A Warrior's Revenge (19 page)

“How other than your ability, as a warrior
do we need you in order to survive ourselves?” Loric asked in a
simple direct fashion.

I heard Ellanara gasp slightly and I smiled.
She probably feared that I would lose my temper at such a question,
once perhaps I would have, but in all honesty it was a fair
question. I held up the glowing ring on my finger and explained
briefly the relationship that had been forged between our two
peoples by my father and Tadias.

“These rings, beyond their ceremonial and
relational aspects are also keys. Map keys to be exact. These keys
unlock the Relic of Perth that came from the lands of Athgar on
Earth. They are the oldest relic of my people. They brought these
rings with them from Earth when they came here. My ancestors had
two destination choices. This system with its many worlds and a
smaller system much farther out with only two worlds. The choice
was simple or at least we had thought so. At the time they did not
have the ships with the ability of traveling so far so they came
here, the shorter of the two destinations. This ship is capable of
making such a journey to the farther out worlds. These Havens
Worlds, as they have come to be called, offer both our peoples a
chance at continued survival in an environment that will be
non-hostile and unoccupied by the Orlandian’s or anyone else. As I
said these rings were given to the Sallaconese people. They are
ours, but my father made it possible for one ring to be shared with
your people. I’m not quite sure how he did that, as the rings are
not supposed to initialize with anyone not of Sallaconese blood,
but clearly it has happened. Clearly it is meant for our two
peoples to become one. Just as it should be clear that above any
use to you as a warrior you also need me as much as you need
Ellanara to find a way through the stars to reach these Haven
Worlds where our two peoples can begin again as one, as we both
seek to forget the past in favor of a new future.”

Loric nodded, “Reason enough. The
Orlandian’s have it don’t they? They have the Relic of Perth?

“Yes, they stole it before this world fell.
My father died protecting it. I don’t know where it is, but I do
know that they want to see it operational and the only way to do
that is to have both map keys. They want something else to. They
want me. They both want revenge upon me for what I have done to
them and to see what makes me tick that causes my years to expand
past the normal bounds of fallen humanity’s typical longevity of
life span.”

“You have a plan then to get it back?” Loric
asked cautiously.

“Yes, with a little help from you and the
unique properties of this ship I have formulated a plan, but once
we have it my people are coming along on the journey to the Haven
Worlds!”

Loric looked uncertain as he glanced toward
Ellanara, “Can we bring so many extra people with us?”

“Yes!” She said confidently.

I studied her hard. She appeared to be
telling the truth. I ached to delve into her mind and find out how
she planned to do that, but I’d promised not to do that. I didn’t
break my promises.

The meeting broke up and I grabbed a chance
and ensnared Ellanara’s hand, “Come, I need you to help me with my
plan to get the relic back.”

She nodded quickly and we left the control
area.

“Sorry.” She muttered out, as she watched me
duck slightly through the hallway entrances. “I should have
designed that better.”

“It’s all right. Now which room is yours?” I
asked.

She practically jumped at my question and
the hand that I held started quivering slightly. Was she that
petrified of becoming intimate with me?

She pointed hesitantly to a door and I made
for it tugging her along behind me. Closing the door I surveyed the
room, as Ellanara moved away from me out into the room. Thankfully
the bed was long enough, which saved us from having to do it on the
floor. I reached up and pulled my shirt up and over my head. Her
eyes grew huge and intensified in color, as her mouth fell open.
She backed up a little and then swung around with her back to me
and stammered out, “I….….I can’t do this right now!”

“Do what?” I asked curiously, as I lay down
on my belly on the bed.

Still stammering she managed to get out,
“Co-mingle our blood!”

“Co-mingle our blood? Oh that!” I finished
chuckling, as it dawned on me what she thought was about to take
place.

“Not on the list for this evening honey I’m
afraid. Get over here. I need you to lay down on my back.”

“What?” She quavered out, as she turned
around to look at me oddly.

“Just lay down on my back.” I said in
response.

I felt the bed depress a little and then a
little hand hesitantly pressing on my back, as she scooted on top.
“Lay down on your back.” I commanded.

She adjusted her position and I felt her
head come to rest between my shoulder blades and the back of my
neck. My hands found hers and I interlaced my fingers with hers, as
I commented, “I don’t suppose you could relax some?”

I felt the stiff line of her body bend down
and conform to mine a little. “Alright don’t be afraid.”

“Why? What shouldn’t I be afraid of?” She
asked hesitantly, but I didn’t answer her.

“Oh my!” She said wonderingly, as little
bands of light spread out from the rings on our fingers and began
to encircle us both. After a moment I felt her relax completely and
I heard her say, “I feel even more than before like I’m a part of
you!”

“In a way you are. See how our thoughts are
doubly joined in this way?”

“Yes!” She responded in amazement.

“Good, now I need you to listen very
carefully to what I’m thinking.”

After several long minutes she interrupted
my thoughts, “Your plan is crazy!”

“Crazy plans work sometimes to, now stop
interrupting and listen. We don’t have long to get this down right
and it’s critical that we do.”

“Are you sure you trust me this much?”
Ellanara asked quietly.

I thought about it for a moment, “I guess
I’ll find out. Now shut up and listen.”

Loric approached where Ellanara stood at the
main control panel and asked, “Where are we going?”

“The ruins of Tilanthia. It’s the next world
the Sallaconese had and it’s where most of Salanicus’s people are
still held up. There’s something there that he said that he has to
seek guidance from.”

“You trust him?” Loric asked in all
seriousness.

Ellanara looked up at him and then seemed to
gaze out past him not seeming to see anything, “He’s trusting me
and he isn’t the sort to lie or double cross someone. Yes, I trust
him.”

Loric laid his hand on hers, “I’m sorry for
the sacrifice that you’ve had to make for all of us to be his queen
in order to initialize the map keys.”

Loric barely heard what she said in reply,
but it sounded close to, “It might not be that much of a
sacrifice.”

The bar-Trinity set down and I made for the
exit portal that was already opening. “I’ll be back in a few hours
once I’ve collected the information that I seek. My people are not
far from here and when I return I’ll take a few of you to them.” I
stepped out of the ship and made my way down the ramp and then
quickly moved off into the forest.

Loric walked to the opening and stared after
Salanicus, “I wish I knew what he was up to.”

“Exactly what I’m going to find out.”

Loric turned and watched in surprise, as
Ellanara slipped into a forest green traveling cloak.

“I thought you said you trusted him!” He
exclaimed.

“I do, but that doesn’t mean that I’m not
curious. I’ll be careful I promise.” Ellanara replied
confidently.

Loric watched helplessly, as she disappeared
into the forest and hoped she knew what she was getting herself
into. The big warrior wasn’t somebody to tick off lightly by
following him, when he’d requested to be left alone.

I made my way through the forest in the
direction of the forest Chapel. I hadn’t visited it for almost as
long, as I had avoided visiting my father’s tomb. I stepped into
the small serene clearing around the Chapel and approached the
pillared pavilion carefully tucked away within the serenity of the
forest.

To my knowledge the Orlandians had never
found the place or else they would have destroyed it, as it was a
place dedicated to the worship of the great Creator, who they hated
with a great passion. Beyond just being a Chapel dedicated to the
worship of the great Creator this place had another special meaning
to me.

I passed through the pillars kicking through
the leafy debris of the forest that had blown into the Chapel over
the years. I stepped into the central space and she appeared almost
instantly. Her beautiful wise face crinkled a little into a sad
smile of welcome, “It’s been a long time my son.”

I nodded glancing down feeling a little
ashamed of myself for not visiting more often. I kept forgetting
how much she still seemed able to feel, even after she was no
longer human, but rather a system network like the one called Abby
back on the ship that helped Ellanara. The real reason I hadn’t
come here much was because it was just too painful. It was like
being with someone who was my mother, but not really.

“Is she pretty?”

I glanced up into her wise knowing eyes and
heartfeltly I asked, “Why wasn’t I told?”

“I’m sorry son. I wanted to tell you about
your father’s arrangement, but he thought it was best not to. He
said that you were still to raw over the destruction of our people
caused by the betrayal of the Vallians to ever willingly consider
such an arrangement. He said that you needed more time and it turns
out he was right.”

“Why was such an agreement settled to in the
first place, unless if……?” My gaze turned hard, as I gazed at her
in renewed intensity, “What else have I not been told? There
would’ve been no reason for a reconciliation of our two peoples
unless father……”

“Knew of the betrayal of our people by the
Vallians ahead of time.” The image of my mother finished for
me.

“You remember how devoted Tadias was to your
father? He was a friend closer than a brother and he was like a
second father to you.”

I looked away back out into the forest
remembering the man I had loved and respected almost as much as I
had my own father.

“Because of his friendship with us he was
ill regarded by many of the Vallians and they kept him out of many
high-level conversations because of it. They completely disregarded
everything he had done and sacrificed for them as a people. Even so
he still had friends in high places and they kept him informed. He
found out about the betrayal and he came to your father to warn
him, but your father already knew what was to happen from a vision
he had seen the night before. Tadias begged him not to commit our
fleet to cover the escape of the Vallians, but your father refused
and made him swear to secrecy not to tell anyone of the intended
betrayal by Tadias’s own people. Your father from his vision
clearly knew that if the Vallians did not escape than there was no
future hope of survival for our people or that of the Vallians.
Even together our forces would not have stopped the Orlandian’s
from destroying us the way that they did. Your father gave Tadias
the map keys and made him swear on their friendship to depart with
the Vallians saying nothing of what he knew. Your father was always
thinking of his people. In the same vision he was told that his son
would succeed him as king and would only know death after the
future of our people had been secured in peace in a safe place far
from here. Your father wanted that future to include his good
friend’s blood line so he prayed to the Creator of all mankind that
the gift of the map keys and the relic of Perth gifted to our
people by the Creator would be initialized with one not of our
blood line, but rather a descendent of Tadias in a tribute to his
friend’s loyalty. Do not be angry with him Salanicus. He did what
he thought was right and what I’m convinced was right to do given
how it has all played out just as he was told it would.”

I nodded somberly in acceptance of all I had
just heard. This changed everything. But so many lies and deceit’s!
Had they all been really that necessary? Had it really been that
necessary that I be kept in the dark, as I had been all these long
years? I just wanted to be alone for a while to sort it all
out.

“The heritage?” I asked softly not meeting
her eyes.

A floor tile slid out of the way and a
pedestal rose up out of the floor with a small box on it. The image
that reminded me so achingly of my mother spoke, “The box contains
an archive of all of our history, genealogy, and the tidbits of our
daily lives in the ancient past. Hopefully your descendents will
benefit from knowing the history of our people’s past successes and
failures in order to live a better future.”

Without a word I stepped forward and took
the box off the pedestal and then I quickly left the forest Chapel
not looking back.

Narra looked out after the powerful warrior
that as a human she had once given birth to. She felt all the
anxiety and pride of a mother for her son. “Goodbye my son.”

She watched him go, until he was out of
sight and she was once again left to her sad lonely and now
pointless existence through the ages, as a silent witness over this
little Chapel in the forest. Her head turned slightly and her brow
creased slightly moments before her face split into a radiantly
welcoming smile, “Hello there! Who do we have here except the new
enchanting Queen herself! Please come out I promise I don’t
bite.”

Hesitantly, Ellanara stepped out from behind
a column from where she had been watching and approached the
network.