Aen held his molecules in a state of transition that left him neither here nor there, but enabled him to observe his daughter for a moment longer. He watched as the door burst open and her eyes widen.
“The bastard was just here!” Sara screamed at the new arrival. “He was just here and I know where to find him!”
Turning to see who she was talking to, Aen’s heart sank as he looked upon that which he had longed for more than anything else the past few years. Her blue hair shone brilliantly in the moonlight and her face looked warm and inviting. He felt himself so drawn to return that he had to let himself go as the room disappeared as he shot towards the hangar he had housed himself in the past few months. In mere seconds, he felt himself return through the rock of the mountain and up into the temple to rejoin Iana.
“Is she unharmed?” Iana asked the instant he materialized just a few feet in front of her as she meditated.
“They are both fine.” He whispered as he removed his helmet and let it fall to the marble floor in a clatter. “I saw her; she still has a hold of me that may complicate all this.”
“And you still have a hold on Lyxia.” Iana comforted him. “Feelings that deep don’t simply disappear overnight. Your paths were bound to cross again; love always finds a way to complicate the simplest of things.”
“Well, we will find that out soon enough.” He spoke softly. “I told Sara how to find us and it won’t be long before she kicks in that door to find the truth she thinks she searches for. Once again, I will shatter the lives of those I care for.”
“All that will be shattered is the web of lies.” Iana replied. “But for now we have to get ready. If they are coming here, there is much to be done and less time to do it. Tell me what I can do to help?”
Aen thought for a minute and reached past the mess of emotion and memories to refocus on what was needed. He had a target now; Myril had forced her hand and reached for the throne as she could no longer contain her lust for the power that came with it. But though he had a face, the words of Palla that haunted his thoughts as she had referred multiple times to a ‘him’. And despite the inclusion and the subsequent mess that had come by regaining his lost memories, Aen had drawn from them a key piece to the hidden source of all the evil that sought to beset the Lyarran Empire.
“We start a counter revolution and take back what is rightfully yours.”
—
Himalayan Mountains; Mount Kailash
As the shuttle began to descend on the abandoned monastery that once housed the greatest secret ever known to man, Lyxia had to reach down deep to contain her excitement. Not since the time they approached the mountain installation on the other side of the planet a few weeks ago, had she been so close to catching this monster and the warrior in her began to want for a chance to beat the truth from his dying body.
It had annoyed her slightly, that young Sara Foster had taken a week to recover from the crash, and a few times Lyxia had nearly left to come here on her own to confront the killer. But patience and friendship had won out; they were in this together and she would not want it any other way. It had been hard to convince the Ifierin charged by Axyn to protect her to stay behind, but being the commanding officer had its advantages and Lyxia had proudly used the orders card to trump the stubbornness they had. It was only the two of them here now, and the reality of what they faced clawed at the back of her mind.
The thud of the ship’s landing shook her from her thoughts as she looked over at Sara. Lyxia had utilized her own transport’s armor fitting machine and adorned her friend with a version of the Ifierin suit of protection. Now Sara Foster looked the part of the strong Council of Terra Sol; if only Iana could see her now. One last check of the fitting of the armor plates and the two took the safeties off their plasma rifles before lowering the ramp and carefully exiting the shuttle. Once on the ground, they quickly noticed a path melted into the deep piled snow that covered nearly everything here; a path that led to some answers.
Lyxia nodded to her friend, and the two slowly began to trek down the path through the village and to the lip of the crater. Once on the edge, they could peer down and see the roof of the temple barely visible through the snow that shrouded it. Smoke rolled from the chimney signifying there was someone inside stoking the fire, and it was then that Lyxia became aware of the mountain wind that bit at her exposed flesh. She felt it sting her cheeks, and began to look for shelter as they would not last in the elements long before succumbing to the cold. Her eyes fell upon a nearby cabin when she felt her shoulder tapped.
“Looks like we go this way.” Sara said as she motioned towards a tunnel of ice that revealed the stone steps leading downwards. “Could be a trap.”
“Maybe.” Lyxia agreed. “But I think he wants answers from us as much as we want them from him; and I’m pretty sure he wants us alive and well to do it.”
Each took a deep breath and Lyxia led the way down the stone steps towards the temple entrance below. Utilizing every bit of her training, she pushed back the fear and anticipation to what lay at the bottom of the cavernous tunnel; but even with such skills it still remained just below the surface. Her emotions roiled beneath her calm exterior and each step brought her ever closer to losing control causing her to stop now and then to catch her breath. Axyn would be ashamed of her, a warrior did not let their emotions rule them; Lyxia was embarrassed that she was so close to the edge.
“It should be dark down here.” Sara’s words brought her distraction from her struggles.
The observation was correct; as they had been descending for the last few minutes and the entrance at the surface was now out of sight, there should be no natural light down here. Yet it was not the case, and a strange sense of familiarity came from the bluish glow within the ice itself. It was calming and alarming all at the same time, but remained constant the whole way down.
As her foot found the basin floor, once again Lyxia felt stone, not ice, beneath her boot. The tunnel widened from here and led right up to the great golden temple doors as she wondered what it took to create such a cavern without tool marks. She waited for Sara to join her at the bottom and both took a moment to gather themselves before finishing the trek to the inner sanctum beyond the doors. Weapons raised and adrenaline amped up, the two moved as one until they crossed the fifty foot span from the stairs to the doors. Lyxia glanced at Sara, and with a nod she pushed the left gate open and slowly crept inside with her friend in her hip pocket.
Inside was not doom and gloom as one would expect; instead they were greeted by light and warmth. A fire roared in the grand fireplace on the right wall and the entire room was lit by candles that adorned the walls as well as the altar. Backs pressed to one another, the two women turned slowly to survey the environment to try and find the one that invited them only to discover they were quite alone. Lyxia let out a sigh and lowered her weapon, though her guard remained up in anticipation of the unknown. In the brief instant she relaxed, the massive door swung shut with an echoing bang; both of them dropped to one knee and rifles poised to fire.
“You will not need those here.” Their quarry’s voice called out from nowhere. “You are here to exchange words, not rounds. Relax; no harm will come to you.”
Lyxia spun around to face the altar and saw the source of the voice. Standing in chromed Ifierin armor with a horned helmet out of a human history book was the one she wanted dead more than anything; yet she need answers from him more than blood.
—
Aen was transfixed at the sight of Lyxia standing a mere few feet from him. After all the agony, all the days and all the time dreaming of her, he was here with her at last. The only problem with that was the fact she didn’t have a clue it was him behind the mask. Soon he would get what he desired, but first he had to finish what he started and prepare them for what would be upon them before long.
“I know you.” He said without thinking to Lyxia. “Your face; your eyes haunt my dreams.”
“And your voice
is what fuels my rage monster.” She spat. “Now stop the sentiment and start giving answers; first being, why would you call us here of all places?”
Aen could feel the hatred in her words, and wondered if that would fade or magnify once he revealed himself. Sticking to the plan and his character, he decided to ham it up a bit and play up to the bad guy they all thought he was and turned to face the giant statue of Iana and stretch his arms out wide.
“Rather fitting, isn’t it?” he asked them. “Almost poetic that it all should happen here.” Aen heard the click of the rifles once more, and knew without turning that they were raised and aimed at his back; he had hit a nerve.
“It’s bad enough that you killed her without reason,” Sara scowled. “But to stand at the foot of her tribute and mock her is too much!”
“She has a name, yet you both struggle to use it.” He was almost smiling behind his mask. “And you don’t need those; in the long run I think they should not be a part of this.”
The two women felt the guns take on excessive weight and struggled to hold them at the ready, before the force of gravity levied upon them, pulled them from Sara and Lyxia’s grasp and sent them to the floor with a metallic thud. Lyxia noted they didn’t bounce or rattle once they fell; they simply hit the floor and stayed put. Aen had disarmed them effortlessly; far better the guns were down seeing as emotions were about to get pretty high.
“And have you done your homework child?” he asked Sara, turning back to them to see a slight look of discomforting fear at what had just happened. “Have you begun to see the big picture yet?”
He watched as she shifted slightly and looked nervously to Lyxia.
“She is too blinded by revenge to see it; that’s why I only asked it of you.” He added.
“It’s all about the throne.” Sara began slowly. “And your quest to sit upon it.”
“Right and wrong, my dear.” He corrected. “It is about the throne, and what it controls as well as keeping those with the intentions of using that control for the wrong purposes.”
“I don’t understand.” Sara muttered. “You don’t want the crown?”
“No, I am not fit to lead the Empire to where it must go. For all my sins and mistakes I am not worthy of such honors; despite my pedigree and the power I possess.”
“Yet you chose to use that power to kill the Empress and vacate the throne?” Lyxia hissed. “She was not worthy of leading us against whatever crap you think is coming?”
“All is not as it seems, Lyxia.” He answered quietly; her words of hatred hit him harder each time. “The Empress had become weak and frail; a Goddess no one loves or fears cannot lead your people into battle. Her enemies had worn her down and were moving in for the kill; I just robbed them of their victory.”
“Victory?” Lyxia was pacing like a caged animal ready to strike. “You murdered Iana in cold blood!”
“I destroyed the Empress.” He replied. “I killed the Goddess of Light to save Iana.”
This stopped Lyxia in her tracks and caused her to look over to Sara for clarification who simply returned a confused shrug as an answer. In a short moment, he had deflected their hatred and replaced it with curiosity; it was almost time to show them the truth.
“I don’t get it.” Sara spoke first. “How do you kill the Empress and save Iana? Who the fuck are you?”
“Are you sure you want this?” Aen asked. “I warned you what the truth may do to you; to both of you.”
“Take off the damn helmet before I do it for you!” hissed Lyxia.
“As you wish, Council.”
Aen bowed, and his fingers found their way up to the pressure release of the helmet and threw the catch. Once released, he slowly pulled it free of his head and let the ornate reproduction of medieval history fall to the marble floor. His dark hair shrouded his face as he straightened upright and with his right hand he brushed it back and away to reveal his face. Aen took a deep breath and opened his eyes.
He watched their faces as the comprehension of who was behind all this dawned on them. He watched as confusion turned to wonder than to sadness. Aen watched the tears pour from his daughter’s eyes and a look of betrayal take over those of Lyxia.
“You were dead.” Sara sobbed. “How can this be you? How could you do such a thing?” Her hands covered her mouth as she shrunk backwards.
Aen almost reached out for her, but was distracted by the sensation of a knife sinking to its hilt in his abdomen. It was a perfect strike; fit between the layers of armor panels and into the one spot that could be vulnerable. His eyes were drawn to the blade; Aen felt the pain yet knew it had done nothing to damage him. His eyes slowly looked up to Lyxia who pulled away from him as anger washed away with regret; she had struck out at him in the culmination of years of pent up emotion and now wished she hadn’t. Aen’s gaze never left hers as he pulled the blade from his body and let it fall blindly.
“Why?” Lyxia demanded as tears stained her bronze cheeks. “How could you kill her after all she did for you? How could you kill Iana?”
“Your rage has interfered with your ability to listen child” another voice came from behind the statue as an armored figure joined them.
From the shadows she emerged, and though her features and hair had been altered, both Lyxia and Sara recognized the voice instantly. Sara stumbled backwards, tripped and fell as her butt skidded on the hard floor. Lyxia fell to her knees sobbing. The woman walked up to Aen and her hand rubbed his cheek lovingly.
“He said he killed the Empress my dears, but he said nothing about killing me.”
—
“I watched you die.” Lyxia cried out from her knees. “I watched as he burned the Lyarra’s Fire with you in it.”
“Obviously I was not.” Iana smiled as she almost floated towards Sara first and helped her to her feet once more. “Are you all right my dear?”
Sara reached out and touched her face; her fingers tracing over each new curve and line as she struggled to understand that this was not a ghost before her. She felt Iana’s warm skin radiate through her fingertips. Iana felt the wonder in her touch as she steadied Sara and led her back towards the altar.
“I watched you die.” Lyxia repeated in a stupor.
“I am afraid what you saw was a clone.” Iana reassured her young pupil as she held out her hands to help bring Lyxia back to her feet but was met with a confused and dumbfounded look.
“We used a little known security protocol to pull a ruse on the entire galaxy.” Aen offered in clarification. “We stole it from storage and flashed Iana’s memories to it to make it real enough to fool everyone. By the reactions I see here, it was more than effective.”
Lyxia’s jaw dropped open as she looked back and forth between what should be two ghosts. Sara, who was less emotionally invested in the Empress, was beginning to make sense of it all and piece it together somewhat.
“How long?” she muttered
“A few months before the Council meeting.” Iana answered. “We were all the way out here before Aen triggered the message and the device. I was shocked that no one noticed the little things with it; I guess being a bit of a shut in has its advantages that people don’t get too close to notice your subtleties.”
“And your face?” Sara reached out and touched her cheek again to be sure that this was all real.
“This was my idea.” Iana said proudly. “Can’t walk around unnoticed when there are statues like this everywhere. Hard to hide when you stick out like a sore thumb.”
“Bryx is gonna kick my ass.” Aen laughed. “I told him I would return you as good as new.”
Finally Lyxia took the hands offered to her and was pulled to her feet; the look of confusion still plastered on her face. She too touched Iana’s face to reassure herself it was all true.
“You couldn’t tell me?” she asked. “Couldn’t trust me?”
“This treachery runs deep, and though we have much of it uncovered now we had no idea of its magnitude ba
ck then.” Aen answered, though Lyxia’s eyes remained transfixed on Iana. “You were being watched; there would be no way of alerting you before now.”
“Being watched?” Sara asked.
“It reaches to every corner of the Empire, and some points far beyond it. From every planet to every ship and even Fleet Command and the Council.” Iana spoke with disgust. “Our enemy has infiltrated every part of the Empire to make sure all would go perfect; they just didn’t account for Aen.”
“I don’t understand.” Lyxia wondered out loud. “You mean even the Dark Light is…”
“Your ship has leaks.” Aen said forcefully. “And I wonder what you are willing to do to stop them.”
Now she turned to him, her eyes still filled with tears of emotion. Before he could react or even speak, Lyxia struck him; hard. Not a slap or a punch on the shoulder, but a full blown, knock-out, closed fist punch that took Aen completely by surprise. Iana watched as he staggered slightly and reached out unsuccessfully to restrain Lyxia from following up on her strike.
“Five years!” Lyxia screamed. “Five years I waited for you to come back to me; to follow up on those unfulfilled feelings we both had! And the whole time I waited like a youngling maiden in first love; an emotional wreck and unable to do my duty! Where were you?”
Iana pulled her away from Aen who was regaining his footing. At heart, she doubted that the blow even hurt him, but that he was reacting to soothe Lyxia’s pain. Iana made sure she stifled her smirk, as it would serve no purpose in the moment.
“Aen was lost within himself.” Iana tried to soothe the rage from her young Council. “When we found him he was a shell; his mind had locked away all memory and emotion save for his feelings for you. I would have brought you to him then and there, but he didn’t know who you were or why he loved you; only that he did and that your name was Lyxia. He was a shell of that what made him what he once was and keeping you apart was my decision not his.”
Ghosts of Lyarra Page 24