The Artifacts Of Elios (Book 1) (34 page)

“Yes, yes,” Gerard said.  “Last Samedi during the game; she’s safe and sound in some place called Yllyan.  He came by shortly afterwards and let us know she was fine.”

“What a
relief,” sighed Shane.  “We were worried sick.”

“
Well now that everyone is safe and sound,” announced Ava’s mother. “You two are going to have to stay and have dinner,” she carefully placed a cup of tea in front of Ari and a large tumbler of juice before Shane.

“
Would you like to go for a visit,” Shane said with a smile then taking a big swallow of juice. 

Ava’s parents looked at him in disbelief.  “As much as
I would like that, Shane,” Ava’s father said, “According to Soaris, Yllyan is over two thousand milos from here.”

Shane
smiled and winked at Ari as he took out the windows device and mentally queried his instructor asking for a direction or coordinates for a city called Yllyan

“
Yllyan is located twenty two hundred milos east of your current location,”
provided the instructor.

Shane zoomed out the screen for the destination and
scrolled east until he was at the approximate coordinates.  He began zooming in and a city began to take shape.  Zooming in closer he saw movement and he scrolled to the area of the movement.  Seeing a long series of rectangles connected together, traveling very fast, he followed them until it halted at a long building.  Seeing people he zoomed in and found an out of the way location to use as a doorway.

“Where
is the best place for this side, Ari?”

At Ava’s parents question
ing looks Ari explained what Shane was doing.  With dawning understanding that there was a chance to visit her daughter Louisa hurried across the kitchen to pantry and said use this door.  Shane made the adjustments and activated the portal.

Shane stood up and said, “I’ll go find where she is staying and I’ll move the Yllyan door closer when I know where she is.”

Ari stood, “I better go with him.  His propensity for trouble is amazing.” 

Both Shane and Ari stepped
through the door.

The
monorail station was empty but the platform was crowded with people there seemed to be some sort of accident.  Moving in for a closer look Shane nearly fell over; standing over a prostrate body was his mother.

“Mom,” Shane said not believing his eyes.

Laura looked up doing a double take, “Shane?  Where did you come from?”  Seeming to suddenly prioritize she took charge of the situation.  “Hurry please help, it’s Ava she’s been injured.”

Shane’s heart leapt out of his chest.
  “Ari, get Ava’s parents.  Mom, what happened?”

Shane suddenly felt his mother’s voice in his head. “
It’s bad son, she was attached by an Allyant possessed.”

Shane felt her pulse it was weak.  Using mastery he drained energy from himself and infused it into Ava.  Her pulse quickened but she remained unconscious.  “What’s wrong with her mom why is she not responding?”  Impulsively he imagined heal glyphs in the air above Ava’s still barely breathing form and willed them into her chest.  Her breathing stabilized
a bit more but still she remained unconscious.

“
Her lumen was nearly drained from her.  She was not prepared and I was not quick enough to prevent it.  I slew the minion but I am not trained in healing and Soaris is not here.  I know not what to do.
”

Recalling what his instructor had told him early on that his capacity for lumen was great, Shane took a deep breath and began to expand his lumen and gently pushed it into Ava.  Like a
glyph being imbued he saw a change come over Ava as she began to strengthen but then he noticed something else, he saw a blackness that was trying to consume the lumen as fast as he could give it.  He immediately queried his instructor asking what it was.  The instructors answer was that it was an infection referred to as lumen sickness.  Shane quickly asked how to remove it and was told that only a lumen master healer could accomplish the feat.  There was an option that if a healthy glyph master could manage the mental glyphs long enough the sickness could be absorbed and contained temporarily by the mage but unless a lumen master healer could be found soon then the glyph master would parish or lose all sensitivity to lumen and become a non-potent.

“Mom, I know how to save her.  I’m going to have my instructor look
for someone but if it can’t do what I ask I need you to find an Elios healer for me.  If I don’t save Ava today she will be beyond help.  I may only have a couple of days.

“Shane you could kill yourself, “Laura pleaded with her eyes for him to reconsider
knowing he wouldn’t.

Mom, I can’t let her die
. I need you to do me a favor, if I don’t make it tell Ava I love her.”

Turning to Ava he used his mastery and imaged the longest string of glyphs he had ever attempted. While infusing her with as much lumen as he could, he activated the paragraph of glyphs in his mind and held on to the image as hard as he could. Slowly an envelope of light scoured the lumen glittering form of Ava and the blackness was contained in a ball of light that Shane absorbed into himself. 
Holding her hand Shane surrendered himself to unconsciousness.

Ava opened her eyes
she felt dizzy and weak.  She saw Shane kneeling by her side and smiled; it must have been a dream.  Ava started to sit and the world swam for a moment.  She was surrounded by people many she didn’t know or recognize.  There was Laura a worried look on her face.  She saw her mother and father both gravely concerned; her mother in tears.  Even uncle Ari was there; he also displaying a serious countenance.  Where did Shane go she wondered as she finally sat up?  She felt someone holding her hand looking at her hand she saw Shane, pale and lifeless his; his hand fell from hers.  “Shane!”  She screamed and her consciousness fled.

When she awoke some time later she felt stiff and sore.  Her eyes felt
itchy and dried out.  As she looked around she recognized her room at Soaris and Laura’s home.  Carefully she got up.  This time there was no dizziness.  She found she was dressed in a long night shirt.  Standing, again no dizziness she donned her robe that was draped over a chair next to the bed and walked into the hallway.

She heard voices coming from the kitchen; her feet followed the sound.  Half way down the hall she notice an open door to another room and saw a low light, looking in she saw Shane.

“Shane?” she whispered with a tremble; he looked so pale.  She rushed to the bedside and knelt feeling his forehead and running her fingers through his hair.  “Oh Shane what happened, are you ok?”

Shane’s eyes fluttered for a moment then opened slightly,” Hey you,” he smiled weakly.  “How’s my girl?”

How am I?
She thought
how are you?
“I’m fine, sweetheart, how are you doing?  What happened?”

“Oh, you know, one of those days I guess,” he whispered and smiled weakly.  “I’m sorry we didn’t have more time together… I think I’m falling back asleep.  I lo…” Shane’s head rolled to the side.

For a moment Ava panicked but she noticed that his chest was rising and falling with very slow breaths.

Ava quickly ran to the kitchen
; there was Soaris, Laura her parents and her uncle Ari – all with very concerned expressions.

Wendell entered the king’s private office.  Wendell was worried.  The city had disappeared, the magetechs that were
in his custody had disappeared and he had no answers for the king.

Allion sat
with his hands together beneath his chin watching Wendell as he entered.  “Well?”

Wendell decided that bowing and scraping would accomplish nothing.  In exasperation he blurted, “Nothing, absolutely nothing.  I have several hundred eyewitnesses all saying it was there one moment and gone the next.”

Allion shrugged, “it is of no concern.  The Elios evidently had in place a defense enchantment that sensed the Allyant siphon bands that the soldiers were wearing and moved the city so that the lumen contained therein could not be harvested.  It matters not, we will do this the hard way; a city at a time.

Come here and sit Wendell, I have something to show you.”

Wendell hesitated a moment, the look in the kings eyes was disconcerting.  After taking a seat next to the king at the large desk the king grasped his wrist in a vice like hold.

“I
want you to see this Wendell.”  Wendell tried to jerk his hand away but he was feeling week and could barely move.  The king held forth a small glowing red sphere that seemed to pulse.  “I’d like to introduce you to your new master.”

Wendell felt the fire searing his hand he wanted to drop the sphere but the strength of the kings uncommon grip held his ha
nd closed around it.  Suddenly the pain and the sphere were gone and Wendell felt a strength that he had never felt before, he felt as if another entity was within his mind that the ideas where from somewhere else but that they were his also.  Wendell smiled and with a wicked laugh.  With a swift lunge he grabbed the king by the throat.  The king was viper fast and his strength like ten men as he grasped Wendell’s wrist and hurled him across the room.

“Nice try, Brenner, but this host has Elios blood.  The power I have from him is so delicious. No Allyant on this world can stand against me.”

“Ah but Pechor, I am the only one that answered your call and I nearly had an Elios neophyte of my own.  I cast the sickness into her.  If she succumbs then I like you will have an Elios host as well and if I take the Arc I will have the lumen of this entire world I will be like the Great Ones”

“Your reach is beyond your grasp Brenner.  The Song of this world is more powerful than any I’ve seen.  This seed world is far more important to the Elios than any
the Allyant have known.  We must harvest these seeded Luion that now have the blood of the Elios coursing their veins before they know their lumen potential.”

“Relax Pechor they have no Dernier Chanson when we have harvested enough in this land we will have enough lumen to destroy the Arc and the remaining song.  I have searched there is no Dernier Chanson.  The Elios did not have time to prepare one.  Let it be as you have planned we will march city by city until we have minions enough to destroy even the most powerful Lumen Mage. We will then siphon the collected lumen and destroy the Song and the Arc and will return as Great Ones and heroes.”

“I’m glad you agree, Brenner.  I have prepared lumen and energy siphons in the form of arm bands.  Take the arm bands that have the red stipe and make sure that the mage-works continues to manufacture them in sufficient quantities to give to all of the soldiers and the captives.  Take the bands with the purple stripes and do likewise but distribute them only among the conscripted magetechs.  We will start with Jehhet and move up the coast to Lu Y Onton, we then will sweep west across the continent.  When this continent is ours we will mop up the few that remain on Coholo
then
we will destroy the Arc.

Tomorrow I will bring the fleet back to Jehhet and make them ready to blockade the port cities.

  A knock at the door awoke Ava who had fallen asleep in a chair at Shane’s bedside.  Glancing at the window she saw that it was still dark outside.  Looking at the clock she saw that it was nearly three thirty in the morning.  The knock came again more loudly this time.  Ava got up and went to the front door surprised to see two men dressed in sandals and a long white robes trimmed in gold one had a long robe length navy vest and a wide gold colored cloth belt around the waist the other a green robe length vest with a white belt.

“
Hello,” greeted the man with the gold belt.  “My name is Ahhan my companion here is Jahnon.  We received an emergency call stating that young Shane is very ill.  May we come in?”

“Oh thank heavens, please come in and thank you for coming. He is down the hall the second door that is open.”

As they were walking down the hall Laura who had slept as little as Ava had, emerged from her room rubbing sleep from her eyes.  When she saw the men she fell to her knees and in a language Ava didn’t understand burst into tears and began sobbing and talking at the same time.  The man introduced as Jahnon walked up to her and lifted her from the ground giving her a big hug and in the same language spoke soothing words that comforted the women until her sobs ceased.

Without waiting Ahhan walked into Shane’s room and placed his hand on his head for a moment then releasing it.  “Jahnon, can you assist me please?”

Jahnon gently removed Laura’s embrace kissed her forehead then turned and entered into the room.

“I’ve seen worse,” commented the blue vested man, “But we need to act quickly.  If you will hold the sickness in check I will shield his lumen.”

Jahnon nodded and both men placed their hands on Shane’s forehead.

“Do you have it,” Ahhan asked conversationally.

“All sealed up,” responded Jahnon.

“Ok I’m going to boost his lumen and the
n shield it. As soon as I’m done I’ll put up the quarantine and then you can release.”

“I’m ready.”

Ava watched mesmerized not knowing what to make of the situation. 
The men seemed so calm; how could they be so calm with Shane so ill
?  She was about to ask what they were doing when a golden cocoon of glowing light formed around Shane.  Both of the men pulled their hands away from his head and stepped away from the envelope of light.

“Pretty good for an old man,” Ahhan smiled at Jahnon.

“I’ve seen worse my eye. 
Where
, in the armpit of an Allyant Great One?  That was one of the worse cases I’ve seen.  His trainer should get a swift kick in the pants for not preparing him more quickly.”

“He
was
on schedule.  This was completely unforeseen.”

“Ahem,” Laura cleared he throat.  The men silenced and hung their heads as if being reprimanded. 

“Sorry little sister,” apologized Ahhan.  “It’s not often I get Dad to go with me on these.  I guess the patient being a grandson has its perks.”

“How is he?” Ava asked with
puzzled look and a little more impatience than she intended.

“He’ll be fine
,” answered Ahhan with sensitivity and empathy. “The infection is contained, it will take a couple of days but it will start to starve soon.  Don’t be surprised if you see lightening as it tries to escape.  If you do see lightning then so much the better because it will starve out more quickly.”

“Why don’t we go into the kitchen and have a seat and you can fill us in on what happened,” suggested Jahnon.

Once seated at the table Laura introduced Ava mentioning that Shane and Ava were very close, and began making tea, when Ava tried to help she wouldn’t hear of it and told her to sit tight.  Ahhan made introductions that were a little bit more forthcoming.  He explained that He and Laura were brother and sister and that Jahnon was their father.

“So Shane is Elios?” asked Ava
.

“Well yes and no,” Said Jahnon. 
“His Parents are Elios but he, technically, is Eliom, as are you and everyone else born here.  I believe that he is the only one on the world with that claim at this time.  Most everyone else is of mixed heritage.

You see many of the Luion on
this world have mixed Elios and Luion blood.  This gives them the potential to become like the Elios.  It has taken many generations sense the time that the Luion were brought to this world to mix the genealogies but it eventually happened.

When the Luion were discovered and it was determined that their sun would go super nova
, an agreement was made that they would come and live among the Elios on a world that had been prepared for the rescue of their civilization.  When we found out that notwithstanding the great many machines that the Luion had created using basic properties of common physics that they were all non-potents our hearts went out to them.  We knew that over time that if our races intermarried that the bloodlines of the Luion would eventually become like unto the Elios.  We call that the pursuit of happiness.  Some of our enemies call it seeding.  Seeding is a tasteless and disparaging way to term a planned evolution.

All we did as the shepherds of
this world is invite any single Elios male or female that was looking to settle down to join the Luion colony and if they fell in love then happy day we had a wedding.  If not then there are other fish in the sea. Eventually we had to leave as we have other things in the wide expanse of creation to attend to, so when it was determined that there were significant lumen potent progeny living on Eliom we moved on.  There are many other worlds out there and there is a particular race of nasty individuals that thrive on conquest and destruction only.  Our purpose is to serve one another, meaning: if you
can
help then you should.  Therefore we do what we do.