The Orphans of New Lur

by Blake Vanier

  “I wish we didn’t have to get drained. I’m so tired,” Thea says, dramatically dragging her feet.

  “I know. It stinks, but this is the best way to sneak past the Erohsians.”

  “What do you think the Borukin we’re going to meet looks like?” Thea asks.

  “Like a Borukin,” Ryder says. “I’m sure we won’t miss him.”

  “But what if he doesn’t show?”

  “Sosimo and Grebson have thought of everything for this mission. I’m sure he will.” Ryder turns to Thea. “Do you have any other questions?”

  Thea shakes her head. “No.”

  They continue to walk down the streets, guided by the directions that Ryder has memorized.

  “Are you sure we’re going the right direction?” Thea bursts out as though the question was pent up inside.

  Ryder lets out a breath. “Yes, Thea. We’re almost there.”

  “What if something goes wrong?”

  “Sosimo will be watching. Don’t worry. Now, enough questions, Thea… Jeez.”

  Thea looks down at the street. “I just want to rescue Nero and be done with this.”

  Iona nods her head. “We all do.”

  Finally, the claustrophobia of the pressing apartment buildings eases. They see a large cement court with hoops and goals. Other children are scattered about, yelling, playing with balls, and chasing each other around.

  “This is it.” Ryder drops the ball and kicks it to Korbin. “Let’s kick the ball until he comes. Just not too hard.”

  The children play with diminishing enthusiasm, continually looking around. Ryder constantly forces them to participate. Suddenly, silence falls upon the playground and the children turn around. A light grey, seven-person truck stops at the edge of the gaming area.

  “Minis!” A child yells.

  Instantly, the Humans scatter, leaving only Ryder, Korbin, Thea, and Iona. They all watch the vehicle as a large Borukin steps out, glances at his watch, and surveys the area.

  Ryder picks up the ball. “Okay, here we go. Let me and Iona do the talking.”

  The Borukin with his large, hasty strides crosses the concrete quickly, eyeing the children as he comes. “Why’d everyone run?” he asks the children.

  Ryder steps forward with his chest out. “Because they thought you were a Mini.”

  “And why didn’t you run?”

  Iona now steps forward. “Because we aren’t scared of you or them.”

  The Borukin smiles with a chuckle. “Good. Can any of you use Aether?”

  Ryder shakes his head. “No, why?”

  “I’m looking for a few non-bonded Human children. Are you interested in making some money?”

  “We’re not supposed to talk to anyone who works with the Erohsians,” Ryder says.

  Iona grabs Ryder’s arm. “But we could buy a new ball.” She looks down at her ratty shoes. “And some new shoes.”

  “It’s just for the day, and it won’t be hard,” the Borukin says. “It looks like you kids could use a little extra something.”

  Ryder turns to the Borukin with scrutiny. “Okay, we’re listening. What’s the job?”

  “The Borukin Princess needs your help,” the Borukin says.

  “A princess?” Iona asks with feigned excitement.

  The Borukin nods. “The one and only Princess Natina.”

  “What does she need?” Ryder asks, also with exaggerated excitement.

  “She needs help with a royal ceremony for the Erohsians.” The Borukin bites his last words.

  “A ceremony for the Minis?” Ryder says. “I don’t like it.”

  “You will be paid nicely, I promise,” the Borukin continues quickly.

  “How much?” Iona asks.

  “Enough to buy you all new shoes and a new ball.”

  Ryder holds up a finger. “Give us a second.” He pulls the other children into a huddle. “Okay, let’s just give him a second to sweat.” Ryder whispers to the other children. “I think it’s going just how Sosimo wanted.” They break the huddle and Ryder approaches the Borukin who is looking at his watch. “How much are you offering?”

  “Twenty Anterren each,” he says.

  Ryder thinks for a moment. “Well seeing as this is for the Minis, we’re going to need forty.”

  “Twenty-five.”

  “Forty-five.”

  The Borukin frowns. “That’s not how you bargain.”

  Ryder shrugs. “We said we weren’t scared of you, so don’t try to cheat us. This isn’t something we want to do, and from the looks of it, you’re in a rush, so it’s either forty or you can go find some other kids.” Ryder looks around. “Might be tricky, though.”

  The Borukin lets out a sigh. “Fine, but we need to hurry. The Princess is waiting.” He sets off across the concrete, and the children jog to keep up.

  He reaches the Erohsian truck and opens the back door. Ryder drops the ball and climbs in first. When Iona hops in and sits down, the bracelet on her arm suddenly turns cold and her fatigue doubles. That must be the solar system. She looks up front and sees a package on the dash wedged against the window.

  An Erohsian escort in the driver’s seat looks back at the children, and then at the Borukin who is scrunched in the front seat. “Are we ready to head back, then?”

  The Borukin grabs the package, placing it on his lap. “We’re all set.”

  The threat of being in the same car as an Erohsian is quickly surpassed by their fatigue. Within ten minutes, they are sleeping.

  “Hey, kids, wake up,” the Borukin says, twisting awkwardly to see them. “We’re almost there.”

  Iona blinks her eyes and looks out the window. The car is just pulling down a ramp under a very large building. Darkness overtakes them as they enter a garage.

  “You’re a sleepy bunch. I hope you have more energy when the Princess is around, or we’ll both be in trouble.” The car comes to a stop at a security gate.

  Iona’s tiredness evaporates as armed Erohsian guards approach the truck from both sides. One of them signals for the Erohsian escort to roll down his window. “Please state your business.”

  “Business pertaining to the Royal Princess of the Borukins.”

  The guard uses a device to scan the escort’s eye and looks through the information on a holographic display. “It says you’re responsible for one Borukin and are authorized to bring back an Erohsian solar system and four non-bonded Human children. More servants for the banquet tonight?”

  “They’re for the Princess’s honorary ceremony,” the Borukin says. “She’s making some last-minute adjustments.”

  The guard looks at the back of the truck. “We’ll need everyone to get out and be scanned before you pass.”

  “Of course.” The escort undoes his seat belt and exits the car followed by the Borukin and the children.

  Iona holds her breath as the guard walks down the line, scanning the identification and Aether of each of the children.

  The guard reaches the Borukin with the package. “And this is the solar system? Please remove it from the package.”

  The Borukin carefully removes a dark hemisphere and holds it out to the Erohsian.

  The guard scans it. “Aether’s a bit high… but still under the regulation limits.” He hangs the scanner from a strap around his neck and takes the projector. A small button on the side generates a holographic display of the solar system with a pink star in the middle. A small grey planet rotates quickly around Illi, followed by three blue and green planets. A larger, pale green planet trails the first four. The rest of the planets are much bigger. A white planet with faint pink clouds is followed by the largest planet, which has dark orange-brown clouds at its equator and yellow poles. The next planet is pale green. A brilliant blue planet with streaks of white clouds is next and last, a red planet, only slightly smaller.

  He clicks it off. “A pink Illi?”

  The Borukin shrugs. “Children…”

  “Okay, then, everything check
s out. You may proceed,” the guard says, handing the Borukin the package.

  Back in the car, the children relax. Without the adrenaline from the security checkpoint, their fatigue hits them full force. After winding deeper into the parking structure, the escort finds a place for the truck and shuffles everyone out. The children drag their feet as he escorts them to an elevator, where he uses an eyeball scanner to reach the sixtieth floor.

  They funnel through the elevator at the sixtieth floor and walk down a hallway through a set of propped-open double doors. There is a large terrace sheltered by a half-domed ceiling of glass. From every angle, the room looks out at the buildings of Sunta to its boundaries. Looking straight up, Iona can see the building continue toward the sky, too many floors above to count. The terrace is populated with tables covered in white cloth. At the close end, facing toward the city, is a stage where Natina and other Borukins are rehearsing. Grebson is standing off to the side, watching. His focus shifts to the group of children as they enter.

  “No, no, no, no, NO!” Natina stomps her foot. “This is not good enough.”

  The Erohsian escort walks up to the stage. “Excuse me, Princess. We have finished your errands. Please let me know if you need anything else.”

  Natina quickly glances at the escort. “I will.” She hops down from the stage to approach the children and the Borukin. “You were sure taking your time.”

  The Borukin dips his head. “I’m sorry, Princess. I went as fast as I could.”

  “Let me see the solar system.”

  The Borukin pulls it from the box and turns it on. “It was the only one with a pink Illi. I was lucky to find it.”

  “That will do.” Natina turns her attention on the children. “And these are the Humans you found?” She walks around them. “They’re not much to look at.” She grabs Korbin’s arm and lifts it up. “This one is nothing but skin and bones.”

  Korbin’s face turns red. He pulls his arm back.

  Iona suppresses a smile.

  “I’m sorry,” the Borukin says. “I didn’t know there were aesthetic requirements.”

  She waves her hand, walking back to the stage. “They’ll do.”

  Grebson moves forward. “I’ll take them to get changed.”

  “Be quick about it. We’re short on time.” She hops back on stage and continues her instructions.

  Grebson dips his head, moving to the Borukin. “You must forgive the Princess’s short temper. She is anxious about the new additions to her ceremony.”

  The Borukin hands Grebson the package. “I understand. I can’t imagine what she’d be like if you didn’t give me those tips on where to find the pink solar system and the children. It saved me a lot of time.”

  “I’m glad, for both of our sakes, it worked out.” Grebson turns to the children. “Follow me.” He leads them out and to a small side room beside the elevator. “So far, so good,” he says to the children. “This is where you’ll be when you’re waiting and resting.”

  He opens the package and pops off the bottom of the solar system projector. One by one, he pulls out small crystal slivers and hands one to each child. Instantly, the bracelet on Iona’s wrist warms. Her incredible fatigue lightens.

  Korbin shakes his limbs. “That was horrible.”

  Grebson hands them each a candy bar. “This should help bring back some of your energy.”

  “How do those things work?” Iona asks, holding the crystal up to the light.

  “They’re talismans that have their drawing part and their conversion part separated. The bracelet draws your Aether and sends it to the conversion part. An Aether sink―what was in the projector―continued to absorb the Aether from the conversion part, so your Aether levels stayed exceptionally low. It’s a clever little Artifact Sosimo made.” Grebson points to some clothes lying off to the side. “Those are yours. Change and wash up a bit. You’ll have to practice with Natina first, but then you’ll have some time to rest and eat. After your ceremony, Nero will be up. Hurry back here and grab your gear from the cabinet under the water jug. There is a Moltrik pulse grenade, and an extra doorman and invisibility bracelet for Nero as well.”

  “But Nero doesn’t have Aether to use it with.” Thea’s confusion is knit into her brows.

  “Just tell him he can draw from the doorman if he needs.” Grebson opens the cabinet and places the solar system projector in it. “Make sure to bring this out with you. We don’t want to leave any trail.”

  “Okay, we will,” Ryder says.

  “And remember, half the plan is escaping. It will be easiest if it stays quiet. Only make your move when you’re confident you’ll have some privacy, and minimal surprises. You’ll also want a good place to hide the unconscious Erohsians, so your best bet will probably be the holding area.” Grebson walks to the door. “Don’t be long. I’ll be waiting outside.”

  The boys and girls wash up with some paper towels and a little bit of water and change into yellow gowns with hoods.

  “Can you believe she said I was skinny?” Korbin asks.

  Thea laughs. “Yeah, that was funny. I almost giggled.”

  “She’s a really good actor,” Ryder says. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d be scared of her.” He pats down his outfit. “Everyone ready?”

  Grebson leads the children back to the banquet to be pulled into Natina’s relentless drive for perfection. She berates the children at every opportunity. She coaches them to carry a large chest on their shoulders, keeping their heads down, and moving around the stage with Borukin dancers. At the end of their performance, they kneel at the center of the stage while Natina rehearses the presentation of her gift and her speech.

  After several hours of repetitive practice, she finally releases them. The children stumble back to their little room, and before Korbin can begin to complain about Natina’s drive, they see a meal waiting for them.

  With stuffed bellies, their nerves begin to nag them. Thea spastically moves about with anxious conversation, Iona sits in the corner with her head against the wall, Korbin fidgets with whatever he can get his hands on, and Ryder paces around the room, pushing on his front teeth with his thumb. After what seems like a whole day of waiting, they are served one more small meal and informed the banquet will commence.

  We can do this.

  *****

  Iona waits in the hallway, hood pulled over her head, supporting the ceremonial chest with the other children. The double doors leading to the banquet room are closed, but the applause coming from the other side is still audible. When the applause dies, an assistant does one last check of the performers and opens the doors.

  The dancers lined up in front of the children quickly move, exposing Iona to the full view of the guests. Borukins and Erohsians alike in formal attire are situated about tables. The centerpieces of glass flowers glow ever so slightly in an array of colors.

  Iona quickly dips her head. There’s so many people. Her heart begins to race. There’s so many Erohsians…

  “We can do this,” Ryder whispers. “Just like we practiced.”

  He steps forward with the chest, and the rest of the children are forced to enter the room. The second step comes easier, and soon they are moving toward the stage where the dancers have already begun. They pass by tables, easily within arm’s reach, and every time Iona sees a face out of the corner of her eye, she dips her head lower, hoping the hood will shield her from the Erohsians hunting them.

  After executing their practiced maneuvers, they end kneeling beside the chest, facing the audience. The bright lights of the stage cast the dining tables in darkness while the city lights twinkle like a field of wildflowers through the glass dome of the terrace.

  Natina approaches the chest and pulls out a green carving of a Drake twisted about itself. “General Lark, I would like to present you with this statue of a Drake as a symbol of the time you spent with us when we shared our beloved games with you.”

  The audience claps politely. A moment later,
the hard rubber soles of an Erohsian thud across the stage. Iona sees the grey boots walk right by her from beneath her hood.

  “Thank you, Princess Natina,” the general says. “I will never forget my time in Kiats. It was a great honor. I hope our races can continue to share what we both hold dear, as there is a lot we can learn from one another.”

  The audience applauds again, and the general and Natina leave the stage, followed by the dancers, then the children with the empty chest.

  Almost done! Iona forces herself to walk at the same pace as the others, but her body only wants to run.

  They leave the banquet room, drop off the chest, and fight to maintain composure until they close the door behind themselves in their own private room.

  Thea jumps up. “We did it! That was so scary. I thought for sure someone would recognize us.”

  “Shh,” Ryder says. “We still have the hard part to go, so don’t relax just yet.” Ryder removes the gear from the cabinet under the water jug, handing it out. “Get dressed. We don’t have much time until Nero’s up.”

  They change their clothes to match the servant uniforms of the other Humans at the banquet, strapping the lepisents under their sleeves. Finally, Ryder exchanges their old ID talismans with fake Erohsian ones and packs up their previous clothes and the solar system projector into his gear bag. Iona puts the large pulse grenade in a sling.

  Ryder hands the bag to Korbin. “I’m going to go take a look. When the ceremony with Nero is almost over, I’ll come back and get you.” Ryder slips out the door.

  Thea paces about the room. “This is nerve-racking.”

  Korbin nods. “Tell me about it. Nero better be happy to see us.”

  “I’m sure he will be,” Iona says.

  Ryder dips back into the room five minutes later. “The ceremony is wrapping up. We’ll hang out in the hall until Nero passes, then follow him.” Ryder hands out a clear string with knots to Korbin, Thea, and Iona. “Alright, let’s go invisible. It’s just like we practiced with Sosimo and Grebson.”