Echoes Of A Gloried Past (Book 2) (5 page)

Colind shook his head, “No, I don’t think so. I’ll stay close for the time being and will be able to protect this place and him, should the need arise.”

Roselyn nodded. “Very well, I would like to speak with Aaron alone.” 

“We’ll be right outside,” Colind said as he and Verona left the room.

Roselyn waited until they left before speaking, “Is your friend always so quiet?”

The question caught Aaron off guard, and it took a few moments to realize she was referring to Verona.
Quiet? Verona?
“Sometimes,” he answered.

Roselyn shook her head, dismissing the subject, “I’ve been speaking with Garret, and he’s been telling me about the travel crystals that the Elitesmen use.”

Aaron’s eyes lit up, “They use them to teleport from one location to another. Do you think they could help with the Nanites?”

“Possibly,” she said. “I am thinking that they could cause the Nanites to reset.”

Aaron frowned, “What good will that do?”

“It will give us time,” Roselyn answered patiently, “Remember, the Nanites are machines. They are doing what they were programmed to do. I’m not familiar with these travel crystals, but I am familiar with the concept of teleportation, and in order for it to work, they must break down our living tissues and reassemble them somewhere else. I believe that this process could reset the Nanites to the state they were in when Sarah first became infected by the Drake.”

 Aaron perked up at the thought, “Can we get them out?”

“No,” she said, “there are too many, but I’m hopeful that we can make them dormant, and then the body will absorb them as it would any foreign agent.”

“So we turn them off,” Aaron said thoughtfully, “but what about the damage they are doing, can it be reversed?”

Roselyn looked at him with sympathy, “I don’t know to be honest. The measures that we tried in the past were from a distance and had almost no response. This was before we realized that these Nanites were different than what most Hythariam have in their systems. They were designed to be self-sustaining and to help people stay healthy. Not … this.”

Aaron swallowed his disappointment, “It’s okay. This is a start and is more than what we had before.” His back still ached, and he still felt weak. He needed to be outside and breathe in fresh air. 

“We have a device that may help with the Nanites,” Roselyn said. “It's meant for taking readings from them, but it can also give instructions.”

Aaron rose to his feet, “Why are you helping me?" he asked.

Roselyn’s golden eyes searched his for a moment, “I’ve seen enough suffering and heartache at the hands of the Drake. My people have lived in fear of the barrier since it was first sealed. It has taken a toll on us. The decision to withdraw from the kingdoms of this world was not an easy one, nor agreed by all. We came here seeking refuge, and we brought death and destruction in our wake. Some would say we’re responsible for all that you’ve suffered and for the fall of Shandara.”

“I don’t think that at all,” Aaron said.

Roselyn’s lips curved into a slight smile, “That is very kind of you to say, but if helping you in some small way atones for some of the wrongs my people have brought here, then it is a worthy cause.”

“I appreciate your help,” Aaron said, “but the barrier is not going to last. Your people should be helping this world prepare for the horde and General Halcylon.”

“We have been, but through subterfuge as opposed to outright alliances. My father was devastated when Shandara fell. He and Reymius were quite close.”

“Subterfuge? I hope it's enough. Your father would have me abandon Sarah,” Aaron said, unable to keep the bitterness from his voice.

“He is doing what he believes is right. Would you do any less?” Roselyn asked.

“No,” Aaron said, “I wouldn’t.” 

He began dressing himself.

“What do you intend to do?” Roselyn asked.

“I’m going after Sarah. There is something I want to try before going after the travel crystals, and I need to be outside to do it.”

Roselyn couldn’t keep the shock from her voice, “You’re leaving? Now? But you’re still recovering from the effects of the Ryakul poison.”

“Soon, yes; the longer I wait, the less of a chance there is to save Sarah,” Aaron replied. “I need to talk to the others. Do you think they will try to stop me?” Aaron asked, thinking of Iranus who had let fear guide him for too long.
Is brash bullheadedness any less of a folly?

Roselyn’s golden eyes narrowed, “Possibly,” she said quietly.

Aaron nodded. “I appreciate your honesty.” 

He finished dressing in the clothes provided by the Hythariam and strapped on his swords. He still felt a weariness within the depths of his bones, but he didn’t have time to wait for a full recovery. Time waited for no one, least of all him, and he wouldn’t sit idly by while the woman he loved suffered at the hands of the Drake. 

C
HAPTER
4

INTENTIONS

AARON left the blackened room to find Verona and Colind waiting outside for him. Verona looked as if he were about to say something when Roselyn came through the doorway. He watched as his friend stared helplessly at the beautiful raven-haired Hythariam. Colind suppressed a slight chuckle and bowed in greeting. Roselyn nodded to each in turn and hurried down the hallway while Verona all but sighed as she left.

“Enjoying the view?” Aaron asked, reducing his normally eloquent friend into a sputter of sounds that could scarcely be called words.

Verona nodded, but said nothing.

“I need to get outside. Someplace discreet would be preferable,” Aaron said.

Colind nodded. “I know of a place.”

“Verona, would you mind gathering the others including, Captain Morgan?” Aaron asked. For some reason, he couldn’t bring himself to address the Captain by his first name, Nathaniel. Verona nodded and set off at a trot down the hallway.

Colind and Aaron continued down the hallway, letting the silence build until Aaron couldn’t take it anymore.

“Don’t try to talk me out of it. I’m going after Sarah.”

“Why would you think that I would try to talk you out of it?” Colind asked.

“I don’t know. I just figured you would.”

“Aaron, you’ve brought me back from the world of shadow. I’m not about to stand in your way,” Colind said. “I will help you in any way that I can.”

Aaron gathered his thoughts for a moment, “But surely, you have an opinion.”

“I do indeed have an opinion, and I would surely share it with you if you ask it of me,” Colind replied.

“Will I always need to ask?”

“No,” Colind chuckled and then grew serious. “Everyone will pay the price if you fall now. You’re all that stands between the remnants of the Hytharia military, the horde if you will, and this world.”

“So Iranus says, but I get the feeling they aren’t telling us everything. The only thing I do know is that the Drake has Sarah, and I won’t abandon her. Doesn’t it matter that the barrier is already failing?” Aaron asked.

“It matters, but we will need the Hythariam before this is over,” Colind answered.

Aaron frowned, “Of all the things Iranus said, he glossed over some important details regarding the Drake. Like how it got here in the first place. It couldn’t have broken through the barrier. They couldn’t have opened another portal to this world. So that leaves one other possibility,” Aaron said as they stepped outside into a small valley. Colind merely looked back, waiting for him to finish. Aaron pointed to the sky, drawing Colind’s gaze toward the heavens. “Now do you understand?”

Colind pursed his lips, considering. “You’ve given this a fair amount of thought, I see, and I agree with you. They must have sent a machine to Safanar across the great expanse of the heavens.”

“Which also means that there could be something much worse on the way right now. Waiting is not an option. These people need to prepare themselves,” Aaron said.

Colind nodded.

“It’s not just us, but the people of this whole world need to be united to face this threat,” Aaron said.

Colind took a long look at him, “Vaughn was right about you. For one so young, you have an uncanny ability to see right to the heart of matters.”

“There is something else I need to tell you,” Aaron said. “Tarimus is alive.”

Colind’s eyes hardened for a moment, “What do you mean?”

“I mean he is back in Safanar,” Aaron said and told Colind what had transpired prior to his rescue, how he had to free Tarimus in order to bring Sarah’s soul back to her body. 

Colind shook his head, “Well, it appears that all the pieces are on the board. If I know Tarimus, he will go after Mactar. My advice to you would be not to trust him.”

Aaron nodded laying his pack and staff on the ground, then drew his swords. 

“What are you going to do?” Colind asked.

“I’m going to reach out to Sarah through the bladesong,” Aaron said. “We’re connected somehow. I can feel her connection to me, but it's almost like being connected to two different people.” 

Colind thought about it for a moment then nodded. 

Aaron removed his shoes and knelt upon the ground, opening himself up to the energy that surrounded him. He drew it in as easily as one draws a breath. He came to his feet, and began to wield the Falcons, releasing the harmony of the bladesong. The melodious tune that was his own rode along the air. The connection to Sarah lay among the furthest recesses of his mind, and Aaron focused his attention there.

He rode along the currents of energy, following the connection to its source. He couldn’t tell where she was, but he knew she was there. She was diminished somehow, and it occurred to him that she might be sleeping. But the energy appeared erratic as though two opposing patterns sought to cancel each other out. She had been able to reach out to him before, and he was hoping to do the same. He watched unobtrusively for signs of the Nanites that he knew were in her system, focusing on the patterns of energy and looking for some telltale sign of something artificial. Then he saw it. A pattern that seemed to only react to other patterns of the whole. It took no other actions otherwise. These had to be the Nanites affecting Sarah. 

Aaron reached out to block the connection from the Nanites in an attempt to shield Sarah. A spike of energy flashed before him and sent his mind reeling with pain. At that same moment, he heard Sarah’s voice cry out in his mind. As if suddenly aware of his presence, she withdrew from him like a scurrying animal avoided a predator. Aaron tried again, only this time both the Nanites and Sarah reacted with vicious certainty, sending shocking pain that jarred his concentration. Aaron tumbled to the ground, and the bladesong left him. He gasped for air.
I can’t even reach out to her. 

Colind came to his side, “Can you hear me?”

Aaron nodded as he slowly came back to his senses, “It’s like she is there but not completely. I think I made it worse by trying to reach out to her.”

“Her time is short, but by all accounts she is very strong. There is still time,” Colind said.

Aaron came to his feet as they were joined by the others. Vaughn and Garret, followed by Sarik, Eric, Braden, and Verona. Even Jopher came and nodded shyly to Aaron. It was good to see them all, and after their greetings, Aaron told them about his discussion with Roselyn.

They were joined by Captain Morgan and Roselyn, along with several other Hythariam he didn’t know. Then Iranus walked out.

“Are you proposing to journey to the heart of the Elitesmen Order in Khamearra and steal a cache of travel crystals?” Vaughn asked, unable to keep the shock from his tone.

“Not all of us. I think we need to divide our efforts,” Aaron said.

“This ought to be good,” Garret said. “Never a dull moment, is there?”

Aaron smiled a bit at the comment. The bladesong had invigorated him. “This threat that we’re facing affects everyone on this world. This is not my fight or even the Hythariam’s fight … This is our fight. We must unite whomever we can. At some point, the barrier is going to fall. It is already weakening.” Aaron explained his theory that the military from Hytharia were able reach Safanar through means other than the portal. Considering that the natives of Safanar had no previous concept of space travel, they were very accepting of the idea.

“The Drake first appeared about twenty-five years ago?” Aaron asked.

“That is our best guess,” Iranus said.

“At some point, the faction on Hytharia must have realized that the Nanites didn’t work or at least developed an alternative plan. How long before they could send something else?” Aaron asked.

Iranus exchanged glances with the other Hythariam, all of whom looked shaken by Aaron’s question. They spoke quickly in a language that Aaron couldn’t understand until Roselyn hissed at them.

“I would say a year at the most,” Iranus answered.

“Depending upon when that was, and if they had waited an entire year to prepare something else to reach Safanar to open the portal, when would it arrive? Your best guess,” Aaron said. He had them now. Iranus now realized that his tactic was flawed and that all of them were in real danger.

Iranus’s eyes grew wide, “About three months from now.” 

The other Hythariam gasped.

Aaron looked at Colind and the others before addressing Iranus, “Are you able to confirm that? Do you have a telescope or something that can see if there is, in fact, something heading for us right now?”

Now you see.
Aaron thought to himself.

The Hythariam conferred among themselves, and one tapped a device above his ear and spoke.

Iranus seemed to nod to himself, “I didn’t see it. I didn’t see this coming, but hearing it from you, even without the confirmation, I know the truth before my eyes.”

“Will you help the people of this world?” Colind asked. “Will you help them stand against the horde that would take their homes from them?”

Iranus glanced at the others, who slowly nodded their approval. “We will stand with you.”