by Melanie Ray
"Now?" Ezra tried to run with him. "But-but-did you figure out how to fix us?"
"No, but we'll be sent to another planet if we do not go now," Yed warned her. "Give me a five second lead, we're crashing through the weakest corner." Yed continued to run, and then held out his arms toward the tank.
It shattered like glass. Yed stopped, trying to ignore the glass like shards falling around. They had been rounded so they wouldn't cut at least. He changed direction and busted the siding of Muin and Zaria's tank.
Both of them quickly grabbed one baby with their mouth, but they weren't born to be held that way for long.
"Ezra, other side!" Yed grabbed a hold of the cloth of Cooey beside Muin, while Ezra helped grabbed on to Zaria Junior. "Run out the door, turn left!" It was muffled, but he made sure to stay out in front with Muin. Holding the cloth of the kids and running at a fast pace was risky, if it broke, poor Cooey or Zaria would crash to the floor. Not only would they be hurt, but there would be no time to get away again.
As they turned left, Yed saw it. He knew from how fast the ambassador came, it wouldn't be far. It was even left open. The transporter was much larger, but he'd seen their personal transporter before. The code panel would be at the top.
"There!"
Everyone slid inside, and Yed let go of the cloth with his teeth to climb to the panel. He naturally knew Pagnia's code, it was mandatory to know it for all Protectors. "Hang on, we're out of here!"
Chapter 76
WRONG GUY
"Okay, it's okay." Guy smiled as he held Tiger and his bottle. The babe took some time to get to know him. The female baby was easier to manage, but the boy was fierce. Remembering how the Protector dealt with him, he knew he must be taking after his father. "There you go, drink up. Your mother will be back soon. Regwallis?" Luckily, he wasn't alone. Even though Prince Regwallis was a boy, he acted older than he had been. He even made polite conversation with him, telling him about his older days. He even told Guy why Yed was his adoptive father. Regwallis was not King Regwallis, he was truly Prince Regwallis. King Yeducavich and Queen Ezraponia did not take on their new royal names, but when it came down to it, that was who they were.
Protector was one thing, but when he had learned he was watching the last of the royalty's children, he did his absolute best to make sure the children were treated well. Last thing he wanted was to be destroyed by a king.
A part of him was unsettled about the royalty returning. Everyone was gone, and all he had for an eyewitness was Regwallis. What if they didn't believe the prince? Running was the best option, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Regwallis couldn't raise the babies, he was only a child himself. It was a risk. "You'll be sure to tell your daddy that I didn't do anything wrong, right?" The baby just cooed on him. "Good, I'm sure he'll know what that means."
"Guy?" Regwallis asked him. "I think she needs a change."
"Okay, hang on." Guy set down Tiger with the bottle. "Can you grip that, little guy?" He laughed. "Yes, you can. Good." Guy went over to help change the girl. It had been over a week, and he still couldn't remember a stitch of his past. Prince Regwallis had named him 'Guy' and for now, it worked. But what was his real name? Who was he, and why couldn't he remember? Friends, family, maybe even someone he loved. Out there was another life, but he couldn't remember it.
One night, he dreamt of red and blood flowing from innocent warnos. He must have been in some sort of war, like the warnos who kept him prisoner. He couldn't ever see himself being chased though, only red eyes. Deep red eyes, getting lighter and lighter into a pinkish hue. Then, green radiated from the red, drowning it out, and he felt at peace again.
"There we go, all cleaned up." Guy held out Carress toward Prince Regwallis. "Here you go." Before he was able to give the baby back to Regwallis, he was rushed. He felt himself being slammed to the floor.
Standing above him, with eyes that were downright primal, King Yeducavich. He tried to move his hands, but they were pinned. A growl escaped him and Guy closed his eyes. There was no way he would survive.
"I command you to stop, or you’re a traitor to your kingdom!"
Guy didn't feel any letup, but the king had turned to look toward Prince Regwallis. Beside him, were some new warnos, as well as the mother near her daughter again. Well, at least the baby had been okay.
Prince Regwallis approached, almost regally. "Get off of him, he is not to blame. Without him, the babies and I would be dead. Stand down, Protector!"
Guy watched as the warno slowly moved away from him. He didn't stand up, and was still on all fours. Odd, but he wouldn't question it. Guy moved away, standing up on his two feet.
King Yeducavich moved toward the prince. "Tell. Me." His voice was thick, the loss mounting on him. There was no ignoring the trail of blood outside.
"Iri Aunt and Xiam Uncle, they..." Regwallis didn't continue. "We were attacked. The other Protectors gave their lives to get me back. I yelled but I couldn't move, and Xiam Uncle... and then Iri Aunt..." He gestured to Guy. "He came out, and somehow casted some kind of lightning spell. We went back in, but the waryes stayed away. He's been caring for us since."
"How long?" The mother barely got her voice up high enough to be heard.
"About a week. Shortly after you left." King Regwallis gestured to Guy. "So, no hurting him, Protector. You owe our lives to him."
The Protector didn't say or do anything. He stared at King Regwallis, before finally bowing his head. Guy watched him continue on all fours to the other warnos. The females were both weeping terribly. He'd better let them know the details. Getting up from the corner he had started to cowering in, he approached the females first.
"I'm sorry about your loss. They were remarkably brave."
My words didn't help them at all with their grief. I tried again, this time approaching the one I was most scared of. A Protector would know what to do with this information. "King Yeducavich? A word?"
He didn't question me, and walked over on all fours to a corner.
"There is something else. You've seen the blood outside?" He didn't need to nod, nor did I expect him to. "They were taken." His head shot up, quick.
"Taken?" Yed had ignored the king remark, he wasn't in the mood for correcting. He had seen the blood and the familiar tracks of a vehicle, but why were they alive? Iridescent being taken would make sense, but why would Xiamipoc be taken. During the war, none of them were taken. Io was spared but he was...oh no. Experimentation.
Did they take Xiamipoc for experimentation? Memories came unbidden to his mind again. Old memories, and new memories. Times in Aryu, their double date with the females, and escaping. All that work, and he was still captured.
He could be anywhere, and he couldn't enter the waryes domain easily. A phone would warn his father to watch out for him, but that's the best he could do. There was still no guarantee he could save them.
Please, don't let him get stuck through that machine like his father. He should have lived a longer life, grew up fine on Earth. Grew up as a brother.
This odd new warno was right in moving him to the side. It was better for Ezra and Muin to believe he was dead. One day, maybe he could get the two of them out again. Until then, he'd keep the news. "Don't tell anyone."
"Whatever you say, sir." The unknown warno looked at Yed. No doubt he noticed the fact he was all fours.
"Things didn't go smoothly." That was all Yed would say on the matter. At least Xiam was alive. Iri, he knew her fate. She was young enough, would be turned into a waryes, and be fine. Just, without Xiam again. He tried to block out how much he wanted to run out, yell and fight his way to him. The others had been killed, only Tug and the Protectors at his home base were left.
No one would be here, except for the new warno who apparently saved the day. Without him, the babies would be gone. Not to mention King Regwallis. "Thank you." He couldn't hold out his hand too well, but he needed to shake his hand. He saved his family. Mustering enough strength, he stretch
his fingers out and shook it. "My appreciation can never be enough."
The Guy nodded. "I honor your opinion, Majesty."
"Don’t say that," Yed corrected him this time. "I'm not taking the crown, I just raise Regwallis."
"Prince Regwallis said technically you are, whether you want to be or not." Guy bowed politely again. "Sire then?"
"Just Yed." Luckily he didn't shake terribly long. Yed brought it back to the ground, knuckles on it again."Since you aren't trying to kill me, and I'm not locked up anymore?" The new warno looked awkwardly at Yed. "Who am I, Yed, Sire?"
Who was he indeed. Yed couldn't flat out say he was a being of immense hatred, a devil killing hundreds of warnos with his blade. "Reborn." He'd have to ease into it. "You were reborn." His mind drifted back to Xiam. A week, a whole week, long gone. He didn't foresee the waryes wanting to mess around in Sanctuary, nothing but books. They weren't even supposed to be at war anymore.
"What do you mean reborn?" The new warno rubbed his shoulders. "I have dreams about evil and darkness. Red and pink. Then, a radiant green and I'm better. Why?"
Green. Yed looked into his eyes. They used to be a slight brown, and now they were green. Around the cornea, there was a small trace of a neon green, like the inhibitor. "Regwallis said you cast magic."
"Lightning. I don't know. I wanted to help, I honestly did, Sire. I just had this feeling, and a shout from somewhere said 'cast it'. I just did it, and there it was." He stopped rubbing his shoulders. "Do you know my name at least? The Prince has taken to calling me Guy."
"I don't know it. You attacked us." Yed watched him move back a little in disbelief. "You were the enemy that you shot lightning at."
"But, I can't be. I can't stand violence. I don't even want to think about fighting," he said. "You have to believe me, I would never fight. If I could, then I'd help, not hurt!"
"I get it." Yed made an effort to put his hand on Guy's knee. Being down on all fours while others were still on two, it wasn't as easy to feel superior. "You're fine, Guy. Do you like that name?"
"Your son calls me it," he said again. "It's better than nothing."
"Fine, we'll call you Guy then." Yed nodded to him one more time. "Remember, don't tell anyone. I don't know if I can get them out, and it's easier this way. Their grief will come and go." Guy nodded, while Yed walked back to Muin and the others.
Zaria was lying on the ground, comforting Muin. Her eyes were filled with tears, and she was still sniffling. The babies lied between them. Yed wanted to comfort her, but her husband would take care of her.
He looked toward Ezra. She was busying herself with Carress and Tiger, figuring out how to do something as simple as hold them. "Ezzy."
"Don't say that," Ezra said, almost viciously. Her eyes lashed in anger. "You only use that for bad situations. It's not how it looks." She tried to wrap Tiger up in a blanket, but failed. "It's not how it looks, it's not how it looks."
Yed came over to her, trying to put his arm around her back. She backed away, and he didn't force the issue. Xiam and Iri were gone. He couldn't say anything uplifting, what was there to say? She couldn't even hold her dear children.
The wind could be heard blowing outside, meaning it was ferocious. Yed looked toward Tiger and Carress, both crying. They never had Chronicles, but they were mere babies. He knew them when they were older, and neither one could control magic. So who was this from?
He looked over toward Guy, who was over in a corner by himself. Magic. Emotion. Ezra's overpowering scent. Did she actually have the power to change the evilness inside that waryes, to good? He couldn't remember anything. If he had any evil tendencies, Regwallis wouldn't have saved him. Guy had spent a week, a week, alone with his family.
That hidden rhyme had better be a miracle because that was the only thing left to pray for.
That night, Ezra was silent as the babies crawled around. With no ability to even open fingers without pain, diapers wouldn't work. Clothes were a large enough hassle. Yed didn't speak much either. He felt guilt and shame, but he knew if waryes came after him that Guy would be the only one to save the day. How could he help, with the way he was?
Zaria barely spoke a word. He was filled with sorrow, but Yed could see anger directed at him too. There was no choice though, he wasn't going to let them become separated to a planet he didn't know. Experimentation was not worth the risk.
Now, what was he supposed to do? He had everyone that was needed, but they couldn't leave in that condition. He had no idea how to fight the way he had been transformed.
"Wye?"
Yed looked toward Ezra. Was she talking to him or his son? He forgot all about the renaming, he'd just started to think of his son as Tigeravich again. Wye, was his name. Used to be his name.
"Wye?"
Yeah, she was referring to him. "What is it?"
"Tell me something. Something about Xiam in your other time."
Xiam. "He was X. He was with us the whole time. Never spent a day apart back then." Yed looked toward her. "You're calling me Wye."
"It's obvious that's you." She looked toward him, trying to smile. It was almost painful. "Your other time, does it still exist? Or, did you change it?"
"I can't go back, but yeah, it exists." He understood what she was getting at. "He was happy and alive with Iri, in another time." Not his though. Not anymore. "We can't change what happened, and trust me, you don't want to mess with time. We have the kids, we have Muin back, and we have each other. That's the best we can ask for."
"Do we?" Her wording was soft. "Do you feel like I'm not another Ezraponia anymore? Do you feel like you belong this time?"
Yed gulped. "AnoNymous did something. She made me remember, and I don't think I'll forget again." He stole a glance her way. "This is my time. This is all I have left, and I will do whatever I can to ensure we’re okay."
"Now or for the future?"
"Now, and hopefully in the future." Yed looked toward Tiger, trying to climb a pile of books. Oh, man, the baby was learning to crawl. "I treasure every minute." He looked back toward Ezra. "Every minute of everything." Yed tried to wrap his arm around her again, but once again she moved again.
"Everything?" Ezra looked at the ring around her neck. "I lied, Yed, I know what this is. Why did you have it?"
He knew it, of course she knew. Who didn't? It was better to pretend though. "I'll tell you later, Ezra." Just a hug, couldn't he even get a hug? He'd gotten a hug from Muin, and she had even cried a little on him. He shared an embrace with no problem, but Ezra wouldn't even allow an arm around her. "Ezzy?" He tried one more time to place his arm around her.
Ezra got up, and shrugged him off.
Damn. Yed looked on the other side, making sure everyone was still asleep. They were still asleep, so he got up after her. "Ezra."
"No, don't." Ezra leaned her body pressure from her left to the right, wobbling. "I'm not playing with you anymore. Twice you've kissed me, and you apologized, but you still treat me like this? My brother is dead, and all I want to do is grieve. But how can I around you? When I don't even know what you are?" She moved further away. "Just, Protector Yeducavich. I'll play awkward around you tomorrow." She bit the ring on her necklace and pulled, stretching her front. She no longer cared how much she had to expose herself to take it off.
It fell to the floor, and she continued moving.
She had not spoken to him like that in a long time. Yed lied back down, thinking of what she had said. Right now, she needed comfort, and he couldn't give her what he needed. Time was so messed up in the beginning, but the way he had ended what he thought would be his last memory. No wonder she was confused.
Now wasn't the time, it was never the time. War was going on, her brother was taken or dead, Iri was gone, and they were stuck on all fours. Situation after situation, it was never the right time to figure out things between them. It simply got worse.
He had greedily seized her twice in the past, and for her both those kisses were only
months apart. Then, finding that Protector Ring. He watched Tiger still trying to climb a column of Chronicles. The pile was too high, he'd never get on, but it wasn't high enough that it would be knocking down anytime soon. Regwallis stirred and began to help Tiger. At least the kid was helpful, but thinking of him as a son instead of a king still wasn't easy.
Carressella was asleep on the floor, content without her diaper. Guy was in a corner, sleeping with Xiam's former pillow. Muin was sleeping with her children, with Zaria's arm around her.
He laid his head down again as he heard Muin moan in her sleep. She cried out and woke up, but Zaria was right there.
"It's okay," Zaria assured her. "Muiny, it's alright. It's only a nightmare."
"No, it's not, he's gone." Muiny couldn't or wouldn't open her eyes. She moved closer to Zaria, and he rubbed his cheek against hers.
"Seeing it is only a nightmare. That pain is gone. Over and gone for him." He placed his hand back around her tightly. She eventually succumbed and went back to sleep. Cooey and Zaria moved around slightly, but then fell asleep next to their mother.
He shouldn't do it. Yed's head said he shouldn't do it. He just lost Xiam, for the second time. The first time he didn't even know he was gone until Carressella told him. He lost everyone and everything he had in that time because of his choice. This was it, this was what he had. He had two wonderful babies that he hoped he would see grow up to be the odd kids he remembered. Tiger, headstrong and stubborn. Carressella, sweet and shy like her mother. He had a semi-safe home, at least with someone who could cast magic to protect them.
He had Ezraponia. He had Ezzy. She didn't have the mind of a child, and she had no brain damage affecting her. She didn't have decades of separation and another life. She was beautiful, smart, witty, and still the female he...
He tightened his knuckles up. The female he loved. The only female he ever loved. Even after all that time in the future, he knew she was it. Damn it, she was hurting just as bad as Muin and him, and he couldn't comfort her! Because she couldn't stand one hug. Could she fall into his arms and grieve, or would it send the wrong message? No wonder she up and left.