Home of the Forgotten

by Rayne W Grath

  Chapter Four

  Kiya

  Nestled in Aarik’s arms, Kiya risked opening one eye so she could look up at him and let him know she was ok. She didn’t dare risk talking to him telepathically, having no idea if Ben’ath was capable of listening in. With the way he made the dishes teleport away, she couldn’t be certain and wasn’t going to risk it.

  Aarik stared straight ahead as he followed behind Ben’ath, surprising Kiya when he telepathically said, Good one. He was onto me for being polite to a servant and was planning on locking us up once we reached Th’ael’s room to get back up. The only reason he’s leading us now is because I made him. I have no idea how long it will last, but don’t think we should leave him here. He’ll report us once the persuasion wears off.

  I have an idea. When we get inside the infirmary, get as close to Ben’ath as possible. As long as no one else is around, I’ll use my hairpin to freeze him and we’ll put him in a bed. Then you can use your power to make him sleep. It would be even better if you could make him forget he ever saw us, but I’d settle for a long slumber. Hopefully between my poison and your mojo it will give us enough time to find our way to the cellars, relayed Kiya, as she rubbed her hands to dry them without drawing attention to herself.

  And what do we do if the infirmary is full of other people? Aarik asked with a frown.

  Let’s hope we don’t have to cross that bridge, but if we do we’ll think of something, answered Kiya, as she took a silent deep breath and prepared herself to stab a humanoid in the back all the while making sure she didn’t inoculate herself in the process. When she looked up at Aarik again to reassure herself her plan was going to work Aarik’s look of doubt made her question the hair-brained idea. She blinked a couple times and said, If you have any other ideas, now would be the time to voice them. Otherwise I plan on attacking as soon as we’re close to a comfortable surface. I’m closing my eyes now. Let me know when it’s safe to open them again.

  I don’t think you should use your poison just yet. Instead I’ll try and erase his memory and if that falls through I’ll revert to plan B. Besides we have no idea how the poison will react with his type of species, whatever it might be, we wouldn’t want to have his death on our hands, volleyed Aarik and then added, Hang tight. We appear to be stopping. Yep ole Benny boy is opening a large metallic door.

  Kiya felt like she waited hours before Aarik spoke again, “Why is it so dark in here? I can’t see a thing.”

  Kiya desperately wanted to open her eyes, but without knowing where Ben was in relation to her position, she didn’t dare risk it. Instead she relied on Aarik to relay the things she would need to know to protect herself; but waiting for those directions was agony.

  “We rarely have use for the infirmary and we definitely have no need to staff it at all times. Really it’s only used for baby deliveries, which at the moment there are none. The ARC’s are used to heal most everything else, but seeing as the young lady was faking, I found it most prudent to bring you here to interrogate you instead,” Ben’ath called out from behind them.

  Kiya didn’t have enough time to react before the room was flooded with bright lights, blinding her for a brief moment as chaos erupted all around them. When she was finally able to see again, a single flare was burning out in the middle of a large ballroom. It was lined with mirrors from floor to ceiling and reminded Kiya of a house of mirrors. Trying to focus on one single thing happening, proved futile because what you thought was in front of you was in fact just another mirror, and the images seemed to go on forever. Kiya panicked and screamed at Aarik to run, Don’t just stand there. Either get us out of here or freeze the room or something. I can’t make out any one thing in the room to be able to make contact with anything.

  I’m trying, but something is blocking me from using my powers or accessing the AZOK. My feet are immobile and feel like they’ve been encased in a ton of cement. Can you move? Aarik responded, clearly under duress.

  Kiya reached up with her hands and prayed they were dry enough, when she yanked the butterfly pin from her hair and dropped to the ground in front of Aarik. She was prepared to stab anything that got to close, but the room filled with a dark blue smoke, obscuring her view. She backed up and using her free hand reached behind to grab Aarik’s thigh and said, I’ve got you. Can you wrap your arms around me? I can carry you out of here to safety.

  “How noble of you to offer him safety, but the big guy will be coming with us,” a male voice said from within the mist.

  “Damn it! Is everyone around here a freaking mind reader, but me? How the hell am I supposed to compete against that? Just once in this fight, I’d like to have the upper hand. Who are you and where in the name of all that is coffee is the other guy that brought us in here?,” complained Kiya, attempting to direct her response in the vicinity of their would be attacker.

  “Who we are is not important and the Appus is of no concern to you. He has been dealt with,” the voice replied ominously.

  Kiya assumed a fighting stance, hoping it looked intimidating instead of as stupid as she felt. Using her free hand, she motioned them forward like she was some Kung Fu fighter and waited. Holding in a giggle Kiya bit down on her tongue, but released it moments later when she decided fighting with her tongue between her teeth would be dangerous.

  Just as she pulled her tongue back in her mouth an ethereal being with long shiny silver hair emerged from the mist directly in front of her, grabbed the hairpin out of her hands and got as far as opening his mouth before he froze in place. Although his eyes were unable to move, Kiya could tell he did not see that coming. She did a small dance in celebration only to be interrupted by a menacing cackle from somewhere in the room.

  “I can’t wait to tell the guys how you were bested by a little female, Dag,” said a woman with a sultry laugh from within the mist. Moments later a blur of white materialized around them. Kiya felt a soft fabric brush against her skin as her only warning before she and Aarik were wrapped together in a cocoon of fabric from their neck to their ankles.

  A woman stepped out of the cloud and Kiya whistled, despite their situation, at her exquisite beauty. She was wearing a silver dress embroidered with beautiful sapphires, connected by vines woven along the hem. The colors complemented her electric blue waist-length hair and accentuated her slender form. Kiya looked up into eyes that sparkled with electricity, reminding her of miniature lightning bolts, and smiled before she said, “Wow. Your eyes are so pretty and shiny. How do you not mesmerize yourself when you look at yourself in the mirror?”

  Even though the woman in front of her looked like she could annihilate anything in her path, Kiya felt safe as the woman approached cautiously and stopped just short of her fallen comrade. She tilted her head to and fro as she studied Kiya, revealing pointed ears beneath her lustrous hair in the process. She flicked her hair to the side and said, “Guess I’m used to it. Mine are quite boring compared to some. I mean, white is so bland in comparison to the rare purple and cyan my people are known for, but I’d rather talk about you if you don’t mind.”

  Kiya wasn’t sure why she felt like she could tell the ethereal being in front of her anything, but the longer she stared into her eyes the more comfortable she felt. “Me? Why would you want to talk about me? I’m nothing compared to you. I’d rather hear more about you. Like...like...What’s your name? Where are you from? Are you an elf like I’ve read about in books? Will you be my best friend?” Kiya stammered out, as if punch drunk.

  “Huh. Aren’t you two an anomaly? With the amount of Midnight Peace Flower infused into that sash, both of you should have been asleep the moment you took your first breath. Very interesting. Well I guess I can introduce myself while we make our way back to camp,” replied the elf woman with her hands on her slim hips. She raised her hands into the air and waved them around like a conductor until Dag, Benny and the Kiya-Aarik cocoon were floating horizontally around her. The elf lowered her hands slowly and said, “My name is Morri. Dag
and I are Tuatha de Danann, but we have been called many names. We hail from the Otherworld, which is the name given to the collected dimensions or similar copies of other planets throughout the universe. We are not bound by any one dimension and like to travel. Elf was a name used with the primitive species on Earth. They seemed to have a hard time pronouncing our true name and it just made communicating with them easier. It’s been centuries since I’ve heard the reference and it warms my heart to think the humans still believe in us. Thank you, child, I think it might be time for a wee visit after the meeting is concluded. I believe I will vote in favor of saving your life if the conglomerate decides you are to be disposed of after your tribunal.”

  “Thank you, that is very kind of you. I can’t believe I just thanked you after telling me your people might want to kill me. Why do I feel so close to you? Are you doing something to persuade me to like you?” Kiya asked in a daze, completely oblivious to everything else around her.

  Morri pushed the hovering forms of Dag and then Benny into the blue mist before she came back for Kiya and Aarik and said, “I don’t mean to influence you in anyway, at least that’s not my intention. Well, that’s not entirely true. Of course I didn’t want you to resist me right now, so instead of dulling my aura, I’m letting you see me for what I really am. I have no control over how you respond to it, but I don’t...make...you do anything. My eyes, my voice, my odor, everything about me is enticing to humans, you just can’t help it. What you feel for me isn’t real though and it will fade when my aura does.”

  Kiya frowned when she searched her feelings and tried to argue that what she felt was real, but just as she was about to profess her love Morri smiled, held up her hand and said, “Don’t feel bad, it happens to everyone. It was one of the main reasons we left Earth. It’s no fun always having to hide your true self. Once I get you to the dale, I’ll tone my aura down and you’ll see for yourself. I’m still a likeable person, but you’ll no longer want to dedicate sonnets to my name.”

  “What’s in the dale?” Kiya asked, looking up at Morri as she started pushing Kiya and Aarik into the blue mist.

  “The conglomerate is in the dale,” Morri answered with a smirk, before she added, “And before you ask what the conglomerate is let me elaborate. The conglomerate is a group of misfit renegades from seven different worlds across the universe that have banded together in the fight against inequality. We put a stop to tyrants like the man you are trying to protect.”

  “Oh my Gods! What are the chances….Look you’ve got to believe me, but you’ve got the wrong man. The guy with me is from Earth, just like me, and he is anything but a tyrant. We were sent here from our home planet to beseech the help of the watchers, which I’m hoping is what you are. Renegade... Rebel... same difference right? Well the Ah’naki have plans to attack us and the fate of the human race lies in your hands,” pleaded Kiya, as the temperature around her dropped twenty degrees.

  Kiya could no longer see Morri, but could feel her hands on her shoulders as they continued to walk through the mist. They had been traveling for what felt like a lifetime, but the mirrored room couldn’t have been more than thirty feet long. Kiya began to wonder if perhaps Morri was using the secret passageway they were originally supposed to use to exit the palace and was somehow using the smoke as a cover when they continued to walk.

  The mist was so thick Kiya could no longer see past the end of her nose. The feeling of claustrophobia threatened to overwhelm her when her next breath felt congested and labored. She began to worry that the mist was some type of poison and, even though it was probably too late, held her breath as a last ditch effort. Her eyes watered and her lungs screamed, but without Morri’s elfy influence she felt clear-headed for the first time since arriving on the planet of Nae’derium.

  Kiya tried to contact Aarik when she realized this may be their final moments, but hit a brick wall. Aarik, can you hear me? I’m sorry I failed you and everyone else. If you can hear me, please know that I love you. As the last of the oxygen left her system, Kiya succumbed to the numbness of unconsciousness in silent defeat.

  Chapter Five

  Aarik

  Aarik felt like he was watching a movie as an invisible onlooker as Kiya fawned over Morri. They ignored his very existence. Every attempt he made to speak out loud or telepathically was blocked by an unknown force. He imagined the ordeal would be similar to what someone in a coma might experience; this feeling of being trapped in a body, incapable of movement or speech, with sound as the only break in the monotony of your own thoughts. It was a frightening reality and not one he wanted to repeat after they escaped.

  He assumed the female elf was responsible, what with the male incapable of movement. But when she made no attempt to claim her prowess or speak to him in anyway Aarik began to question his assumption. Instead he tried to focus on Kiya’s complete lack of awareness. He suspected Kiya was being magically charmed by the elf, but with all forms of communication out of commission all he could do was watch as she fell further under the female’s influence. There was something about Morri that made it hard for Aarik to concentrate. He started to wish he was the one basking in her glorious attention and struggled to separate his growing feelings from what he knew was right. When a seed of doubt crept into his mind, like ink on paper as it bleeds out in a capillary fashion, Aarik seized the tendril of thought like a lifeline.

  His suspicions were validated when Morri admitted that her kind had some type of a natural allure that made humans find them irresistible. The information didn’t make it any easier to reverse the attraction. The knowledge was more of a tease in the back of his mind, dangling precariously on the edge of his consciousness as if it might be lost, like a dream upon waking. Aarik directed his thoughts inward as he tried to remember why resisting her mattered.

  Something forced Aarik’s eyes open and whispered that the answers he sought were all around him. He looked about the room more intently and marvelled as the blue mist came alive in front of his eyes. Tendrils of deeper blues swirled together creating intricate patterns on the surface. Ever-changing, like the flames of a fire, Aarik found himself mesmerized. He could have watched the live show for hours, but when Morri walked into the mist, pushing her friend and Benny ahead of her, the trance was broken and his memories came flooding back.

  Unsure of what the newcomers had in store for him and Kiya, Aarik was willing to take his chances with them when he considered how easily Benny was able to deceive him. Somehow the monkey man was able to hide his true intentions, regardless of Aarik being in his thoughts, which made him think Benny had something nefarious planned. He prayed the elves proved to be a better alternative. Their involvement was a mystery and Aarik would need to examine their motives more carefully. The fact that they didn’t kill him and Kiya on sight, gave Aarik hope that they would be willing to negotiate. Because only time would tell if he was willing to pay the price the Elves asked for in return. At the thought of time, Aarik realized they had been walking...floating for longer than possible, if he was to believe they were still in the ballroom.

  The sensation of hovering in the air and the lulling sound of Morri’s voice made Aarik waver away from reality like a seesaw. One second he felt lucid and concerned for their safety and then next he felt drugged and complacent in their captivity. The moment they entered the mist, the spell muddling his thoughts vanished. The dense mist must have obscured the elf’s aura and, with the help of Aarik’s odor blocking shield, he no longer felt a pull toward Morri. He felt alive, yet trapped within his own skin. His body itched with the amount of energy bubbling under the surface, as it waited to explode like an awakening super volcano. Aarik needed to find the right catalyst to set it off or they would be defenseless against any attacks.

  He sensed the moment they left the ballroom and thanked the gods when the dam broke loose on his powers. The mist must have acted as some type of travel vortex through the many dimensions the Tuatha de Danann called home and ended up being the cat
alyst he needed to break free of the elf’s hold. It could have also had something to do with the fact Morri’s aura was no longer suffocatingly bright and controlling. Regardless, he didn’t plan on wasting the opportunity and began working on the white shawl encasing them like mummies under his breath as the mist began to recede. Dropping to his knees with Kiya in his arms he prepared to make a run for it and stopped when he realized they were surrounded.

  The room they arrived in began to take shape around them and reminded Aarik of the Vos’rok auditorium, except the stone benches were filled with people of all different shapes and sizes. By the look on their faces, Aarik and Kiya’s arrival was an expected, but unwanted, distraction. Standing to his full height, Aarik erected a 360 degree protective shield and mentally reached out to Kiya, Please tell me you’re not under the influence of the elf anymore. By some stroke of luck I believe we are in the presence of the watchers we were looking for, but in case we’re not, I might need your help. I can’t do this on my own.

  Oh my Gods! We’re not dead! These are the guys we are looking for, but they think you are Th’ael. Somehow we have to convince them of your heritage. Perhaps dressing in these clothes wasn’t the best idea, Kiya spit out in a ramble as she clung to Aarik in relief.

  Not yet at least, but we could be by the looks of it. My accent alone should be enough to convince anyone, but they aren't looking very receptive to our presence, so be prepared for anything. God knows this wasn’t how I imagined approaching them. How do you think we should proceed? asked Aarik with a deep breath, while trying to display a more professional demeanor on the outside. He wanted to appear more amiable or good-natured, but the manner in which they arrived was less than desirable and had put him on the defensive.

  Well, for starters, I think you should put me down. The caveman act could be misconstrued as confrontational. Then I think we need to identify ourselves and be honest about why we need their help. I’ll start thinking of a Plan B if they don’t seem amiable to our requests, responded Kiya, patting his arm reassuringly while she surveyed the room.