The Orphans of New Lur

by Blake Vanier

  “Woo!” She jumps back as the grey rock sprouts legs and a head. It scurries off into some bushes. “Neat,” she says to herself.

  Korbin reaches deep into a tangle of vines and pulls free a large stick. He thrusts it into the air. “Ah ha!” He lowers it and points it at Ryder. “Ryder! I challenge you to a duel!”

  Ryder continues to walk. “We should save our energy, Korb.”

  Korbin glares at Ryder then snaps the stick at Thea. “Thea! I challenge you to a duel!”

  A smile spreads across her face but disappears just as fast. She frantically looks for another stick. She finds one and tugs it free. “Very well. As a prize, I’ll give you a quick death!”

  Thea lunges at Korbin. The two begin to spar and chase each other through the moss-covered trees.

  *****

  An hour later, the haze and the cloud cover have grown thicker. The children’s energy is sapped from them just as the colors of the forest have been drained away. In some places, Iona feels a stifling heat and just as suddenly she is cold. She notices a slow drip of water from a tree. Sometimes, a drop disappears midair.

  “What the heck?” She looks closer. Every time a drop disappears, another drop falls from out of nowhere a little way to the side. “That’s strange…” A bird flies overhead, the same type she noticed earlier. Instead of being orange and green, its feathers are different shades of grey. Iona frowns and looks up at the sky through the holes in the canopy. “Hopefully, the weather doesn’t get too bad. It seems like everything is gloomy.”

  Strangely, a part of her feels light and free. She rubs her fingers on her palms, expecting them to be sweaty. They are not. She moves her tongue around next, expecting it to stick to her mouth. Her mouth feels normal. Weird.

  Ryder shakes his head. “Yeah, it is. At least we’re semi-covered if it starts to rain.”

  “I like it here. It’s really cool!” Nero says. He walks with pep to his step. “I’ve never seen anything like this before.”

  Iona shakes her head. I guess it goes with his depressing personality.

  “Like that!” Nero points to a tight group of semitransparent butterflies. Their glowing wings seem to be moving with the exact same wing beat. The butterflies flutter in and out of existence.

  “Oh, weird.” Thea runs up to them, hands out. She tries to catch one, but they all pass through her hands as if she does not exist. “What the heck is going on?”

  Nero runs up to the butterflies and cups his hands about them. As his hands close, the butterflies fold in on themselves until they all disappear. He opens his hands slowly and a single, solid butterfly is perched on his palm, fanning its glowing wings slowly.

  “Isn’t it awesome?” Nero asks. “I call it a butterfire!”

  Thea looks at it closely. “Yeah. How did you catch it? Was it just one the whole time?”

  “Uh yeah… What do you mean? I just grabbed it. It wasn’t hard at all.” Nero moves it to his finger, smiling, and skips off. With a jump, and a thrust of his arm, the butterfire flies away. Immediately, the butterfire unfolds and multiplies once more.

  For hours, they follow the widening creek until a thick wall of bushes and foliage bars their path. They move down to the bank of the creek and hop over rocks to proceed. Past the bushes, the creek spills into a large river that is spanned by a massive cement bridge.

  “Oooie! That’s a big river,” Korbin says. “It’s a lot bigger than it looks like on the map.”

  “Seriously.” Ryder squints at the bridge several hundred meters farther up the river. “Let’s see if we can use the bridge to cross.”

  The children slide down the steep banks and skip across the rocks at the edge of the river.

  “Holy cow, this is huge!” Thea says. “Who made it?”

  Ryder shrugs. “I don’t know. Maybe this is why the Minis don’t want people in here―because they’re trying to hide this.”

  Iona nods. “Fae always said that the Erohsians took all this land from Humans. I wonder if Humans made it.”

  Korbin puffs up his chest. “Of course they did. It’s huge! I can totally see Humans making something this awesome.” He takes off running along the bank and the others hurry to follow.

  Dark scars and pockmarks cover the bridge. Massive chunks of the four-lane road are completely missing. It is as though a giant had tried to use the bridge but had punched holes through with her feet.

  Korbin kicks the detritus, throwing up his arms. “Trashed! Just like everything else…” He picks up a large rock and heaves it into the water.

  Iona scrambles about the chunks of cement on the bank, climbing to the main level. Large legs of a statue, broken at the waste, stand to one side. “I think there’s enough left we can use it to cross,” she yells down to the others. “We just need to be careful.”

  Ryder joins Iona, tracing the expected path with his eyes. “Let’s get this over with.”

  The children zigzag between large gaps where chunks of cement hang from reinforcing rebar. Through the gaps, Iona can see dark shadows the size of Ryder moving about the murky water. Those are big fish… She squeezes a bit closer to the wall as she shuffles through a narrow section of solid ground.

  At the far side, the bridge has collapsed into the banks of the river. The children climb and hop over the pieces of cement until they reach bushes and trees. The growth consumes the old road almost entirely.

  Ryder tries to peer through. “Oh gosh, this should be fun.” He looks up and down the bank, noticing the same barrier. He walks around the bushes, first on his toes, then crouching to get a better view. “I think we can make it through here if we crawl.” He points to a small gap running along the base of the copse.

  Korbin sighs. “This stinks.”

  Iona plops down on her hands and knees. “Suck it up, Korb.”

  She plunges into the bushes. Grunts and yelps follow her as the plants and twigs prick the others. Tangles of vines and branches catch her shoulders and arms, but she squirms and tears through. Eventually, she pops out the other side.

  She stands up, shaking loose bits of plant matter from her hair and body. The bustling sounds of the forest hit her from every direction; singing birds, stridulating bugs, and squawking animals. I’ve never been anywhere with so much life. She turns her attention to the other children emerging from the bushes covered in a collection of leaves and twigs. Again, an incredible feeling of lightness overwhelms her, and she sees Nero crawl out with a smile on his face. “Are you enjoying this, Nero?” Iona asks.

  Nero nods. “Yeah, I like it here. It’s beautiful.”

  Korbin struggles through the last bush, jumping to his feet. He shivers and shakes his body. “Oh gosh, that was horrible. Do I have bugs all over me?” He spins around, trying to see his back.

  Iona lets out a sigh. “Come on, Korbin, there aren’t any―” She bites her breath as she catches a glimpse of a sizable, black mantis hanging on his pack. “Wait, Korb. Stop. You have a big bug on your backpack.”

  “What?!” Korbin flails his arms and jumps like he is on fire. The bug flies through the air, landing on its back.

  Nero hurries over and squats next to the bug. He picks up a stick to flip it over just as a rock smashes it. The rock bounces away, leaving a crumbled mass of twitching limbs behind. Nero spins to Korbin, who is standing victoriously wiping his hands.

  Iona’s vision suddenly takes on a tint of red just as Nero shoves Korbin in the chest. “What the heck, Korbin! Why’d you do that?”

  “Whoa, Nero, what’s your problem?” Korbin takes a step back, his hands up. “It’s just a bug.”

  “So? You didn’t have to kill it!”

  “It was totally going to attack when it flipped itself over. Why do you think it was on my back?”

  “Yeah, it looked real dangerous crawling about minding its business, you jerk.” Nero holds Korbin’s gaze fiercely.

  Iona sees the anger and frustration boiling off Nero. What’s going on with Nero? I’ve n
ever seen him make a stand like this.

  Korbin shrugs. “Whatever, Nero. Stop being so sensitive.”

  Thea points at the bug. “Hey look!” It has just stopped twitching. A marble-size bright spot of light rises from the bug. A faint mist follows next and swirls about, obscuring the orb. “Ooooh, what’s that?”

  Korbin reaches down to touch it before Ryder can stop him. The mist is drawn into him. He springs up straight, looking at the others with dazed eyes.

  “Dang it, Korbin, why do you always have to do stuff without thinking?” Ryder asks. Korbin does not respond. “You alright?”

  Korbin blinks a couple of times until his eyes clear. “Yeah, I’m good. It felt like the stuff at our hideout, but now I have this strange desire to crawl through the forest and hunt for green bugs.”

  “Does every living thing have mist in it?” Thea asks.

  Korbin shakes his head. “I’ve killed lots of bugs and this is the only time I’ve ever seen that.”

  Thea looks at Iona. “Do you think it’s Aether?”

  Iona shrugs. “I don’t know. Why would this bug have Aether?”

  There is a long pause. Ryder begins to tramp off. “Alright, team, let’s keep moving. We can ask someone later.”

  The group gathers themselves to follow Ryder through the persistent haze of dull colors. The huffing and puffing of the children create a strange uneasiness in Iona’s stomach. She tries to put her finger on it but cannot. You’re just being silly. Her palms begin to sweat. She wipes them on her pants. There’s nothing bad in the forest, remember all the birds and…

  “Hey, something doesn’t feel right,” Nero says.

  Korbin stops. “Aw, Nero, are you still crying ‘cuz I killed the bug?”

  Nero glares at Korbin. “No, seriously, something’s changed. What happened to all the animals?”

  Korbin raises his eyebrows. “What are you talking about? We haven’t seen any animals besides some birds and bugs.”

  “No, he’s right, listen.” Iona holds up her hands, looking around. A faint breeze stirs the tops of the trees. “No birds, no bugs, nothing running around. There are no sounds at all.”

  Korbin looks at Iona. “What does that mean?”

  “I haven’t got a clue. But something’s going on.”

  “Maybe it’s just different on this side of the forest, or it’s just that time of the day.” Ryder looks up into the trees then along the ground. “I think the best thing we can do is keep moving forward. I’m sure it’s not a big deal.” Ryder flips out his compass and frowns. He shakes it briefly then stuffs it back in his pocket. “Oh, and just in case… keep your eyes open, but like I said―I’m sure it’s nothing.”

  They proceed to meander through plants and over roots and logs until they reach a small clearing with a soft mossy ground cover. The children instantly collapse, releasing sighs of relief as their feet rejoice.

  Korbin rubs his hands over his scratched forearms. “Hey, Ryder, this was a wonderful idea man. Next time we should cross the Blishin Desert, and just for fun, we won’t bring any water. That would almost be as awesome as this.”

  Ryder rolls his eyes. “Stop whining. It’s not that bad.”

  Iona hops up, looking around the clearing. “I think something lives here.” She walks away and jumps. “Woo. There’s a huge animal over here.”

  The children scramble over, where there is a large four-legged animal lying on its side. It looks like a giant wolf. It is easily bigger than any Human adult and its fur is a mottled, streaked grey. The animal does not move. The children surround it.

  Nero’s mouth drops. “Oh wow, that’s cool! I wish I were that color.”

  “What is it? Is it dead?” Thea asks.

  Korbin picks up a long stick. “Let’s find out.”

  “Maybe you should leave it be,” Iona says.

  “It’ll be alright. I’m just going to poke it a little.” He walks as close as he dares, poking the animal in the ribs. Korbin springs back and waits for a reaction that does not come. He creeps back to the creature, jabbing it with more force. The creature’s eyes just barely open. It takes a large breath. “Hey, look, it’s alive! It must be on its deathbed. Maybe I can get it to move.” Korbin readies another jab.

  Nero wrestles his way past Korbin, standing in front of him. “Come on, Korbin, just let it be.”

  Korbin stops, looking at Nero. “What’s your deal, Sam? You’re being really annoying. Look, it’s barely alive, and I want to see if I can get it to move a bit. Just get out of my way.”

  “No, Korbin, leave it alone,” Nero says.

  Wow, really, what’s happened to Nero?

  Korbin pokes Nero with the stick. “Come on, stop being such a baby. What if it has more of that mist stuff in it?”

  Nero looks at Korbin with shock. “You want to kill it?”

  Korbin shrugs. “Why not? It looks like it’s going to die soon anyways. We would be doing it a favor.”

  “It’d be a waste if it died for nothing,” Thea says. “We could put the Aether to good use.”

  Nero looks at Thea, his mouth open. She looks away. “You’re going to just let him kill it?” Nero asks.

  “Thanks, Thea,” Korbin says. He pokes Nero again. “Is the little baby going to try to stop me?”

  “Come on, Korbin,” Iona says. “Just let it be. It’s not worth it.”

  Korbin spins on Iona. “Look, if we’re going to fight the Erohsians, we’re going to need all the Aether we can get. So, no, I will not let it be.” He turns back to Nero, shoving him to the side.

  Nero lands next to the animal with a grunt. Suddenly, the animal’s black eyes snap open. It jumps to its feet, towering over the children, hackles raised.

  Before the children can react, it destroys Korbin’s stick with one chomp and roars, exposing its long, sharp teeth. They stumble backward, tripping. A stench of rot jolts their senses and steals their breath. They are up and running immediately. The creature lets out another deafening roar, leaping after the children.

  Panic squeezes Iona’s body, and no matter how fast she runs, it does not seem fast enough. The clear image of the razor-sharp teeth runs through her mind. The burning in her legs finally becomes unbearable, and she ducks behind a tree. The other children huddle beside her and they wait, gasping for breath. The monster is nowhere to be seen.

  “Oh my lord, Korbin, you jerk!” Iona punches Korbin in his arm. “You should’ve just let it be.”

  Korbin rubs his arm and looks fiercely at Iona. “Jeez, we’re all in one piece, aren’t we? No harm done.”

  Iona throws her arms in the air. “Yeah but gosh, that thing could have eaten us all.”

  Ryder nods his head. “Did you see how big the teeth were compared to Nero’s little head?”

  Korbin holds his hand up showing the size with his fingers. “They were huge! Would have chomped right through him if it wanted.”

  Thea seizes Ryder’s arm roughly. “Wait!” She looks around. “Where’s Nero?”

  The memory of Nero, his pleading eyes rolling back in his head as he crumples to the ground runs through Iona’s mind. Oh no. “He’s with the monster.” The words slip from her mouth.

  Ryder grabs Iona by both shoulders, looking into her eyes. “Did you see what happened?” Ryder waits a moment and shakes her. “Iona, come on, this is important. There still might be a chance. Did you see the monster get him?”

  Iona looks down at her feet then at Ryder. “No, but he was right there next to it. I think he passed out. I guess, I just figured. I mean, why else do you think we got away?”

  “Typical Nero, too scared to save himself.” Korbin kicks a large root. “I guess there’s nothing we can do about it now.”

  Tears flow from Thea’s eyes. “We can’t just leave him!”

  Korbin plucks a slender stick from the ground. “What do you expect us to do?” He swings it so hard, it whistles through the air. “Fight the monster with sticks?” He looks at Thea and snaps i
t in half. “You heard Iona, the monster got him. There’s nothing we can do. He would probably want us to save ourselves.”

  Iona looks down at the ground, shaking her head. Dang it, Nero! Why couldn’t you have just run?

  Ryder pulls up a much larger stick from a clutch of vines. “We might not be able to do anything about it, but I don’t like the thought of leaving without knowing for sure. He would do the same for any one of us.”

  Korbin looks at him in shock. “What, are you kidding me? He would totally leave us. He’s the biggest wuss I’ve ever met.”

  “We only have each other and I don’t think he’d leave any of us.” Ryder looks at the rest of the children. “We’ll keep our eyes open and be very careful. First sign of the monster and we’ll head out. Okay?”

  Thea wipes the tears from her eyes. “Okay.”

  Iona lifts her head, nodding. “Yeah, that sounds good.”

  Korbin looks at them and chucks the broken stick into the forest. “This is ridiculous! Now we’re all going to get eaten!”

  “Korbin, this is your fault!” Ryder says with a poke of his finger causing Korbin to jump. “Either come with us,” Ryder gestures off to the forest, “or go on without us. But stop complaining.”

  Korbin looks into the forest and sighs. “I’ll come. Who else is going to protect you wimps?” He kicks about the plants, pulling out two fist-sized rocks. “Lead the way.”

  Ryder hits his palm with the thick stick. “Okay, then, let’s go.” He moves out from behind the tree, walking toward the monster’s clearing. “Keep your eyes open.”

  Iona winces with every step. How are we going to sneak up on the monster when we’re making so much noise? It’s going to jump out of a bush and get us before we even know it’s there. Iona turns toward the bushes. You’re just seeing things, calm down. Iona’s heart is thumping painfully against her chest. Her breathing is fast and shallow.

  “Ah, right there!” Korbin jumps back, throwing a rock at some bushes. “Holy cow, I just saw something.”

  Ryder peers in the direction of Korbin’s throw. “What? Where?”