rodan dropped to the ground, moved the brush covering the now exposed entrance, and crawled through the small opening. She scuttled down a narrow passageway that eventually emptied into a larger room.

  The room was a large space carved out of the rock in which it was hidden and lit with electrical lights. It contained a single item, the comm system. She ran over to the controls and turned it on. The system powered up in moments. She turned the frequency modulator to the setting for the closest faction, Tau.

  “Hello. Hello. Is anyone listening. Please, Lewu encampment needs your assistance.” She screamed into the device.

  She waited but got no response. So, she repeated her message again. Tears rolled down her face. This could not be happening. She repeated her message once more and then decided to call the next closest faction. She changed the frequency modulation to Gamma’s setting.

  “Hello! Hello! Is anyone listening! Please!” Sobbing made it hard for her to speak. “Please, Lewu encampment needs your assistance!”

  She waited, trying to control her tears long enough to request help again. When her crying had subsided enough for her to talk, she made her pleas, again, and stopped.