The Heir of Ænæria

by Thom L Matthews

  The matching vehicles were deep black rectangular behemoths with elongated tires at their bases that somewhat resembled those on the wheels of sun-carriages. Long, thick barrels the size and shape of cannons were mounted above the two machines.

  And the third machine. It was truly something to behold. This machine had no wheels, and instead had metal bars that acted as its feet. Nothing about it immediately made it look like a vehicle as the others had. Then she noticed the propeller on the machine’s tail and looked up to see the four long blades sitting at it’s the top. It reminded her of the insect that the southerners called hunter flies. Then she understood. Just like the giant vehicles with mounted cannons were a variation of a land vehicle, this thing was one meant for the sky. It was smaller than the airship, and probably more maneuverable. And like the other two machines, this one had weapons attached. Smaller barrels aligned in a circular pattern extended out from the flying machine’s flanks. They looked just like the autocannon used by the Miners Guild at Jordysc. Having not one, but two of these guns mounted on a flying machine would be devastating.

  Aside from including him with her commands, Longinus hadn’t spoken with Nico after she let out her secret—until now. “Can you fly this thing?”

  He studied the machine, his eyes staring intensely. “I’ll need some time behind the controls. If I can fly back to the camp tonight will you forgive me?”

  Longinus’s eyes narrowed. “Forgive you? As long as you haven’t told anyone then you haven’t done anything wrong.”

  “You seem disappointed in me. I’ve seen you mad before—it’s sort of your most well-known feature. And you look pretty mad to me.”

  Longinus’s felt her nostrils flare. He was right. She was angry. Furious, really. But not at him. I can’t be. It’s a mistake I made alone. I just don’t know how to fix it.

  “We’re not discussing this,” she said, looking around at the others to make sure none of them were growing suspicious. “Get that thing working.”

  The captain’s expression shifted from that of a scolded child to the cold flatness of a soldier. “Right away, sir!” he said before opening the side door of the flying machine and disappearing inside of it.

  What am I going to do about this? Longinus worried. Her uncle would have her head if this ever got out. He’d have a rough time of it though. The Bacchusans would literally try and take it if they learned.

  At the same time, she felt conflicted. It was a strange relief being able to share it with someone—a huge weight lifted from her shoulders. It had been bottled up inside her for so long, and now that it was out, she felt almost…

  Free.

  The Vault’s nexus bustled with activity, Rhion and villagers alike moving equipment in and out. Despite the language barrier it had been easy to get the point across that the Ænærians were in charge now. The natives had seen first-hand what would happen if they resisted. Empty crates poured into the Vault, which could be opened so long as someone remained inside. With the necklace broken to pieces, Longinus had worried she and the Rhion would be locked inside the Vault, much less be able to re-enter it.

  Nonetheless, she collected the crystallized shards of blood laying outside the entrance and placed them in a vial in case she would need them again in the future.

  None of the other levels appeared nearly as interesting to Longinus as the nexus or the first two levels she’d gone to. Many of them contained blueprints and motion blocks containing a plethora of information, none of it making any sense to Longinus. It was likely something similar to what had been found in the Minervian Vault many years ago—plans and data on how to manufacture the weapons.

  By early evening, nearly all the supplies had been taken from the Vault. The hefty weapon atop the pedestal in the nexus was transferred into a thick wooden crate packed with hay and sawdust and loaded onto a cart all for itself. The Eternal Mother’s voice warned them once again of its volatility when they removed it from its pedestal and suggested extra precautions. None of them knew what it did and decided it best to keep it separate from all the other loot in case something happened to it. The data from the motion blocks was transferred onto a small storage device. Their expert researchers could reopen it on another terminal back in Ænæria and hopefully learn more about the weapon.

  Nico discovered a way to operate not only the flying machine but the two bulky cannon vehicles. Better yet, he and a few Rhion were able to drive the vehicles and load them onto the flying machine through a back panel. It soared from the mountain peak, looking like a mythical beast as it hovered over the ground so gracefully. Chains spun and rattled as the machine demonstrated its might, spewing bullets and fire into the marshy woods. The sounds were a deafening symphony of destruction inciting both fear and admiration.

  The machine landed, and the two large vehicles rolled out from its back. They too demonstrated their might, launching missiles from the cannons into the village’s wall and reducing it to dust and rubble. Trees toppled over as the mammoth vehicles plowed into the marsh. Nothing in their way stood a chance. Longinus could barely contain her excitement as she looked on from the Vault at what was most certainly the most powerful army in the world. They were invincible—the war as good as over. Not even Limmetrad could stand in their way. She chuckled to herself as she fantasized about the look on his face when he would stand by helplessly as she decimated everything he ever cared about.

  It had been decided a few days ago that they would return to Ænæria in the morning. The flying machine and the two cannon vehicles all boarded the sea ships. They wouldn’t fit on the airship, and their weight would very likely keep it from achieving flight. Nico had also tested how long the flying machine could operate without landing, and it was abundantly clear that it would never make it across the ocean.

  Including the Rhion who’d sailed and established the Ænærian camp in the first place, there was a total of fifty-seven Ænærians set to traverse the sea. Half of the remaining villagers who looked strong enough to survive the sea were packed below deck on one of the ships. Ænæria was in need of more slaves, especially during wartime. The remaining villagers would work for the Rhion who would remain behind and colonize the land in the name of the Sun. It would become the fifteenth province. Kolpos the natives had called it. As good a name as any.

  The majority of new supplies were loaded onto the airship. Longinus was regretfully unable to offer much assistance without her metal hand. Instead, she made her orders well known, making it abundantly clear that she wanted the ultimate weapon aboard the airship. Her uncle would want to see that for himself.

  She reviewed the remaining plans in her room. The sun had set hours ago, and she needed sleep. Days on the airship were long and draining, never allowing good rest. Her mind couldn’t quiet itself, preoccupied with the project in front of her. She sat hunched over her desk in the dim candlelight, fiddling with the intricacies of a thunder staff. It was a useful weapon, but one that needed two hands to be used properly. She’d spent the better part of the past three nights trying to come up with a new way to use it.

  There was a knock at the door. She wasn’t surprised when she opened it and saw Nico there.

  “What do you want?” she asked.

  “You always think I want something,” he said. He was dressed casually, a cotton button-up and light trousers. Funny how she’d known him for so long now and barely recognized him without his uniform.

  “People tend to want something when they knock on a door late at night.”

  “I suppose you’re right. I came to apologize. I shouldn’t have said anything. You know, the other day. In the Vault.”

  Longinus looked away, her cheeks flushing. “I thought I told you not to speak of that again.”

  He put his hands up. “No, you’re right—I’m sorry. I just figured, if we’re going to be on the airship again, we should at least be civil.”

  “We are civil. I give orders, you obey. I’m your commanding officer. That’s how it wo
rks. We don’t need any pleasantries.”

  Nico stammered. “Why not? I thought, after all our conversations, we could be friends.”

  Longinus turned away. “I don’t have friends,” she said coldly. She felt his hand on her shoulder, and a chill trickled to the small of her back.

  “You don’t have to be alone. I can be there for you. Your secret is safe with me for as long as you want to keep it.”

  His last words were like whispers. He lowered his head, closer to her, and his hand moved from her shoulder toward her neck. She panicked, raising her hand to defend herself when she realized he was still moving up. His hand brushed against her skin and up to her chin. His calloused thumb stroked her jaw, rubbing off the charcoal she’d use to disguise her features. Her stomach dropped and something fluttered in her chest. For a moment she was in a trance, lost to time and her surroundings. His head leaned down more, stubbled lips passing her nose and closer to her lips.

  She closed her eyes, feeling his lips against hers. They were dry yet had the faintest taste of sweetness. His hands moved from her cheeks to the back of her head, stroking her hair. His other hand found the small of her back. She reached her arms around him, over his shoulders, and let them rest at the base of his neck. It was like an endless night of breathlessness until their lips parted for the briefest of moments for air. They were immediately back against hers, then moving to her cheeks, her neck, slowly moving down to her chest. She pulled him back to her face, then pushed him against the wall and pressed her lips against his, not wanting to let go.

  But she did. Her eyes opened at last, and so did his. Her breaths were fast, hot air moving, in and out from her mouth. She drew Nico’s chin up until his eyes locked with hers.

  “You should go,” she said.

  He looked confused. His eyes narrowed, and his lips curled back as if in shame. “I’m… I thought…” he stammered.

  Longinus shook her head. “You need sleep. You’re flying us tomorrow.”

  “There are others who can fly. They only need me by their sides to guide them.”

  Longinus’s face felt hot, and she looked to the floor. “Please just go.”

  Nico stepped back, and Longinus moved away from the door. He got the hint and reached his hand for the doorknob. As soon as it turned, Longinus placed her hand over his. He looked at her, his eyes sunken and defeated. She lifted herself onto the tips of her toes and kissed him one last time before opening the door for Nico to leave. His eyes glistened with a dash of hope as he made his exit.

  Longinus closed the door behind him, leaning against it and sliding down to the floor. She buried her head in her hand, tears rushing through the creases of his fingers. Yet at the same time, she smiled. Because for the first time in a long time she felt something other than rage and frustration. She felt like a woman. And in that moment, she wasn’t Longinus. She was herself.

  16

  Ben

  The Eastern Wastes

  If only sun-carriages could run on moonlight. They made it through the marshy woods and into open fields soon after their departure from camp. Mandi was sprawled out on the back seats, fast asleep, and Darius rubbed his eyes and yawned behind the controls in a struggle to stay awake. After an hour of driving, the carriage finally rolled to a stop. Darius cursed and punched the dashboard. Mandi jolted, startled awake by the loud noises.

  “How far’d we get?” she asked between yawns.

  “Last I checked, we’ve gone just over twelve miles,” Darius answered. “Rest of the woods were slow going with the low power. Picked up some speed once we reached the open fields though. Enjoy your nap?”

  “Why, yes, I did, thanks for asking. Ben, can you still feel them coming?”

  Ben grunted, massaging his temples. “Give me a sec. I’ll get outside and check.” He opened the door and hopped from the vehicle as slowly as he could, feeling a bit dizzy. As soon as that went away, he crouched to the ground and put his hand into the damp grass. He closed his eye and shut out the rest of his senses until focusing only on the vibrations throughout. It took a lot longer than it had in the forest, despite there being far fewer creatures burrowing through the earth and trampling over the ground.

  He vomited as soon as he felt them.

  “Blazes!” Darius exclaimed. “Are you sick or something?”

  “That shouldn’t be possible,” Mandi pointed out. “What’s wrong?”

  After dry heaving a second time, Ben felt steady enough to stand up. He spat a few times, but the bitter taste lingered. “Migraine.”

  Both Mandi and Darius looked at Ben with painfully obvious expressions of concern painted on their faces.

  “Think he was poisoned?” Darius asked.

  “I didn’t think any of the wastelanders got close enough to him,” Mandi exclaimed. “I suppose it could’ve been something small like a poisoned dart. Ben, do you have any wounds that you didn’t notice before?”

  Ben waved his hand and shook his head to stop them. “It’s not that. It’s a side effect. I overused my powers.” He explained as much as he could to his friends about the limitations of his abilities. They more or less knew about his potential for losing control but had thought as long as he avoided that level of power then he’d be fine. Unfortunately, it wasn’t so simple. Safety had a consequence, too. Right now, his eye and head were killing him. His human side wasn’t designed to withstand such a strain for so long. Ordinarily Ben could function with relatively little sleep, but recovering from the damage done to his body by prolonged use of his powers required rest. And with the wastelanders still on their tail, he wouldn’t be getting that any time soon.

  Darius was none too pleased with Ben. “How long have you known about this weakness! You led us to believe you were like some kind of superweapon.”

  “Actually, he tried very hard to persuade us of the opposite,” Mandi pointed out.

  Ben tapped his nose. “Mandi’s right. I wanted to remain useful without you guys worrying about me. I’ll be fine. All I need is some rest. Too bad the wastelanders are still following us.”

  Darius paced back and forth, mumbling curses under his breath.

  “How close are they?” Mandi asked.

  “I haven’t refined my abilities well enough to know exactly, but I can tell that they’re closer, and they’ve picked up speed.”

  Darius yelled in frustration. “Argh! How’re they moving so fast at night?”

  “Maybe they let their sun-carriages charge all day and only use them at night,” Mandi suggested.

  “Makes no sense! It charges while driving during the day. You can go through twice as much power during the day because of it.”

  “Extra power cells?”

  “They don’t work like that. You can’t just take them in and out the same as with sungs. They have to be charged.”

  An idea flickered in Ben’s mind. He pulled the Voidsweeper from the back of the sun-carriage and then climbed to the roof sat next to the charging panels. He activated the Voidsweeper, and the green aura erupted around its blade. It was faint, having been used in a battle without ample time to recharge. It was still enough to test his hypothesis. He placed the glowing blade flat against the nearest charging panel and watched with relief as the green aura quickly faded away.

  By the look on Darius’s face, he knew exactly what had happened, and he quickly retrieved his own sword. Ben accepted Fenwin’s scimitar from Darius and repeated the process. This time the sword continued to glow orange without being absorbed by the charging panels. Mandi and Darius exchanged confused looks. It didn’t take Ben long to figure out what had gone wrong.

  He placed Darius’s weapon next to his own and watched as the light faded from one sword and brightened in the other. Then he placed the glowing Voidsweeper close to the charging panels and watched the light dissipate once more. He recalled how his sword absorbed blasts from various energy sources in the past and could then release that energy on its own. The type of energy emitted by Fenwin�
�s scimitar may not have been the right type to be absorbed by the sun-carriage. The Voidsweeper seemed to transform it into something usable, acting as some kind of converter.

  Darius rushed the driver’s seat and powered on the vehicle. It roared to life.

  “Amazing!” Darius yelled. “We just added another four hours of fuel!”

  Mandi peered over to the moon, working some calculations in silence as she typically did. “That’ll bring us just past sunrise! We can keep going long enough for our followers to lose our trail.”

  Darius and Mandi took turns driving for the next few hours to let Ben rest. When he finally woke up, the migraine was just an annoying headache. The sun was ascending beyond the foothills in the distance, just behind a small wooded mountain range. That was far off, toward the horizon. Where they drove now was nothing but desert, the ground hard and dry—quite a contrast to the wooded marshes they’d left miles behind. Withered shrubs struggled for life here, over the flat plains that seemed to reflect the bright sun’s burning touch. This is what much of the world was said to be like outside the bounds of civilization. It was no accident that settlements back home had all sprouted wherever there was fertile soil or flowing waters to nourish native wildlife for people to survive upon since the end of the Old Days. If civilization didn’t exist somewhere there was a reason—it looked like this, a barren wasteland.

  They stopped soon after Ben woke up to let the sun-carriage recharge some more. Sierra went off hunting, and Hüginn scouted ahead. The three broke their fast while they waited. Darius started the fire, and Mandi gathered ingredients. Ben felt the ground for signs of the wastelanders. There was some rumbling in the distance, but it wasn’t coming from behind, and it moved with the rhythm of a herd of animals. As far as he could tell, they were in the clear.