Home of the Forgotten

by Rayne W Grath

  “It might help if you tried to relax. Don’t squeeze your eyes or scrunch your nose. Start by concentrating on the feel of your toes, once you can feel them release them and then move on to the next body part. With each breath imagine your body sinking further into a state of relaxation. You should be left with nothing but your being and once you learn to be content in silence with your soul, you will find the Realm of Enlightenment,” Thad explained slowly as he waited for Kiya to follow suit.

  The process became easier the closer she came to her center. She wasn’t sure if it was the addition of Thad’s soothing voice, but when she finished she found herself on a floating road in a sea of blackness without a thought in the world. With each breath she grew more confident, she could see silhouettes and shadows forming in the distance. The farther she walked down the path the clearer the picture formed in her brain. Just as she was sure she saw a neural network of neurons branching out in all directions, she was interrupted abruptly as Thad yelled out her name while shaking her, “Kiya, you must come out. It’s time to leave.”

  Opening her eyes in aggravation, she growled, “Time to leave? How’s that possible? I’ve only been trying for a few minutes.”

  “Hardly. You’ve been in there for two hours and were unresponsive to my voice. It’s not unusual to get lost in a subject, but usually never so much that you aren’t here on some level. I had to resort to physical violence to get your attention. What was so fascinating?” Thad asked as Aarik looked at her with concern.

  Kiya didn’t want to admit she had just found it when Thad shook her, so she shrugged and changed the subject, “Nothing compared to what Aarik found I’m sure. Were you successful?”

  Aarik averted his eyes towards the knives he was loading into his black jumpsuit. Avoiding Kiya’s eyes he said, “I think it might take a bit more practice to get good at it, but I was able to see we’ll be successful in retrieving your grandmother tonight.”

  “Anything else?” Kiya prompted, when she felt like he was holding something back.

  “No, sorry,” Aarik bit out defensively, like she was accusing him of lying.

  Not fully understanding Aarik’s change in mood she shrugged her shoulders and said, “Nothing to be sorry about. Shall we go meet the others?”

  “No time like the present,” Aarik mumbled as he motioned her forward.

  Arriving a couple of minutes later, Kiya was surprised to find so many gathered at the origin portal. Knowing only a few were going inside she asked, “Where’s everyone else going?”

  “Dagda is transporting them to the woods outside of the secret entrance and we wanted to coordinate our timing with each other. With the poison an unknown, the sooner you can reach the extraction point the better. I’ll need the code to open the origin passage inside the garden to begin,” Thad asked as he headed to the crystal wall at the back of the room.

  Kiya looked over at Aarik questioningly and when he shook his head in response, Kiya swore and said, “Oh shit. We don’t have it. Rh’ael sent us through and never gave us the code. We planned on sneaking back in and waiting for him to open it back up every night at midnight.”

  “The whole plan is based on that little code. That is definitely something you should have mentioned when you brought up this crazy idea in the first place,” Isis complained with a glare. “Now what are we supposed to do?”

  “We might not have it, but we could always take a detour to earth first and have Rh’ael open it for us,” Aarik offered the group.

  “When is that supposed to happen?” Thad asked, holding his hands out for the room to quiet.

  “It should be on now. He gave us a two hour window to show up and then each night at midnight he would open the garden as a last ditch effort before he would close it up for the night and do the same thing the next night. He gave us one week before it would go dark for good,” Aarik explained.

  “You can’t expect us to send a small party to Earth in blind, without backup or a guarantee they would be granted safe passage,” Thor boomed from across the room.

  “How many men would it take to make you feel comfortable with that option?” Kiya countered with her hands on her hips.

  “A half dozen, at a minimum. I’m sure we’ll be met by more on the receiving side, but I feel confident in the abilities of my people over theirs,” Thor boosted with a round of agreement from the men and women in the room.

  “I feel confident the additional man power will not be needed, but since we are in a rush, could you pick your men so we can get moving?” Kiya replied and then turned to her grandfather and asked, “Do you remember the coordinates to Vos’rok?”

  “Not something I’m likely to forget,” Thad admitted with sadness.

  “Especially since you try to go back every year on your anniversary. Romantic when you think about it, really,” Prometheus teased. When the rest of the room looked at him like he grew a third head, he backpedalled, “What! It’s not like it was a secret or anything.”

  “Your delivery method could use some work,” Ra interjected as she passed out vials of antidote to the warriors brave enough to face off against the Nagi. Kiya couldn’t help but ask if there were any extras, “Do you have a couple you could spare? We didn’t see any blue dots in the palace interior, but I’d feel better if we had one of those on hand, just in case.”

  “Sorry I only brought enough for the team outside,” Ra apologized, shaking her head.

  “No need to apologize, just thought I’d ask,” Kiya returned, checking her combat suit one more time. For what, she had no idea, it just felt like she should be doing something productive while last minute adjustments to the teams were made.

  “Aarik and Kiya should go through first. We don’t need Rh’ael and his guards caught unawares and attacking at first sight. We’ll follow behind shortly after, but long enough to allow you time to announce our arrival. Stand back please,” Thad clarified as he pulled a long six-sided crystal from his pocket and inserted it into a hollow socket on the crystal wall.

  Once again, Kiya found herself mesmerized with the electricity and power generated from the origin portal. The air felt charged as the portal ripped through the fabric of space and time to reveal Vos’rok on the other side. Knowing what to expect made the jump easier and she made sure to watch her surroundings this time around. She’d always envisioned a wormhole would be full of color, but what she didn’t expect was to find was the walls to look like a folded paper fan, scrunched together so tightly, like an accordion, that most color was hard to find. Einstein’s idea of folding a paper to travel vast distances quickly made more sense, except it wasn’t one fold but many to get to the other side.

  Stepping through to Vos’rok she pulled up short and threw her hands in the air; when a group of soldiers, with guns drawn, yelled out, “Halt! Hands in the air where we can see them! State your name and purpose.”

  “Are you seriously pointing a gun at me?! It’s Kiya Brown and Aarik Landon, you assholes! You literally just sent us through yesterday. Where’s Rh’ael?” Kiya demanded, eyeing each of the men with an evil eye as she searched the crowd for the commander.

  The men slowly lowered their weapons. A slim soldier stepped forward and said, “He had to make a call and wasn’t getting a signal. Captain Bolten escorted him. They should be back shortly.”

  “Are you in charge while they’re away?” Aarik questioned the man brave enough to speak.

  “Only until they get back,” the solider offered nervously.

  “Well, you’ll need to make a decision while they’re gone and it’s a big one. Some of the rebellion is following behind us and if you and your men greet them the way you greeted us, you might ruin our chances of them working with us in the future. Send someone to fetch Rh’ael and Bolten, but trust me and keep your weapons at your sides. I take full responsibility if anything happens in the interim.” Aarik entreated with them as he looked behind him nervously, anticipating the team to walk through at any moment.

&nb
sp; A look of shock could be seen spreading across the faces of the soldiers. The one in charge sobered quickly and gave a quick nod before launching into instructions for his men. The moment one took off to get Rh’ael, Thad and Thor walked through the origin passage, quickly followed by the remainder of their group. The rebel team was not armed with guns, but their presence exuded power. Kiya watched as the two factions stood facing each other in a silent standoff. Rh’ael must have already been on his way back to the portal room because he showed up moments later, slightly winded, and pulled up shortly when he saw the occupants of the room.

  Rh’ael cleared his throat, straightened his tie, “Thad’gar. Thor. It’s been a long time. I hope your visit signifies you were able to put the past behind you and that Kiya and Aarik were successful in reaching an agreement with you.”

  “Commander Rais. We are well on our way to establishing one, but first we need the code to the palace to rescue my Grams,” Kiya blasted out in frustration as the tension gathered in the room. If the two sides could not behave themselves, her grandmother would pay the price, and she wasn’t willing to let that happen.

  “While I can appreciate the need you feel to rescue your family, I can’t afford the resources it will take to follow through with that request,” Rh’ael returned gingerly, as he eyed Thad’gar cautiously.

  “What resources? We were the only resources you sent on this crazy ass mission to begin with and if you send us back through it will be no different!” Kiya shouted in anger. She looked at Aarik for back up and found him miming the kill it action. She instantly switched to telepathy to give him a piece of her mind only to hear Enki caution her instead, Rh’ael will open the portal. He is just trying to bargain with our present company for a better position with the alliance.

  Kiya wanted to argue, but Aarik beat her to the punch and said, I know you think we are out of time, but this little Parley is a part of the timeline. You must be patient for just a moment longer.

  “The both of you ARE a precious resource and if you have yet to garner the help of the watchers, than perhaps it is best we cut our losses and start planning with what we have available. Their help was a gamble, just a grand finale that would have guaranteed our victory. I only allowed a week because I thought it would take you that long to find them. Winning is still a possibility. Although, the trade-off will be a significant loss of life,” Rh’ael offered as an explanation.

  “And are you willing to have that loss of life be your wife, daughter, or those in this room?” Kiya countered, unable to ignore the situation and keep quiet like Aarik.

  “ENOUGH!” Thad roared out, stepping past Aarik and Kiya to face Rh’ael. Rh’ael’s soldiers, acting on years of training, raised their guns to address the threat facing their commander, only to have them ripped from their hands and thrown to the back of the room. “We are not here to play word games or start a war. I know you are fishing for a pledge, but I cannot commit the agglomerate to something of this magnitude without a vote. I can however promise my assistance if you open the portal without further delay.”

  “Were you aware Tashina has taken the Ah’naki oath?” Rh’ael countered.

  “Yes,” Thad replied abruptly.

  “Then why bother? You above all others should know she cannot be saved,” Rh’ael stated with perplexity.

  “We could argue the definition of the word ‘save’, or I could say something flippant like YOU of all people should be able to relate to the possibility of having a change in heart, but I won’t. The cost of my alliance is non-negotiable. Your decision will be the deciding factor,” Thad returned with finality.

  “Alright, I hope you know what you are doing, because an entourage of your size is going to draw unwanted attention especially in those outfits. Should I keep the origin open for your return?” questioned Rh’ael, as he looked at the occupants of the room with concern.

  “Only the four of us will be going through, the rest will head back to our rendezvous location outside the palace walls,” Kiya explained, as she pointed to her crew individually.

  “While I appreciate the concern, that will not be necessary, as Kiya indicated it will be a small team going inside to extract the seer with no plans on leaving the same way they entered,” Thad replied, as he instructed Dag to send their crew back to the forest.

  “I’d forgotten how useful the Tuatha de Danaan’s gifts could be. When can we expect you back? I know you said the agglomerate was voting tomorrow, but the people of Earth deserve to know if more help is on the way and when to expect it,” Rh’ael asked with raised eyebrows.

  “If our people agree, I’ll send word with Kiya and Aarik after the vote. It shouldn’t take longer than two weeks to arrive. If anything, I imagine groups will begin arriving sporadically by the end of the week. If, by chance, they vote to abstain, I’ll accompany Kiya and Aarik when they return. That’s the best I can offer,” Thad offered in response.

  “It will have to do,” Rh’ael replied before asking everyone to stand back so he could reprogram the origin.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Aarik

  Aarik watched the standoff between Rh’ael and Thad’gar impatiently. He knew from Enki’s brief tutorial, it was imperative a seer allow events to unfold as naturally as possible. The guy had been adamant Aarik should only intervene if the scene deviated to an outcome he wasn’t willing to accept, but waiting would take practice. If he hadn’t seen for himself how many paths a situation could follow, whether right or wrong, he probably wouldn’t have been able to contain himself. Enki only told Kiya to remain calm to keep Thor from becoming involved in the discussion which would have delayed their departure even further.

  He hadn’t lied to Kiya earlier when he stated they would be successful in rescuing her grandmother, but what he had neglected to mention was the price they would have to pay. If he told her the truth, she would have been faced with making a choice between her grandmother and himself, which wasn’t fair. Aarik would live, but he would be out of commission for the latter part of their plan and would have to rely on others to protect them. Taking it on faith that the outcome he saw in his head would be the end result was wreaking havoc on his nerves.

  Turning toward his team he offered a few words of encouragement, lacing his words with hints that would hopefully steer them in the right direction when he was unconscious, “We’ve got this. In and out! Remember to stay silent in the gardens AND the hallways of the palace,” Looking directly at Kiya he added, “You got everything from Anna stuffed in those pockets?” Patting her pockets to double check she nodded and replied, “Yep, and a few additional things as well.”

  “If we run into any problems, make sure you use every weapon and gadget you have at your disposal,” Aarik warned pulling her into a tight hug. Breathing in her scent one last time he released her slowly, looked over at Thad and said, “See you in about twenty minutes.” He added telepathically, We will have injured. Be prepared.

  Would be surprised if we didn’t. I’ll have the ARCs charged and waiting. Did you see who and how many? Thad replied without missing a beat.

  Dozens with minor wounds, but only one with life threatening injuries. Nothing that cannot be healed. I...I didn’t happen to see the face, but it was a male, Aarik answered quickly switching to voice to avoid any more questions, “Alright ladies, shall we do this thing?”

  “The sooner the better, this climate is wreaking havoc on my skin,” Isis complained while rubbing her hands up and down her pants in irritation before suggesting, “We should probably get on Hillary first, before activating the wavelength eliminating devices. It’s hard to sit on something you can’t see.”

  “Hillary?” Aarik and Kiya asked together.

  “I always name my rides. Seeing as this one loves hills I called her Hillary,” explained Isis. Raising Hillary to chair height, Isis sat down and patted the spot next to her. “Times a-ticking…” she added with a brow raised in question when Kiya and Aarik were slow to follow suit.r />
  Aarik hooked his arm through Kiya’s and led her to a spot behind Isis. Picking her up, he sat her down and settled in next to her. Morri waved goodbye to Dag as he walked through the blue mist of his dimensional transport mist before she joined Isis at the front and said, “I’m assuming we all know once we pass through the origin, there should be no talking until we reach your grandmother. I wouldn’t recommend telepathy within the palace grounds, but if you must speak make it private.” When everyone agreed she added, “Perfect. See you on the other side.”

  “Well, technically we won’t be able to see each other, but I get what you mean,” Kiya joked and, with a smile, she pressed her disc and disappeared.

  Searching for her hand, Aarik interlinked their fingers before he activated his device and took a deep breath as Isis directed them into the passage. Aarik scanned their conversations with Rh’ael for anything he might have missed that would indicate the future he envisioned had changed, and when he couldn’t find anything out of place he breathed a little easier as they crossed into the garden. One possible outcome Aarik saw in the AZOK, showed the tree sprites catching on to their whereabouts when they heard the rustle of Kiya’s clothes as she rooted around for Aarik’s hand. He eliminated that possibility by holding her hand prior to their entry. Aarik held his breath as he waited to see if the sprites gathered to form Spritus. In every scenario where Spritus formed, death pursued. He only let it out when they passed without incident into the hallway.

  Isis followed Ashryn’s instructions and navigated them to the servants’ stairwell without incident. In one of the many potentialities he envisioned, if they encountered a servant coming out of Tashina’s quarters they would be spotted earlier than they were prepared for and Morri would perish. When they rounded the corner and found the area empty he rejoiced. Connecting with Isis he sent her a word of caution, Go just past the doors. A maid will be leaving and we can float in around her unnoticed.