The Orphans of New Lur

by Blake Vanier

“This is really important. I need to know your story.”

  Still silence.

  Vilhelm lets out a breath. “Nero, you can trust me. I’m on your side.” He pauses. “Can I tell you a secret?” Nero looks up at him. Vilhelm smiles and leans in close. “I’m part of Catalyst.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes, but don’t tell anyone. I hate the Erohsians just as much as you. You can trust me. Tell me about the essence you found.”

  “I thought Catalyst was good, though.”

  “What? Of course, we’re good. We’re trying to liberate humankind.” Vilhelm pauses and looks at Nero. “Why would you say that?”

  Nero looks down. “Because you helped the Prince kill Madam Carason,” he says quietly.

  “What?” There is a moment of silence before Vilhelm lets his body relax. He puts his hand on Nero’s shoulder. “I am just as sad as you are that Madam Carason died. If I could go back and save her, I would in an instant. I promise.

  “Then why did you help shield the prince from the Aether canon? You helped him cheat.”

  Vilhelm looks at Nero for another long moment. “Because Catalyst needs allies, and the King asked for a favor. He promised me no one would get hurt. To my great sorrow, it was not the case. You must not tell anyone. Your life depends on it. The King would not be happy if he found out you knew. Do you understand?” Nero nods, and Vilhelm smiles. “Now, I’ve told you a secret. It’s your turn. How did you know that we helped Prince Kamin?”

  Nero slips his hands out from under his legs and fidgets with the bottom of his shirt. “Because I can see Aether.”

  “That is truly incredible.”

  Nero looks up in surprise. “You believe me?”

  “Of course. Why wouldn’t I? How does it work?”

  Nero shrugs. “I’m not sure, but when I relax, I can see all the different types of Aether people have.”

  “So you can see my Aether?”

  Nero nods. “You’re Pahzan, just like the guy with spiked hair.”

  “And the other?”

  “He has several different types, just like my friend Thea.” Nero bites his tongue.

  “So you opened the canisters?”

  Nero looks back down and continues to fidget.

  “This is important, Nero. I promise I mean you no harm. Being Human, we’ve only got each other. We’re as good as family. You can trust me.” Vilhelm waits a moment. “Did you open the essence containers you found?” Still, Nero is silent. “Why were you so surprised when I believed you?”

  “Because no one ever believes me.”

  “Have you been able to do this all your life?”

  Nero shakes his head.

  “Perhaps it started when you absorbed an essence?”

  “I can’t absorb essence. I think something’s wrong with me.”

  “Maybe I can help you. What happened?”

  “I tried to absorb an essence, but when I touched it, I passed out. My friends said it evaporated or something.”

  “Did you happen to see any markings on this container?”

  “Yeah but I can’t remember what they were… The one I opened was really dim… I guess it was too dim though.”

  Vilhelm’s eyes grow wide for a moment. “Are you sure you opened it?”

  Nero nods. “I wanted to absorb it, but then I felt bad… and stopped… then I fell over. I saw my whole life flash before my eyes.”

  “Hmm.” Vilhelm swallows then nods slowly. “That is very interesting. I think I have a hunch about what’s going on.”

  “You do?”

  “Yes, but I’d like to scan you. Do you mind?”

  “Sure, but nothing’ll happen.”

  “Yes, of course. I just want to see for myself.” Vilhelm opens his coat and pulls out a complicated hand-held Aether detector. He scans Nero, but the detector picks up nothing. He looks at the detector in surprise and pushes a few buttons. Still, nothing. “Yep, just as expected…”

  “What does it mean?”

  “I want to confirm my guess first. I’d hate to tell you anything but the truth. If we’re friends, though, I’m sure I’ll be talking to you again soon.”

  I can’t believe he knows! This could explain everything. Nero nods. “Yes, I’d like that.”

  “Now, tell me about the other containers. You and Thea opened one each, what about the other three?”

  “Ryder and Korbin each opened one.”

  “And the fifth?” Vilhelm asks.

  Nero shrugs. “It was broken when we found it.”

  Vilhelm nods. “That makes sense. And you said Thea is like my friend? How is she doing since she absorbed the essence? Is she acting the same?”

  “Yeah. Our friend said the essence she absorbed wasn’t too strong, so she should be okay.”

  “Hmm, well I’m glad to hear it. I’d very much like to meet your friends, do you know where they are?”

  “No.” But they’re going to rescue me. Nero smiles to himself.

  “Ah, but you know where they will be. They’re going to come for you, aren’t they?”

  Nero looks at Vilhelm. His face turns hot.

  Vilhelm smiles warmly. “Don’t worry. I told you, we’re on the same side. Maybe I’ll be able to help. It sounds like a perfect job for Catalyst.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes, of course. I’ll see what I can do. It’d help if I knew who you were staying with in Kiats, though. That way, I can make sure their plan will work. It’d be horrible if they were captured, too.”

  “Sosimo’s really smart though. They won’t be caught.”

  “Sosimo, the candy maker?”

  Nero winces and looks down. “Yes.”

  “Ah, Sosimo, a great man. We’re already friends, so I’ll be sure to talk with him. Well, Nero, it’s been good to meet you.” Vilhelm knocks on the window and Bresta opens the door. “Good luck.”

  Nero watches Vilhelm and the other Humans walk off. He grabs his book and smiles at the thought of being rescued.

  *****

  “Cover me,” Onk yelled. He stopped to turn toward our pursuers.

  I pulled up my styk, looking for incoming projectiles. I had abandoned the blue crystal emitter long ago. For now, the Bellicoven were set on killing us. Onk shot several balls of Aether at the cressen running after us. His attacks were sluggish, and the cressen easily dodged them. I knocked two projectiles out of the air and used the last remaining bit of Aether in my styk to force two more into the ground.

  “Dammit,” Onk yelled. “The Bellicoven are slowing down my attacks.”

  “Let’s link, then,” I said, eyeing down the incoming cressen. “We can take care of both.”

  “Okay, let’s do it!” Onk held out his hand. I took it.

  I followed Onk’s Aether tickling my fingers to its source, tracing it through every part of his body and collecting the whole of his essence together. I summoned up mine as well and let their energies blend. The sudden flow of Aether that immersed me was intoxicating, yet it was shared with a sense of fear and a wild fervor. The image of the glowing claws of the virker ready to strike, a burning pain in my shoulder: they were echoes of Onk’s thoughts. The Aether reserves we shared flowed deep, yet my normal connection to Aether was slightly numbed.

  Onk used our high Aethersotto to overwhelm the two Bellicoven in the trees. He pulled them from their perch, slamming them into the oncoming cressen, tangling them up in a jumble of limbs.

  I reached through the Aether to a spot high up behind the cressen and Bellicoven, forcing open a link to myself. The Bellicoven and cressen were quick to untangle themselves and prepare for a direct attack from us. A slight smile reached the corner of my mouth as I forced a continuous Moltrik attack through the link. Electrical tendrils of Aether reached out from the single point behind our enemies. It latched onto them, causing their bodies to go rigid. I fueled the attack with Onk’s reserves until all of them fell to the ground, unconscious. It cost us almost all the Aether we sh
ared.

  Onk let go of my hand. “Nice job.”

  Instantly, the anxiety fell away, and my natural calm returned. “Thanks,” I said, “but it’s not going to give us much time.”

  Rolk stood over a recently fallen cressen. A trace of blood stood out, bright against the white of his heavily bandaged chest. “We need to keep moving. I don’t want to get caught by the Anterraktor.”

  Onk ran over to the dead cressen. A mist was rising off its body. It swirled around itself, a bright little star of light forming.

  Rolk stopped and looked at it, then to Onk. “Are you sure?”

  “We don’t really have a choice at this point, Rolk,” Onk said. He walked over to the glowing star and touched it. It jumped into his finger. Onk stopped breathing, clamping his eyes shut for just a moment. “Okay, good,” he opened his eyes. “That should help. Let’s go.”

  Onk took off. We followed him through a thick section of growth that opened to a large clearing. He began to run, but stopped suddenly and started to back up. “Uh-oh. I think I triggered another one.”

  There was a bright flash. A shock rippled through us as another sphere began to vent Aether.

  “Take cover!” Seader yelled, whipping his Aether canon up toward the sphere.

  With the previous blast still fresh in our memory, there wasn't a moment’s hesitation. We all fell to the ground. I covered my ears and shielded my face, gritting my teeth. The blast resonated through my bones. Bits of plants and dirt pelted me all over.

  Rolk stood up, brushing dirt and debris from his clothes. “That's one way to take care of them,” he said, assessing the results. “How many more of those shots do you have?”

  “That was it,” Seader replied. “So let's not disturb any more of them.”

  Burning pieces of vegetation gently fell to the ground. Sparks of Aether jumped through the air, illuminating an array of dormant virker spheres. The ones within a fifteen-meter radius of the destroyed sphere began to release their Aether and awaken.

  “Holy crap,” Seader whispered, his Aether canon hung loosely by his side.

  “Yeah… We're screwed,” Onk said.

  Rolk scanned over the spheres then slung his styk behind his back. “No, you're not.” Rolk put both hands on my shoulders and looked me in the eyes. “Nix, I have a plan that will keep everyone safe, but you need to lead them back to the beach… alone. I won't be able to come with.”

  “What are you talking about? We can all make it back,” I said, grabbing his arm. “We just need to hurry.”

  “Maybe us, but not many others will survive if we just run.” He moved my hand into his. “I can perform a Seteress Kimkariki. It will stun enough of the Bellicoven and cressen to give everyone enough time to escape.”

  “A Seteress will kill you,” I said, knowing he was fully aware of the consequences. “Where would you even get enough Aether?”

  He nodded to the awakening virker.

  I shook my head, feeling a panic that I hadn’t felt for a long time. “No. This is ridiculous.”

  “This expedition is my responsibility. It has to be done.”

  I squeezed his hand with both of mine. “At least let me help.”

  He pulled my hands up to his lips. “I need to know you’ll survive. Please, at least give me that.”

  “It's too much… You’re a part of me. How can I go on if I’m no longer complete?”

  “You will. I have no doubt. You are strong. I wish there was another way, but these people had faith in me and I have to protect them… and you. Please. Do this for me?”

  I dipped my head, letting the tears fall freely.

  He pulled me in tight and squeezed. “I love you,” he whispered before pushing me away. “Now go!”

  It was the hardest decision of my life, but I knew there was no point in fighting him anymore. His mind was set, and there was a job to do. I hardened my resolve and turned back to the world, which had lost a lot of its color. The edges of the trees and our surroundings blurred as Aether flooded the forest. The virkers were well on their way to awakening. There would be hardly enough time to put a safe amount of distance between Rolk and us. I turned to the others in the group, running toward them. “We need to get moving!” I yelled.

  “What about Rolk?” Onk asked.

  “He's going to give us a window to escape. Let's not waste it. Now move!” I grabbed Maizy, the small Erohsian, and began to run as fast as I could; the others followed.

  It wasn't long before I felt the surge of Aether rip through me. I could feel it ignoring me, but the overwhelming flood that passed through us still made my head go fuzzy. I tumbled to the ground. It was unbelievable what Rolk could do when he put his mind to it. I could only expect such a ferocious farewell from my Rolk.

  It took me several minutes to find my bearings and let the dizziness pass. The Humans and the Erohsians were all unconscious. A few minutes passed before the Humans were conscious and semi-functional. We didn't know how long the Erohsians would be out, so we carried them back to the cove.

  The beach was in chaos when we got there. Boats were making trips back and forth between our ship and the beach. The wounded and unconscious were ferried first, while the remaining people were scrambling to pack up. A defensive perimeter was set up, but it had little use. Anything hostile in the forest was unconscious after the Kimkariki. The rest of our expedition escaped with minimal casualties and injuries, thanks to my husband’s final act.

  Part of me wanted to go back for him, but I knew in my heart that even he couldn't survive a Seteress and risking myself to check would be a waste of his sacrifice, a sacrifice that will weigh heavy in my heart ‘til the day I die.

  30

  Now to Execute

  Iona

  “This afternoon, Natina will throw a fuss over her ceremony arrangements,” Grebson says to Sosimo and the children. They are all seated around a kitchen table in the loft above Sosimo’s Sunta candy store. “She should get authorization tomorrow morning to send out a Borukin servant to pick up more help. This is the first big challenge, but he should pick you all up if you play the part. She’ll also have him pick up one of those Erohsian solar system projections everyone is crazy about these days.” Grebson turns to Sosimo. “I’m assuming you’ve made the modifications and sold it to the shop we discussed.”

  “I have,” Sosimo says. “It’ll drain the children’s Aether and project different biometric signs for the Erohsian sensors. They’ll register as four random children. Have Natina ask for a pink Illi, it’s the only one in the shop of that color.”

  “Good. I sneaked in the rest of the equipment, including the new Erohsian Moltrik ID talismans. Are you going to tell me what special favor you promised your friends in order to get those talismans and their assistance?”

  “Nothing at all,” Sosimo says. “They were, surprisingly, willing to help. Perhaps they saw this as a good time to field-test the talismans. They could have any number of their own motivations.”

  “Who are your friends again?” Iona asks.

  “Just friends,” Sosimo says. “You’ll meet them after the mission.”

  I wish he’d just tell us.

  Grebson stands up. “I’ll see you children tomorrow. May Stone’s courage flow through you, Marks’s blade guide you, and the Lost Blood nourish you.” Grebson turns from the table and leaves.

  Sosimo sits back down and sighs. “This should be an interesting rescue mission, but I think we can pull it off.”

  “What did Grebson mean by all that?” Ryder asks.

  “It’s an old saying we use. It means: may you have the courage, the skill, and the strength to finish the task ahead. It dates back to the Age of Creation when King Stone and the Human leader Jezebel Marks fought to free us from the Creators.”

  “What about the Lost Race?” Iona asks.

  “The Lost Race was the first to rebel against the Creators. It was also said they were the closest race to the Creators’ image, a perfect race
. There was a great bond between the Humans, Borukins, and this race; nothing was impossible when they were together. However, they created the Drebin which was nearly the end to all of us. At the end of the War of Salvation, the Lost Race was… removed from the world.”

  “How is that possible?” Iona asks. “Were they killed off?”

  Sosimo shakes his head. “It was a really rough time in history. No one is really sure what happened. They simply ceased to exist.” Sosimo stands up. “I’ll make us some lunch, then we can go over the plan one more time.

  Thea clutches at her chest once Sosimo leaves. “I’m so nervous.”

  Iona nods and drums her fingers on her thigh.

  “So am I,” Ryder says.

  “Me too,” Korbin says.

  All the children look at him in surprise.

  “What?” Korbin asks.

  “You never admit to being nervous,” Iona says.

  Thea jumps up. “Yeah. Like never, never.”

  “This is serious now. It’s the real thing.” Korbin looks around. “We could get in real trouble…”

  Ryder pats Korbin on the back. “We’ll be alright, Korb. We’ve never practiced so hard in our lives.”

  “Do you think we can pull this off?” Thea asks.

  “We better,” Ryder says. “Nero is depending on us.”

  *****

  The children walk in the shadows cast by the buildings from the mid-morning light. The Human district in Sunta is a maze of repetitive streets and apartment towers. The only source of color and personality is the clothing which hangs to dry from the windows and small balconies. Other Humans walk or bike to their jobs, or gather at inlets to the large public transit that travels between the buildings above. Higher than the skytrain, vehicles zip along the barely visible skyways and even higher than that, levitraft and other aircraft fly unrestricted.

  Iona takes a breath with every other step. Her nerves are in a constant battle with her fatigue, played out on her fluttering eyelids. All of the children, in their ratty clothes, are in a similar state after completely draining their Aether before setting out.

  “So, what’s the ball for again?” Thea asks.

  Ryder rolls the worn-out rubber kickball in his hands. “It does something so the Erohsians can’t see us with all of their stuff. We have to keep it close until we get the other package, which will then take over.”