Sword Nation 1: House of Rahilius (A Dystopian Sci-fi Romance Novel)

by A. J. Ross

  Tears fell from her eyes and she nodded. “I don’t know much about the situation, but I’ll do whatever I can to help.”

  Lincoln smiled. “Thank you”

  He spent the rest of the night talking to Simone. She told him all of the contrasting stories that would come from the Nephilim. Thousands of people from below had gone missing and were never found again, but the Nephilim denied it. There were two sides in constant opposition. The Nephilim on one, and those who had personally experienced these losses on the other. Everyone in-between was at the mercy of their own convictions and prejudices.

  He told her about what really happened on Graiis. How the princess was taken from her bed and Grisian slain, all because a group of people attempted to escape Kayora. Of course he left out the parts where he submitted to the council's decision to ignore the suffering of the people on Kayora. He talked about Rahilius declaring war on Graiis, and the strength of the Fiie army.

  “Will you do me a favor?” he asked. “Get a message to someone underground, and see if they know anything about where the princess might be? Or better yet, is it possible for you to take me down there?”

  She nodded, “I can. I’ll have to get you some different clothes though. The South doesn’t like to see people from above in their city. They may try to hurt you, or worse.”

  Braii had pressured Erwin to take her out. She wanted to see the city. In an effort to please her, and against his better judgement, he conceded. He made her wear a long dress with long sleeves, and had taken the liberty of sewing a hood onto the dress just in case he needed to hide her quickly. He knew her being in the open was risky. There were lots of people trying to get access to a life above ground, and the princess of Graiis was an indisputable golden ticket.

  As they walked side by side through the city, he mostly kept his arms behind his back. In one hand he held his wrist, and in the other his hat. He was nervous about everything, and his eyes were in constant motion for any danger. Any suspicious looks or behavior from the people they passed by. He kept reminding himself his fellow humans were not the enemies. The vast majority were no friend to the Kayorians, and would not do anything to help them. He took a deep breath and tried to relax.

  A part wanted to bring up their kiss, but was afraid of her reaction. After all it was such a futile conversation considering neither of them might survive the upcoming battle. Yet recognition of that fact, in a way, made the conversation seem more logical. Why die with a million things left unsaid or done?

  Braii’s emotions were ablaze. The people were living in such obscurity. There was garbage thrown all over the streets. Children ran and played freely, but they were dirty. Many of them had head lice, and little boils on their hands and bare feet. Elderly people sat out in front of their houses staring into space with no life in their eyes.

  She remembered her encounters with Rahilius as a child. She had always been uncomfortable when he would come to Graiis, eat at their table, and comment on how great it was to have humans on his planet. Now she knew why. She felt deeply conflicted. Had Grisian known all along what Rahilius was doing to these people, or had he been unable to see the darkness in his long-time friend? She decided to accept the former as truth. What other choice did she have? Grisian was gone, and Rahilius killed him. He couldn’t have known their friendship meant so little to Rahilius, therefore he must not have known his true nature.

  She felt Erwin’s strong hands grab her firmly, quickly moving her from his left side to his right, just as a group of children happily rushed by.

  “It’s best if you stay on this side,” he said in a low tone.

  She didn’t argue. She had already decided she would follow any instruction he gave her while they were on their walk. He had done it against his judgement, and she didn't want to give any cause for him to regret his decision.

  He cleared his throat in an exaggerated fashion. She glanced over at him, expecting him to speak. He felt her watching him, but kept his eyes focused straight ahead. After going back and forth in his mind, he still hadn't decided what he wanted to say. Giving up, he buried his feelings under layers of heavy logic, longing desperately to reveal himself, as the perfect opportunity slowly slipped away.

  Lincoln and Simone walked toward her house. They had made it to the city below to deliver medicine to her mother, and ask about the princess. She had given Lincoln clothes that more closely resembled the lifestyle of those underground. They were the most uncomfortable clothes he had ever worn; they were hard and itchy. Whenever he used to compare his life on Graiis to that of the Grii, he felt underprivileged, but when comparing it to the life of the people on Kayora, he felt like a pampered brat.

  Pampered because no one actually had to work on Graiis. Of course, many people chose to invest time creating something to trade, but it was unnecessary for survival. The Grii had not given them ownership of the land, so it belonged to everyone. Everything the land produced was accessible to anyone. When you married, the Grii would provide you with a house. Nothing was lavish, but nothing was lacking.

  This place was different. There were three levels to Kayorian society. First, the Kayorian pirates with their stolen luxury. Then there’s the Nephilim, who are given money for their "governing," and are able to build a halfway decent life in exchange for their apathy and compliance. At the very bottom were the common people, living off the scraps that would occasionally trickle down from their self-proclaimed superiors. Lincoln had seen the word ‘poverty’ in his history books about Earth, but he had never actually understood its meaning until now. The streets smelled of urine and feces. There were rodents darting from place to place. The people watch him and Simone pass by with dead and uninterested eyes.

  He felt ashamed he had allowed Mr. Arthur to sway him before. Now that he saw the suffering, he felt perhaps Penny had been the only one who had the courage to do what was right.

  They went into Simone’s house. It was one room with two chairs and a table. There was a faucet, and a small metal stove. There was a metal bucket in the far corner, and a small cot on the floor. A frail woman with dirty-blonde hair slept on the cot. There were large brown insects darting from here to there. Lincoln had never seen them before, but they gave him an uncomfortable tingling feeling in his skin. He stood awkwardly in the center of the room, trying to ignore the movements of the pests surrounding him.

  “Mama,” Simone said softly as she knelt down gently touching the woman.

  The woman opened her eyes. She gave a weak smile and pushed herself up to a sitting position.

  “I have your medicine,” Simone said. She opened up a small packet of powder and gave it to her mother. She dumped the powder into her mouth and she swallowed.

  “How are you doing?” her mother asked. There was concern and deep hurt in her eyes. She probably knew what her daughter was doing to save her life.

  Simone smiled, “I’m fine mom, don’t worry. I want you to meet Lincoln. He’s my friend. He wants to ask you some questions.”

  “Hello,” Lincoln nodded respectfully. “I heard the princess of Graiis was hiding here below the city. Have you heard anything? Do you know of anyone who might know where she is?”

  The woman shook her head, “I’m not able to get out much, but my neighbor may know something.” She banged on the wall next to her. “Craig,” she called. “Craig, are you there?”

  Moments later a man appeared in the doorway. “I’m here. Are you alright?” He noticed Lincoln and Simone. “What’s going on here,” he asked.

  “This young man was asking about the princess of Graiis hiding out down here. Have you heard anything about that?”

  “I have heard that,” the man replied, “but I don’t know of anyone who’s seen her. It may just be a rumor. What does she look like?”

  “Well, she’s tall . . .” The next word that came to Lincoln’s mind was beautiful, but he didn’t say it. “Tall, and her skin is brown.”

  The man furrowed his brow. “So she’s black? W
ell, there aren’t many people like that here. A hundred or so at the most. It would be easy to spot them. If she is down here I can bet someone is deliberately keeping her hidden. You may never find her.”

  Lincoln heaved a heavy sigh.

  “But I’ll ask around,” he said. “I have a friend who always knows about everything happening in the city.” He stepped out of the house. “Pyotr,” he called.

  Only half a mile away, Herman came rushing toward Erwin. “Get her out of here,” he whispered into his ear. “One of the Nephilim is down here looking for her.”

  Braii read the fear in Erwin’s eyes. She pulled the hood of her dress over her head.

  “Move steadily,” he commanded, turning to her, “but not quickly.”

  She nodded, and they made their way back to his house.

  THIRTEEN

  Indoctrination

  Braii painted her face, arms, and hands white. As she painted her brown skin, she thought about Erwin’s stories of his arrival to Kayora. With half her face brown and the other half painted white, she wondered how she would have been treated had she been born on Earth. If she would have been made to live in the ghettos, with access only to what was necessary to survive until the next day. She kept going, painting her skin slowly, fully grasping the sanctity of the war she would help Erwin wage against the injustices of Kayora.

  She wore her hooded dress Erwin had given her, and would keep the hood on during the presentation, so her long braids wouldn’t give her identity away. She stared at herself in the mirror, and a bright white face stared back at her. She grabbed another brush from the table, tapped it on the tip of her tongue to moisten it, then dipped it into a small platter of black soot. She carefully painted a symbol of three lines, the last line slightly bent, on her cheek.

  “What does it mean?” Erwin asked. He stood at the entrance with his arms crossed over his chest, leaning on the doorpost, watching curiously as she painted.

  “Half Rivers,” she replied.

  He chuckled. “Half river? Is that a compliment?”

  She shrugged. “That makes no difference to the truth. Grisian gave it to me after he trained me with the Fiie. He said I was liquid. Moveable, adaptable, but not complete. Just parts of many things. Part human, part Grii, part warrior, part princess . . . Many rivers. He said that as long as I kept the rivers separate, I could choose who I wanted to be. But if I tunnel through the barriers that separate each river, bringing the waters together, I would discover who I was meant to be.”

  Braii felt a oneness with her people as she took her place before six thousand men. She channeled Tsamiit, who had dyed her transparent skin black as a symbol of all her losses. Braii hid her brown skin beneath layers of unnatural white, because to hide in this place was to be free in it. Anonymity was her freedom.

  Erwin and his associates had spent the past several days spreading word of an angel descending to the Underground to liberate the slaves on Kayora. The people were skeptical, but their curiosity had drawn them to this location outside the city to view the so-called “Avenging Angel.” If an angel had indeed come, it would inspire the people to fight with not only courage, but conviction. She looked out over the thousands of men standing before her. None of them looked like much of anything. Some were strong from their physical labor, but weak-minded due to years of oppression. There was nothing in their eyes - no passion, hope, or desire. They were all broken.

  She extended the Fiie and held it up over her head. Steam emanated from the blade as it evaporated the moisture in the damp underground air surrounding it. Gasps echoed through the audience, and the crowd pushed forward to get a better view. Her eyes moved over the crowd from the far left to the far right.

  “I am half Rivers,” she said. She retracted the Fiie. “My father called me this, because he said I was incomplete. Just bits and pieces of many things. That’s why I was sent to you. You are half rivers too. I see males, but no men. In Earth’s history books, you ruled your world. What do you rule now? As bad as you are, your women are worse. Where I come from, you find no female without a sword in her hand. We don’t wait to be told how strong we are or whether or not it is okay to be so. We are not victims in our lives, we are the champions. You all are half rivers too. Who is the fastest? Who is the strongest? Who will help us? What happens next? These rivers flow in many directions, but I am here to dig the tunnels that will unite us.” Her voice dropped to a seething low register and built to a crescendo of unbridled rage. “We will combine these rivers and flood the existence of the Kayorians in such a heavy wave, they will drown in anticipation of it.”

  Now there was something in the eyes of the people who stood before her. She saw fear, and it gave her energy. She had resurrected their spirits; it didn’t matter in what way.

  “People of Kayora,” she continued loudly but in an even tone. “I have been sent to lead you to the heart of this man,” she gestured to Erwin standing near the edge of the stage. “He will lead this battle. We now know a war between Graiis and Kayora will be fought on planet Ash in just three weeks. Three weeks to decide, three weeks to train, three weeks to prepare ourselves to lay down our lives if it means giving a life to our children. Go and tell others. Join us in this fight. Many of us will die, but we will take many of them with us. I am the Avenging Angel, and those who prize dignity as a birthright, may join us in staining this planet with the blood of our Kayorian oppressors. The commander is strong. He will protect you. But you must grow strong, and protect each other. If we run from this battle, fear becomes our new master. This is our time to make them earn their positions as Lords over us.”

  Fervent outcries and shouts of support rose from the crowd as she continued, “I say, if they will not stand in peace with us, let them die beneath our feet. Lend me your vessels, your lives, your very souls. And I promise you, when the Kayorian soldiers leave this planet, WE WILL CONQUER IT!”

  There was an eruption of thunderous outcry sent vibrating through the walls and ceiling of the underground city. The eyes of those once filled with fear, were now filled with acceptance, conviction, and most importantly, rage. She had successfully baited them with the most powerful motivator of all - hope. The word spread through their city like wildfire. Every hour, hundreds more signed up to fight in Erwin’s rebel army.

  Training was intense. Braii had taught Erwin, Pyotr, Herman, Jake, and Lola several combat basics over the last few days, and they would serve as her support in the training process. Erwin would help her demonstrate, and they would divide the people into smaller groups to give them more personalized training.

  The training took place below ground, but near the outskirts of the city beneath the forest. They drilled with their makeshift weapons made of stolen gardening tools accumulated over the years. The soldiers were made to memorize and shout various chants throughout their training. Erwin would lead the chants. He had created them. His voice was hypnotic, and his low tones at high volume propelled through the acoustic underground. He would give a different speech every few days, blending ardent tenet with his own natural eloquence.

  Each day, the soldiers would surrender their conscious wills more and more, allowing themselves to be led only by the pace, volume, and direction that flowed from Erwin’s lips. The louder he would chant, the louder they would chant, and the degree of their ferocity in training was amplified. The faster he would chant, the faster they would chant, and the speed of their movements would increase.

  Those who would not fight were asked to fast in solidarity, and guards were set up at each of the gates to make sure no one left the city after working hours who might betray them to the Kayorians. The entire South became a military zone.

  Lincoln entered Simone’s room and shut the door behind him. She had given him a copy of the key. They decided it was best to keep the closeness of their friendship hidden from the others. His trip to the underground had been unsuccessful. Braii may have been there, but she was in hiding, which was probably the best course of a
ction. She certainly would have been in danger if she’d stayed above ground. He wondered if coming below ground with Simone was the best idea. Perhaps he should have gone by himself. People knew she was living above with the Nephilim. Maybe they assumed he was one too. He sighed. There was nothing he could do about it now.

  He felt a vibration from his bracelet. He turned the mechanical side upward and answered. It was Kiina.

  “News,” she said. “Have you located the princess?”

  “No,” he replied. “But Rahilius is searching for her, so she was able to escape from his house. The situation for the humans is more complicated than I imagined. There are those who stand with the Kayorians. They spread lies to the people, even about the origins of this war.”

  “It doesn't matter,” she said. “We will confront the Kayorians on the desolate plains of Ash. I feel my sister is safe. The night Grisian was killed, his Fiie was also stolen. If it was in Rahilius’s house, she would have found a way to obtain it. You must find her quickly. If the situation there is as bad as you say it is, she will likely want to stay and fight against the Kayorians.”

  “Tomorrow I’ll go back to the underground and reveal-” he paused mid-sentence as he heard the key slide into the lock outside. “Kiina I have to go. I’ll call you soon.” He ended the connection just as Simone entered the room.

  She looked at him curiously. “I have some news,” she said. Her voice was normal, but with a twinge of vulnerability. “They’re forming an army below. They say God sent an Angel.”