by Melanie Ray
He headed out with his father, looking back once toward Ezzy. The next time, it would be all over.
One way or another.
Chapter 89
ANOMALY CHANGES EVERYTHING
"Unbelievable." King Fayu had been watching a screen as Iri hung in chains. He gestured to Iri. "Look at this, hobbling around on the outskirts of the Warno Kingdom. Yeducavich does not hobble. He is not with him." He crossed his arms and sighed wearily. "Oh well. It would have been fascinating if he had changed in front of them, but at least I can use him later if I get bored."
"What do you mean changed?" Xiamipoc's wife asked. "What have you done to my Xiam?"
"A Pink, my dear. The worst waryes of the kind," King Fayu grinned. "He'll be changing soon. It's all part of the game." He shrugged. "Not much to the game anymore."
"Majesty?"
King Fayu turned around when he saw his messenger. He almost laughed, his hair was windblown like crazy. "What?"
"A new report. Someone is at the castle of the Warno Kingdom," his messenger informed him.
"Probably someone grieving the falling kingdom, what do I care?" King Fayu scoffed.
"Because...it's Friedric Marks."
Should that name make a difference to him? "Who is Friedric?"
"A soldier. We lost contact with him some time ago. Others searched for his body, but no trace was found. We've got a voice recognition detector near the castle, and it picked his voice up."
"A traitor? Execute him" King Fayu shrugged, why was this messenger bothering him about something so small.
"The voice recognition shows it's him, but it doesn't look or act like him. His tail is ringed, fury, and his eyes are rimmed with neon green." The messenger trembled slightly as he handed the official documentation to King Fayu. "He...turned into a warno."
King Fayu yanked the documentation and looked at it. A waryes into a warno? How?! "What is he doing there?"
This couldn't be true, it couldn't be.
"Our cameras show that he carried a basket with a baby."
"A baby?"
"Yes, Majesty."
"Son of a-!" King Fayu ripped up the documentation. So, for once, Yed had a new member he had gained trust in enough to complete the job. He had enough warnos to pull it off. This was no longer a game. "Where is Protector Yeducavich?"
"King, Majesty."
"What?"
"Surveillance that had watched him at the mountains reported that he adopted Regwallis. He is King Yeducavich, sir."
King? King?! King Fayu grabbed the messenger by the throat. "Where is my surveillance now?!"
"You told them to stay back, Sire!" The messenger choked the words out, barely able to breathe. "They haven't followed him since the mountains. They kept tabs by following your former Pink, Sire."
"Which is not with them. He is on his way here." King Fayu shoved the messenger back. This was no joke, and there was no time. If he completed the rhyme, it would be over. All a warno needed, all they had ever needed, was a strong scent. The Warno Kingdom's royalty was built upon the strongest pheromone line. Yeducavich had Ezraponia, and four pure children. Without any Chronicles at such a young age, their magic would be tapped by nature in the four corners of power.
With Ezraponia at the center.
"Send out an emergency distress. Have all guards check the perimeter of the wall, hunt the mountains, get out to the castle of the Warno Kingdom, and get on high alert! Everyone entering the kingdom from this point on will be checked!" King Fayu slammed his fist into his wall.
No more playing, the new king of the Warno Kingdom was going down.
Chapter 90
EMERGENCY
"Yed, I don't get this at all!" Yed Senior tried to drive forward, but the wind was howling backward. "I think were close to a tornado, we should find shelter!"
"It's not a tornado!" Yed yelled. "It's Ezra! Everything must be in place, I have to get Tigeravich to the Waryes Kingdom!" The goal was so close, and from the upturn, he could feel it was true. He didn't know what was going to happen, but the facts were clear. Something would happen, and it would be big. If he had to drag Carressella to the Waryes Kingdom itself, they were making it inside.
When they reached the gates, Yed Senior had no problem getting them in. Yed had worn a pair of eye contacts his father had brought and shaved his tail. In the passenger seat, there wasn't much else to it.
After they were let in, it was only a short trip to Yed Senior's home.
"Your mother is not going to remember you, neither is your sister," his father warned. "Do you understand that? Here, I have a different name too."
"Danva, Phaver, and Litalia I remember." Yed looked at his father, still seeing amazement in his eyes. "Let's go in, dad."
As they were entering the apartment, alarms started to sound down the street.
Warning! Intruders are trying to enter the Waryes Kingdom! All soldiers to the perimeter, by order of the king!
More warnings were spouted. Yed just smirked. "Too late, Fayu." He held Carress tightly in his arms. The wind howled outside the home. He approached the window closer, peeking out. You could practically see the twists and curls of the wind, debris was flying through the air like trapeze artists. "Dad, we should keep low. If they check apartments, they might find us. Do you have a basement, or somewhere we could hide no one will check for?"
"Oh, that weather outside is simply awful," Litalia said as she came in. She looked at Yed oddly for a few seconds.
"Patient. I am correcting his back soon. You know King Fayu, always experimenting." Danva gently pushed his wife out of the room. "Why don't you call Phaver for dinner tonight?" He looked back toward Yed. "I've got a closet, but let's see what we can do with it."
Chapter 91
BETWEEN FATHER AND DAUGHTER
"Majesty, the word has been given." The brave messenger came back once again. "However, it's tough getting the word out. There is a tornado coming this way."
"It's not a tornado. I messed around too much, didn't settle down fast enough. Right when I decide to, I finally encounter this?" King Fayu groaned. "He is here already. The wind is unstoppable, I've never seen it this bad. He's always gotten two, maybe three in place. He has everyone. Everyone!"
He had become attached to that time, he had stayed too long. There was only one other option. "Get out the red and pink inhibitor, and load it up. All soldiers will leave the Waryes Kingdom at once."
"Sire? Leave?" The messenger asked. "The residents though."
"Forget the residents! We're leaving. If he wants to put up a fight, I'll fight. Grab the prisoner, and get Xiamipoc Cattral from the forest. We will head to the largest inhibitor mass. No more slow acid rain, and no more wondering how to keep surviving. If waryes couldn't survive without warnos, then so be it.
No one would.
Yed stood in a closet with Carressella behind some clothes. They didn't have a basement, only a small walk in. They hid behind some coats, and even dropped some to the ground to keep others from seeing them.
Carressella cried, not liking the darkness.
"Hey, hey. The world might be getting brighter soon," Yed comforted her. "In the meantime, I'm here. Let's not cry, that won't be so good." Yed held her tightly as he could. As nice as his father's surgery sounded, it was too risky right now. He continued to keep Carressella in the basket round his neck. "Why don't I sing you a lullaby? There is a popular one every kid sings. It turns out, that it might even be part of saving our species. Wouldn't that be fun?" Yed rocked his neck back and forth slowly, causing the basket to move. He'd never actually sang this lullaby to the babies before. In his time, Tiger and Carress had been too old to hear it. It was always a simple, every day nursery rhyme. Sometimes words would change from mommy to daddy, or from rocking to spinning, but it was a gentle sounding song.
It sure beat the heck out of rocking a baby out of a tree, that old Earth song. Honestly, who came up with that? No was around to hear his atrocious singing e
ither, so if he was going to calm her down with a lullaby, now was the time.
"Rainbow colors,
Black and white,
Hold onto daddy,
And hold on tight.
We'll spin around having fun
Until time says our day is done.
But time is never ending
So the day is never done.
So keep spinning, child
Until forever and a day
If you simply risk your mind
You can eternally play.
Rainbow colors,
Black and white,
Hold onto daddy,
And hold on tight.
We'll spin around having fun
Until time says our day is done.
He sang the song to her three times before she started to fall asleep. "It's always been a nice song. I think it was another you who wrote it, in another time." He used his more mobile hand and squeezed the covers around her nicer. With her asleep, all that was left was to wait.
He hated that. As much as he knew he couldn't change anything, his mind always drifted to the time he had been born in. The time he had forsaken. It wasn't intentional, but why hadn't they moved? Why didn't they got to Fala? Why did the Waryes capture them, and why didn't they leave? They shouldn't have waited on him because he wasn't there. He couldn't always be there, and that was a hard lesson to learn himself. Muin was learning it, Xiam learned it, and even Ezraponia was alone.
That lesson would have saved them. He watched Carressella sleep. That time would always haunt him, but he was learning to live in this one. If he could keep Ezzy from giving up, that is.
Yed could hear the howling outside, and shattering. The wind was getting even worse. He heard more yells through the closet door. Everyone was loud, trying to be heard over the wind.
What is going on here?! Phaver, duck for cover, sweetheart!"
"But mom, something's going on! Look out the window, King Fayu is leaving!"
"The windows are breaking, stay away from them!"
King Fayu was leaving? He was leaving? Yed moved out of the clothes and slightly opened the door. He had to find out more. "Phaver! Phaver!" He kept yelling for her, trying to catch her attention. Phaver came over toward him, along with Danva and his mother.
They closed the door, and everyone sat down. It was too dangerous to be out there now.
"Did you say you saw King Fayu?" Yed asked Phaver again. "Out the window leaving?"
"Yeah, him and a huge string of soldiers. They were carrying some red and pink crystals," Phaver answered before coming closer to him and peering into the basket. "Oh, she is so little! What's her name?"
"Carressella," Yed answered. Red and pink crystals? It had to be inhibitor. He had caused something after all, but what had happened?
"There is something weird in the wind," Phaver said as she looked at her dad. "I can't describe it, it smells funny."
Pheromones. The wind and Ezra were connecting like a wire system.
"Oh, she is so cute." Litalia came over to the basket as well. Just adorable! I remember when my kids were this big. I mean, Phaver. I mean..." Litalia scratched her head. "Was she this small?"
"Don't think so hard, honey," Danva encouraged her. He looked toward Yed. "They get-"
"I know." Yed smiled, remembering how confused they all had been in the Waryes Kingdom. "Yeah, she's cute. Takes after her mother."
"So you're the father? Danva, I had no idea he was carrying such a small baby in that basket! Why didn't you tell us? We could have watched her during his surgery." Litalia touched the blanket. "She is beyond cute. I can't stop looking at her, the little princess."
"Technically." Yed shrugged. He looked toward his father who was eyeing him. Like he should keep Ezraponia's identity a secret like this from his father. He had taken his father for granted once. Never again. "Ezraponia Cattral. She was apparently the daughter of a lost princess the kingdom had claimed was dead."
"Wait, so you are a king? Interesting." Litalia stared at him. "Of a faraway kingdom of some sort?"
"Not King. I'm just the father of some princess' children." Yed smiled. "It's complicated."
"It's not complicated. You are the last to the throne," his father disagreed.
"I'm not married to her, okay?"
"It matters not," his father said again. "Yed, you are officially the king."
"I served King Sheward, I am not taking his place." Yed looked back toward Carressella. "I am just getting by."
"As King Yeducavich. Like it or not, you are a king!"
Yed didn't argue the facts. Not accepting the throne when he agreed to take over Regwallis' care was one thing. He had accepted a lesser role of Father Consort. Ezraponia's family though. She was a princess, legally, like it or not. He was the father of her children. Ever avenue was pointing to a fact he couldn't stall much longer. "Yeah, I suppose I am."
"King Yeducavich? King doesn't sound family, but Yeducavich. I know that name." Litalia hit her lip. "Well, we certainly need to watch your baby while you are in surgery."
"That won't be anytime soon. Not in this weather," Phaver said. "We're all likely to get blown away. When's it going to stop?"
"I don't know, but we should go check on our neighbors," Litalia said. "The Foesters at least. What if they don't have a closet?"
"They are so mean." Phaver crossed her arms. "Not worth it."
"Show some compassion. Just because the kingdom is rude, that doesn't give you a right to be." Litalia opened the door, and Yed tried to go to. "No, no! What if something happens to that basket? It's blowing so badly out there."
"I'll watch her for you." Danva took the basket off his head. "She'll be safe. Go do what you need to."
Yed followed Litalia out. He kept a tight grip on her as she closed the door and they went out into the hallway. He followed Litalia, still holding onto her hand. The breeze had even found its way into the hallway.
Litalia knocked on a door. When it opened...
A warno with eyes of confusion stared back at her. "Hello?"
"Mister Foester? Are you Mister Foester?" She looked back on him. "Your clothes are his, but you can't be him! Who are you?"
"I don't know," he said as another woman approached behind him. "She doesn't know who she is either."
"Why are you in the Foester's clothes?" Litalia asked. "Who are you?"
Yed looked down the hallway as more warnos began to peer out. Warnos.
"Help me!" A scream was heard next to the Foesters. "Someone help, I can't take this, help!"
Yed moved along with Litalia and he banged the door down. A waryes was grabbing her head, tearing at her carpet.
"I can't take it, I can't take the smell! It's driving me crazy!" she screamed. "Litalia, help me!"
"I don't know what's wrong," her roommate said from over her. "There is a funky smell, but I don't understand it."
Yed came over with Litalia and helped the young waryes. She screamed, almost in agony.
Her back arched up once, as her tail's fur began to change. The color grew lighter, as it grew bushier. It began as a puce color, but then turned white with patches of orange. No, rings of orange. The hair on her head had turned an orange tone too.
"I have never in all my life seen this happen," Litalia touched her head. "Are you okay? Hello?"
When she opened her eyes, she had the same look of confusion and green within them. "Who are you?"
Amnesia. Yed stood up and went to the broken window. He could see some warnos actually looking around for companions to huddle up with. Masses with no memory. Like Guy, their waryes past was erased.
They were warnos.
Chapter 92
NEW KING
By the time the weather had returned to normal, houses had been shredded, and every piece of window had been broken. The roads were filled with debris, and the former waryes all stood around. No one knew what to do, or who anyone had been. Each of them were as harmless as Guy now.
"Yed, I think it's time you tell them something," Danva warned him. "Everyone is a lost soul. Come with me." He went over to a vehicle Yed remembered was a roller. There was no driver, but it didn't matter. Danva seemed to know straight where to go.
Yed held Carressella's basket around his neck. Even though his mom wanted to watch her, The top of King Fayu's castle. Inside, he could smell him all over the place. The wind had torn down paintings and pictures of the king. Fitting. He almost smiled at that. The room was dark, but light shined through the opened windows. Danva pushed his way through broken glass, and gestured for Yed to join him on a balcony.
Below, Yed saw all the citizenry. Some were moving around frantically, while others stayed completely still. As if any slight movement might ruin their chance to remember who they had been.
Danva pushed a button on the balcony and a podium started to move up. Yed thought he would speak, but he didn't place it a high level. He placed it a level Yed could speak from. "This connects with every home, every station, and every hallway in the Waryes Kingdom. He rarely used this, barely wanted to actually make contact with 'peasants'." He placed Yed in front of the podium. "It's time to speak to your warnos, King Yeducavich."
Yed looked toward his father. What should he say to a bunch of reborn warnos?
"You have to bear the honor and responsibility that has been bestowed to you." Yed Senior patted his shoulder. "Everyone's waiting to know something." His father helped him take Carressella's basket from off of his neck.
Yed looked out from the podium. "Hello?"
Everyone stopped moving, and looked up toward him. Warnos started sticking their head out of windows. Every eye had now been facing toward him. Every head was turned his way. The entire Waryes Kingdom was now at his command.
"Good morning, did you have a nice sleep?" He joked. "Let me guess. Everybody here doesn't remember who they are? Well, that's because you don't need to. Whatever that life was, it's gone now. Believe it or not, you used to be evil. Filled with violence, and rage. You've been reborn, the way you should have been. With peace and love in your heart. From this day forward, you can give yourself have names, and you'll experience greater things."