Just as their windows were regaining transparency a few seconds later, they beheld the planet begin to crumble under its own weight. Dozens of sections of the crust slid open as countless numbers of fighters fled.
But they were not fast enough. Deep within the planet, there was an explosion. Massive cracks formed on the planet’s surface, and as glass shattering into a billion pieces, the planet split into hundreds of jagged fragments which were consumed by the dying wormhole within. One by one the escaping ships were sucked into the churning maelstrom, now all that was left of the tortured world.
As Yantrik and Asha raced away to safety, even its moons were pulled in. From a safe distance, they saw that even the flagship couldn’t escape this fate and was struggling to keep from being consumed. Yantrik detected a small pod leave the flagship as it was being pulled in, but once the flagship had finally lost this war of opposing forces, the pod vanished along with it. Just to be sure, Asha scanned the debris field but found no life signs.
Yet all of it was bittersweet.
Zahn was gone.
CHAPTER 38
THE HATCHLINGS
In a bizarre flash of nothingness, Zahn found himself sitting in the command chair on Navika once again. Yet something had changed, something so fundamental that Zahn took it for granted. It took him a few moments, and then it hit him: the walls were opaque.
He’d grown so accustomed to being able to easily see the surroundings around Navika that seeing the pearl-colored walls made it seem like an entirely different ship to him.
“Navika, where are we?”
“Zahn, are you all right? We were separated. One moment. I will scan the area.”
“Yes, I think so.” Zahn felt his pulse and his forehead. Aside from some bruises he’d gotten during the battle, he seemed fine.
In a flash, the walls became transparent once more. Wide trees towered all around them, and the sun filtered through a canopy of blue leaves above them. Beside the trees were short, sapphire shrubs and a familiar gravel path, and Zahn smiled from ear to ear.
He was home.
“We’re home, Navika… and we rescued my mother. Can you believe it? Everything is going to change now.”
“Yes, and there is a breezy morning out there waiting for you. For now, go and enjoy your world. Don’t worry about me. I can stay cloaked for as long as you need.”
“Wait a minute… Wait a minute. You’re being kind to me. You always seemed suspicious of me before, but now it almost sounds like you respect me. Did I pass a test or something?”
“You just saved your world from total enslavement, Avanian. Deduce for yourself.”
“Yeah, but I had a lot of help, too. Can you send a message to Asha and everyone else back at Rodhas? Or whatever remains of it, at least.”
“Yes. Speak now.”
“Guys! I’m alive. I can’t explain now, but I’m alive, and I’m on Avani. Navika’s impulse drive is knocked out, but I still made it home. If there are any problems, let me know. Otherwise, I’ll explain everything when you guys get here. Come soon!”
Zahn stood up and took a deep breath. He was about to set foot on Ashraya again for the first time in what felt like weeks. Exactly how long, he wasn’t sure.
“Okay, Navika. Stay here. I’ll be back in a bit.”
For the first time, Zahn heard Navika laugh.
“What’s so funny?”
“Zahn, how could I not remain here?”
“Oh, right. Without your impulse drive, you can’t move. Of course. Well, you know what I mean. Stay hidden, stay safe. All that jazz.”
Zahn walked back into the central node room and saw that the Tulari was just where he’d left it, tangled in some of the cabling that led up to the ceiling. When he opened the door to the outside, he was hit with the fresh aroma of Ashraya’s forests. It was a scent he had missed very much.
Slowly, Zahn set foot on his home planet once again. He did it slowly so that he could savor it, for he knew it was a moment that would never come again. He walked over to the nearby trail and followed it up and around to his front door. When he knocked, his father opened the door and embraced him.
His boy had come home.
Later that day, Zahn found himself walking barefoot on silvery sand once more, and this time his father was walking with him. To his left, Zahn could see the beautiful Ashraya Bay, and beyond that he saw faint outlines of islands in the haze along the horizon. To his right, he could see a forest path leading around a canopy of large blue leaves.
As he walked, he noticed the blue canopy spread apart as if some invisible hand was passing through the leaves. And then, Yantrik, Asha, and his mother emerged from the bluish shade of the forest.
When his mother saw Zahn and his father walking along the beach, she ran out to them, embraced Zahn tightly, and kissed his father with a kiss unequaled by any other kiss Zahn had ever seen. They kissed again and embraced each other tightly. Twelve years had felt like a lifetime.
Soon there were tears on all of their faces, even Vivek’s.
Darshana hugged her son once more, ruffling his hair just as she did when he was young.
“How did you get here after the explosion? We saw you disappear, and then the whole world shattered.”
“It’s okay, Mom. The Tulari did it. It saved us.”
“But you are the one who searched through the light-years, Zahn, and you found me. You and your friends rescued me from that unimaginable prison. You freed me from a place where I felt so alone, where I’d lost myself.”
Zahn held both of his mother’s hands and looked into her eyes. “But you were never truly alone, Mom, and you never will be. Our souls are connected. That’s one of the things I’ve learned. We each live in each others’ hearts. You, Dad, and now Asha, Yantrik, and Oon, live in the deepest place of mine.”
Asha ran up and embraced Zahn tightly. Even her face seemed to glow, and he got lost in the feeling of being near her.
“And who is this, Zahn? Friends of yours?” Vivek asked, looking over to Yantrik who was still wearing his graphite jumpsuit covered in zippered pockets.
“Ah, I’m afraid I’m not so great at emotional introductions. The name’s Yantrik,” he said, offering his hand to Vivek.
“Pleased to meet you.”
Zahn and Asha ignored them for a moment as they gazed into each other’s eyes. Zahn had a question, but was now the right time to ask it?
“Dad,” Zahn said, pulling his gaze away for a moment, “these are some of the best people in the galaxy, no question about it. This is Asha and Yantrik. They live on an outpost all the way over by—well it’s really far away. Without them, I’d probably be orbiting Rodhas in a billion pieces right now.”
“Well, you know me,” Yantrik said. “I’d die before I’d miss the Tulari in action.”
“You should have seen it, Yantrik! It’s much more than we expected. You might not believe me, but it’s alive.”
“It’s alive?”
“It’s alive, and it is very wise.” Zahn paused. “Yantrik, I think it might be as old as the galaxy itself.”
“Incredible…” As he said it, the word itself seemed to become infused into the air around them.
“Zahn,” Vivek said. “I want to apologize for how I acted when you left. I was letting fear control my reaction to the situation. If I’d had more faith, I would have wished you godspeed. I want you to know that.”
“It’s okay, Dad. I know it wasn’t easy losing Mom, and I certainly didn’t bring her back without a lot of help, seen and unseen. In the end, I was given a great gift, an epiphany I had while I was in timespace… I realized the truth.”
“What truth?” Darshana said.
“That there is a truth beyond the sky that touches us all: we are not alone in this galaxy. We are protected and guided more than we could ever realize. This truth is even greater than the first truth that I went looking for, which was whether you were alive.”
Everyone considered thi
s in silence, and Zahn drew himself back to the therapeutic feeling of the sand beneath his feet. The crisp scent of the ocean made him smile.
“Do you think we have any chance of seeing Oonak again?” Asha said. “I still can’t believe what he did for us… Do you think he escaped the eruption alive? He’s not really gone, is he?”
“No.” Zahn smiled. “If I know him, he’s just getting started.”
As they walked, Zahn waved Asha to walk with him closer to the ocean. Now, the moon was nearly full as it hung above them in the darkening blue sky.
“Asha, there’s a question I’ve been meaning to ask you since even before we landed on the stolen moon, but I guess I never found the right time to ask it before now.”
“What is it Zahn?”
“Asha, I’ve felt that there was something special about you ever since you first revealed your face in that dark hall.”
Asha smiled.
“When the planet shattered, I woke up in timespace, and I thought I was dead. Do you know who I thought of first?”
Asha’s eyes fell softly on him. “Who?”
“I thought of you, Asha. In all of my life I’ve never met anyone like you. When I thought that I was dead, I felt so much regret that I would never grow to know you more.” Zahn looked deep into her warm brown eyes. “The Vakragha will return. I can feel that, and I want you to be with me when they do. So I ask you, will you and your father consider moving here to Avani? My folks and I will help you get anything you need.”
Asha’s eyes peered into him deeply. There was a hint of something buried within them. What was it?
“I know; it’s a big question, but what does your heart say?”
The hint of a smile was on her lips, and she considered this in silence as all five of them walked down the silvery beach, letting the warm breeze soothe their hearts after their long journey. And beneath that same sand, tiny rockturtles began to hatch. Soon, they would make their way across the beach to their new home, beneath the seas.
Yet far beyond all of this, within the shattered remains of Rodhas, an unnatural light pierced the darkness. Tiny at first, it grew into an ominous green glimmer within the debris field. This glimmer attracted bits of dust and rock around it.
And just as abruptly as it had appeared, the light vanished.
AD CONFLUENTEM
FLUMINUM ASTRALIUM
“You were quite right. These stories are forever intertwined. It is incredible to see how far Zahn came in such a short time. Did he ever suspect that he was being prepared for something even greater?”
“I never asked him. If you like, I suppose we could ask his guides.”
“It just seems Zahn suspected he had guides even before he was told. It certainly explains his faith in joining Oonak. Somehow, he instinctively knew that he was never alone, didn’t he?”
“His guides helped prepare him for possible futures. While he always had choice, they always saw the probabilities.”
“Indeed, and that also explains his actions later, how he was able to do what he did. By the way, where did Zahn’s friend Kavi disappear to? And what happened to Oonak?”
“So many questions! Come back tomorrow. I will answer them all.”
“Can you tell us about the second Transcendent Stone, as well?”
“There is much to learn and much to share. Come prepared tomorrow. Few stories are as intertwined as The Reunion in the Stars.”
AFTERWORD
Thank you for reading the first book in the Epic of Aravinda series. I hope that you found it as enjoyable to peruse as it was for me to write.
Even though this book underwent multiple editing stages, it is possible that a few typos got through. If you have spotted something you believe to be a typo, I would be forever grateful if you would contact me at the site below or on Twitter. As part of helping improve this book, your name will be added to the Aravinda Honors page on the website.
As an independent author, I depend on you (Yes, you!) to continue this work and complete the Epic of Aravinda series for the delight and benefit of all. So if you have enjoyed this book, I would be forever grateful if you would take a few minutes to write an honest review on Amazon.com. Remember, this series can only continue if I have your support, and the more you harness the power of word of mouth, the sooner its sequel will be complete.
Only with your help will this unique story continue to reach the people it is meant to reach, and perhaps change the world in some small way in the process.
with a galaxy of gratitude,
Andrew Crusoe
p.s. Check out Aravinda Publishing to stay in the loop about upcoming books in the Epic of Aravinda series.
p.p.s. Feel free to hail me on Twitter. Friendly incoming transmissions are welcome: @bytefulcom
Epic of Aravinda 1: The Truth Beyond the Sky Page 27