Echoes Of A Gloried Past (Book 2) (3 page)

Aaron felt the bile rise to the top of his throat as he tried to imagine what the collapse of a proud civilization like the Hythariam looked like. He realized that like Shandara, nothing in his wildest imaginings would come close to the shadowed horror that lived within the gazes of people who had actually witnessed these events. 

“What did you do?” Aaron asked.

“I didn’t want to believe it,” Iranus began. “We were supposed to be better than this. All of our accomplishments as a people pointed to us being more enlightened than the barbarism being committed. But as great as we were in the good things we did, they were outweighed by the evil done. Evil that was born in the name of desperation under the guise of the good for the many. With my illusions shattered, I alerted others to what was happening and began formulating a plan to get people through the portal to Safanar, people who did not want to bring war to this world.”

“Civil war?” Aaron asked.

“Not at first, but yes,” Iranus said, his golden eyes becoming steel. “All war is evil, but a war among brothers and sisters is a different kind of evil entirely. We began to resist where we could, bringing people through the portal without notice as best we could. At the same time, we didn’t want to alert the Shandarians to what was happening for fear that the doors to Safanar would be closed. Daverim, however, began to suspect that things were deteriorating on Hytharia, and after meeting General Halcylon, he discovered the true intent of the general. He later said that one didn’t need to travel so far to know a tyrant when he saw one. After that meeting, Daverim confronted me about the state of Hytharia, and I told him everything. I left nothing out, and he simply listened. Together, we worked on a plan to get as many people as we could off of Hytharia before the portal was to be blocked. 

General Halcylon underestimated the people of Safanar, dismissing them as undeveloped, which couldn’t be further from the truth. Where we were strong in science to enhance ourselves, they were strong in their connections to the world and its undercurrents of energy. It’s something we’ve never seen. We used inventions like the Nanites to enhance our bodies, while the Shandarians could do similar things by drawing energy into themselves. 

The plan was to organize a large wave of our people through the portal then block the passage for those who would ravage this world. We had been bringing people through in small groups and were setting up living space with the help of the Shandarians. Daverim came up with a way to block the portal while keeping it open. My job was to see to it that the likes of General Halcylon couldn’t open another portal when this one became blocked. We compiled a list of targets so that our work couldn’t be followed after we were gone.”

“Did it work?” Aaron asked.

“Yes and no,” Iranus replied. “There were many sacrifices, and many good people died so that we few could survive. We brought as many over as we could, but once those in power finally discovered what we were doing, they moved quickly to thwart us. We had some help on the council from like-minded people. Daverim kept the portal under constant watch along with the Guardians of the Safanarion Order,” Iranus said, looking to Colind. “When the fighting started to appear on this side as troops came through, Daverim created the barrier.”

“How?” Vaughn asked.

“He used the bladesong evoked from the Falcons,” Aaron answered. He couldn’t help but sympathize with Iranus, who was clearly pained to bring up so many tragic memories, but he needed answers, they all did. The people of Shandara had paid a heavy price in blood to give aid to the Hythariam.

“Yes, that is correct,” Iranus said. “Daverim used the bladesong to align the energy from beneath the ground into a barrier that essentially locked the portal open, yet allowed no one through.”

“I’m not as well versed on this subject as some,” Aaron began, “but my understanding is that what you’re describing requires an active connection. How was Daverim able to do this?”

“He was able to connect to the energy deep beneath the ground. That connection is maintained by a living member of the house Alenzar’seth, a secret known only to a few. There is a life energy in this land that is tied to the portal, which forces it to stay open,” said Iranus.

“Then how was it maintained when my grandfather and mother left Safanar?” Aaron asked.

“I’m not sure, to be honest,” Iranus answered. “Do you know, Colind?”

Colind pursed his lips together in thought, “His soul was able to return to Safanar when he died, so I think it's safe to say that part of him remained connected.”

“How does the Drake fit into all this?” Aaron asked.

“The being you know of as the Drake is not of Safanar, but of Hytharia.” Iranus said. “We believe that some of Halcylon’s people made it through the portal prior to it being locked and were able to send him information.”

“How?” Aaron asked.

Iranus looked up to the ceiling, “They couldn’t use the portal, but there was nothing stopping them from sending a signal through space. It would take years to reach Hytharia, but it is possible. We didn’t find evidence of the Drake until Shandara fell. It appears that those left on Hytharia were able to develop a new weapon to open the portal to this world.”

The room was silent for a moment. “You were hoping to wait them out,” Aaron said, the pieces fitting into place in his mind. “That was the plan. Block the portal and wait for them to be destroyed with the death of your sun. Except they were able to reach across the stars to get you.”

Iranus nodded. “We later figured out that the Drake is a construct of Nanites with a prime directive to open the portal to Hytharia, but these Nanites were different than any we’ve encountered. Normally, Nanites can be turned off with a kill command, or have their programming rewritten, but not these. They are the perfect sentinels, because they contain all the benefits of normal Nanites, but are able to manipulate the brain on a molecular level, rewriting certain parts, memories for instance, turning love into hate.” 

Aaron felt his stomach drop out from under him. If what Iranus said were true, Sarah was in more danger than he originally thought. “How long does she have?”

“It’s hard to say, but we’ve seen the process take as little as a few weeks, depending upon how much the subject resists,” Iranus answered solemnly. “So, you see she may already be gone.”

“I don’t believe that,” Aaron said, standing up.

“Wait, what do you mean? How is Sarah already gone?” Verona asked.

“The Drake can rewrite your brain so that you are no longer you anymore,” Roselyn answered him.

“She’ll fight,” Aaron said.

“I’m sorry, Aaron, but it is a fight she cannot win,” Iranus answered. “Even if you go to her, which is exactly what the Drake wants, what will you do? We’ve tried to remove the Nanites, but it always resulted in the death of the person we were trying to save. We’ve tried augmenting our own to seek and remove them, but the results are the same.”

“I won’t abandon her,” Aaron said.

“I know you won’t, Aaron, but you must see reason. What if they’re right? What if she’s gone?” Vaughn asked gently.

“No!” Aaron slammed his fist onto the table. “I refuse to believe that. I know I can reach her. The Drake doesn’t control her fully.”

“She left you, Aaron,” Colind chimed in. “This is what the Drake does. It turns those that you love against you. It’s how it hunted down all of the Alenzar’seth. The ones it wasn’t strong enough to stand against, it defeated using cunning and strife to weave a perfect web of destruction, using their greatest strength against themselves.”

Aaron’s body was rigid, and his muscles rippled with the clenching of his teeth. “I’m not them.”

“You think to defy what has been proven over and over by sheer will alone? It’s not going to be enough. The Alenzar’seth were once many, but those that survived the fall of Shandara weren’t able to stand against the Drake.” Iranus said. “I say this not to be cruel, but because I want you to live. Playing the Drake’s game is the surest path to meeting your demise. Even for you.”

Aaron regarded the Hythariam coolly, “Not playing its game will cost me more than I’m willing to pay. Haven’t you been hiding long enough? Convinced it was the best course of action? Tell me, did you stand idly by while the Alenzar’seth were hunted down, slaves to a terrible fate because they refused to yield? Even in the face of death, they fought. They didn’t hide in the shadows, nor abandon the ones they loved … neither will I.”

Iranus’s golden eyes were ablaze with anger. “Do you know how to make war, Aaron?”

“No,” Aaron replied, “but I can fight, and it will have to be enough. I will fight for the parts of Sarah that will never submit to the Drake no matter what technology your people have created. However small, it’s worth fighting for.”

Colind sighed, “Will you at least consider that Sarah may be beyond your reach and that the person you love is gone?”

Aaron shook his head, feeling the stirrings of the bladesong within him. Sarah’s beautiful blue eyes looked back at him when he closed his.
I will always come for you.
He looked up, his gaze sweeping across the men in the room. Verona stood up and came to his side. Colind returned his gaze evenly, and Iranus’s golden eyes narrowed. 

“Colind,” Aaron said evenly, “I have considered it, and know this … I will never abandon Sarah, not for anything. Not for your war,” he said dividing his gaze between Colind and Iranus, “and not for this world.”

“She wouldn’t want you to sacrifice the world for her,” Vaughn said.

“I know, Vaughn, and I won’t need to,” Aaron said. “That army on the other side of the portal is coming no matter what we do. Whether I live or die, that is one thing that you can count on. The barrier between worlds will fall. If you don’t believe me, return to Shandara and study it. Things are wildly out of balance. Now, instead of focusing ourselves on keeping things as they’ve always been, we should be focused on moving forward.” 

 Aaron felt his energy drain and leaned on his staff, beginning to hunch over. “You can’t run from the wind,” Aaron muttered to himself.

“What?” Colind asked.

Aaron swallowed, and looked up, “My father used to take us sailing when we were younger, and sometimes we’d be caught out on the water when a storm came. As a child, I was so afraid. All the big waves and wind tossing our boat mercilessly. ‘You can’t run from wind, son.’ He would tell me, ‘Trim your sails and face what’s ahead,’ and he was right. A storm is coming, gentleman, whether you want to believe it or not,” Aaron said and left the room with the dull thumps of the rune-carved staff trailing in his wake.

Roselyn rose and silently followed.

Colind looked at the door and sighed, “He is right. The barrier was always just a temporary measure. We need to prepare.”

“He doesn’t understand what will be unleashed if the barrier fails. And to abandon all to pursue the Drake,” Iranus said, biting off the last.

Verona cleared his throat, “Without Aaron, none of you would be here. He was lost when I first met him, teetering on the brink of darkness that has claimed many a man’s soul. Sarah was the one thing that gave him hope, that brought the light back in his eyes and gave him some semblance of being whole. So, he cannot do as you would want him to, despite the certainty of the science that supports
your
reasons. They are not
his
reasons. Your war has cost him almost everything before he was dragged into it. Are you really surprised that he won’t follow the path that you’ve laid at his feet? Should not a strong leader forge his own path and we as his friends and comrades support him as he would for any of us?” Verona asked, his gaze sweeping the room. “You’ve had more time than he has been alive to do things your own way. Perhaps it's time for a different approach, because to go against Aaron on this would risk … much,” Verona said, narrowing his gaze. “If you can’t help, fine, but don’t tell him that what he intends to do is impossible, because my friend has a knack for doing the impossible.” Verona glanced pointedly at Colind, then rose and left the room.

***

“Aaron, wait,” Roselyn called behind him.

“Is this what you warned me about?" he asked, leaning on the staff heavily.

Roselyn’s eyes narrowed as she caught up to him, “You need rest. It’s only been a few days.”

“No, Sarah needs me now,” he replied stubbornly, and specks of darkness invaded his vision. Aaron sank to the floor, the last of his strength leaving him.
I won’t abandon you.

“She has time,” Roselyn said gently. 

Verona came up silently behind them, but said nothing. 

“Don’t charge off like the others,” Roselyn said, “I believe you are right. There is a way to stop the Drake. We just need to put our heads together, but first you need rest to recover your strength. You’re no good to her like this … ”

Aaron felt himself slipping further away, Roselyn’s voice growing distant until he couldn’t hear anything at all as the last vestiges of his strength left him.

C
HAPTER
2

HIGH KING'S WRATH

MACTAR expected the others to underestimate the Heir of Shandara, but not himself. The broken window cast a fragmented light as his fingers drummed the now-clutter-free desk in his quarters on board the airship. He dismissed the mess on the floor, having given his pride a small part of its due. His heart pumped with the excitement of a new challenge. A worthy adversary, and despite this setback, the growing power of the Alenzar’seth put him closer to his goal. In fact, their return drew out the true gatekeepers, the Hythariam. He had witnessed the battle with the Ryakul from afar and had little doubt that the Drake’s first battle with Aaron had been enlightening. His lips smirked at the thought of Sarah’s betrayal of one Aaron Jace. He was sure he could find a way to turn it to his advantage given some time, but for now he set the thought aside. 

Mactar’s journey back to Khamearra with Darven, the former Elitesman, and the young Prince Rordan, the High King’s remaining heir, was swift and uneventful, even somber. The fact that travel crystals couldn’t be used within Shandara’s borders still perplexed him. It was as if Shandara was out of phase with the rest of Safanar, but once they were beyond its borders they were able to use the crystals to shorten their trip. Rordan had been in a fragile state since the battle. Something he had seen had shaken him to his core, and he was going to have to draw it out from him.