Elei's Chronicles (Books 1-3) (80 page)

I hope you have enjoyed
Elei’s Chronicles Books 1-3
.

Book 4
Rex Aftermath
has just been released!! Where to find it:
http://tinyurl.com/buth6k6

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If you want to know how Hera met Mantis and entered the Resistance:

A novelette set in the world of Rex Rising (free)

HERA

Hera, member of the Gultur race governing the Seven Islands, thought she knew right from wrong and what her future held in store. A chance meeting with a lesser mortal, though, will turn her world upside down and force her to see her race and the laws with different eyes. For Hera, knowledge means action, so she sets out to put things right and change her world.

Taking place in the World of the Seven Islands almost three years before the events in Rex Rising, this is the story of Hera’s first confrontation with the truth. 

If you want to know how Mantis met Kalaes and Pelia:

A short story set in the world of Rex Rising (free)

Mantis

Thrown into the sea, his memory of the last few hours hazy but slowly returning, young Mantis decides he can’t die just yet — not before he has put up a fight and made the regime pay for killing the people he loved.

This is the story of how Mantis met Kalaes and how Mantis started his journey with the resistance, a moment which leads to certain events in Rex Equilibrium (Book Three of Elei’s Chronicles).

About the Author

Greek Cypriot with a penchant for dark myths, good food, and a tendency to settle down anywhere but at home, Chrystalla likes to write about fantastical creatures, crazy adventures, and family bonds. She lives in Cyprus with her husband and her vast herds of books. She writes mainly fantasy and science fiction. Her dystopian YA science fiction series “Elei’s Chronicles” (Rex Rising, Rex Cresting, Rex Equilibrium) is available on Kindle and in print. Shorter stories set in that world are also available, and a Companion to the series is also in the plans.

Other links:

Blog:
http://chrystallathoma.wordpress.com

Twitter:
http://twitter.com/chrystallathoma

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Chrystalla-Thoma/117863861560579

 To keep updated on the sequels and other satellite books, make sure to check regularly this page on the author’s blog:

http://chrystallathoma.wordpress.com/rex-rising

Also join the Rex Rising group on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/282489681801529/

Author note

I hope are enjoying Elei’s Chronicles as much as I enjoy writing them. I love my heroes and heroines and I hope they will stay with you as you go about your everyday life. If they made you think, realize or learn something new, if they helped you see your world through different eyes — or even if they just gave you a few enjoyable evenings, then I’m glad.

The problem with series is that authors may get too attached to the characters. I feel Elei, Kalaes, Alendra, Hera, Sacmis and Mantis are part of my family, and find myself reluctant to part with them.

Therefore I am planning two different arcs: Kalaes’ arc, which takes place years before he met Elei (documenting his life after his father’s and brother’s death and his time with Pelia) and Jek’s arc, taking place some time after the events in Elei’s story (documenting Jek’s adventures exploring the Seven Islands and beyond). I also would like to write a brief companion telling you how this story began in my head and about its first forms and transformations.

These are plans, of course, I haven’t written those books yet. But it is very probable I will and I hope you’re looking forward to them as much as I am.

A few quasi-scientific notes

Regarding parasites

Although they may sound like pure fantasy, the parasites described in this novel are based in part on real life parasites. I do not intend to write a thesis on parasites, nor am I a biologist, so I will just say what I want to say very briefly:

Parasites fascinate me, they are indeed very fantastical creatures. Mostly they cause illnesses and death, but some are useful and we humans have coexisted with them from the beginning of our existence. If you are interested in reading about parasites but don’t want a technical book, I highly recommend the following book:

Parasite Rex, by Carl Zimmer (http://carlzimmer.com/books/parasiterex/index.html)

In case you are wondering if a parasite can really create a race of women who reproduce by parthenogenesis, i.e. cloning themselves, read about the Wollbachia (http://serc.carleton.edu/microbelife/topics/wolbachia/index.html). If you just type the name in google, you will get plenty of sites.

If you wonder if it is a good idea to control a parasite by introducing another, I admit I don’t have an example — but consider this: in ecology, if a species is introduced in an environment where it has no enemies, it will take over the environment and destroy it. Efforts have been made to control such invasive species by introducing another species. Therefore, I do think that it is a possibility. You can check on the internet about invasive species or assisted dispersion to read more about the topic.

Regarding parasites attracting each other or attracting their hosts, read for instance about the Toxoplasma gondii — parasite we humans often get from cats. Studies have shown that when rats get infected with it, instead of avoiding cats and places cats frequent (marked by cat urine), they actively seek them out. In effect, they seek to be eaten, so that they can pass the parasite to the cats where it will continue its life cycle. Read Parasite Rex mentioned above for many examples of behavior-modifying parasites. 

Parasites in Elei’s Chronicles

Protozoan parasites
(cronion, Rex)

Like Toxoplasma Gondii, Rex is a protozoan parasite. In between stages of growth and transformation, it exists inside tiny protective cysts, which is why the only way to get it is by ingesting it (the acids of the stomach break down the cyst, freeing the microscopic parasite).

Pathogenic fungal infections
(telmion, Regina, palantin)

Pathogenic fungi (yeasts and molds and mushrooms) cause disease. A famous one is Candida (just google it for more information). Acidity in the stomach and intestines is the perfect environment for such parasites.

Note that bacteria (which are also parasitic) are used to control such diseases (for example the ones found in yogurt). Diet is the best bet for keeping healthy — in particular, in cases of Candida, it is recommended to avoid sugars because they strengthen the parasite (as is the case with Rex. Evidently, I “borrowed” this feature from Candida).

Regina
: Gultur Maturation

From the start, the Gultur are shown as abrupt, a little violent and generally pissy. The reason for that is their parasite, Regina, which controls their behavior by the release of hormones, in particular the female hormone estrogen. In human females, estrogen production rises toward the middle of the cycle, and spikes at ovulation time, causing irritability, headaches and sometimes depression and/or aggression (controlled by the production of serotonin, brought about by an increase in estrogen production).

Hera’s maturation day is approaching. In human females, the time of their first menstruation (menarche), comes at the age of about 14 on average (sooner in Europe and north America, older in Asia). Ovulation usually starts a few years later.

In the Gultur race, instead of menstruation, there is a steady increase of hormone production over the years, starting at about 16, preparing the body for the ovulation, which in this case of parthenogenesis will most probably coincide with a pregnancy. The maturation therefore corresponds to the first ovulation and it occurs around the age of 18-19.

Gultur Echo princesses (Hera’s line) are particularly hard hit by the increase in hormone production and fluctuations. This issue is particular to the original Regina strain, before it mutated and evolved in other Gultur strains (like Sacmis’), resulting in a more balanced system.

Broken Heart Syndrome

In Rex Cresting, Elei experiences a heart attack that isn’t. It may sound like a product of my overactive imagination, but in fact it is taken from real life. Elei has Broken Heart syndrome. Normally, this happens to people after a terrible emotional event, like a death of a beloved one:

“Sudden emotional stress can also result in severe but reversible heart muscle weakness that mimics a classic heart attack.  Patients with this condition, called stress cardiomyopathy but known colloquially as “broken heart” syndrome, are often misdiagnosed with a massive heart attack when, indeed, they have suffered from a days-long surge in adrenalin (epinephrine) and other stress hormones that temporarily “stun” the heart.”  (http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/press_releases/2005/02_10_05.html)

Let’s have a look at what happened in Elei’s case: Because his life is so often in danger, Rex constantly floods his system with catecholamines (notably adrenalin and noradrenalin) which cause tachycardia (rapid heartbeat), which (if it goes on for too long) in its turn may cause shortness of breath, chest discomfort, dizziness or lightheadedness and fainting or feeling faint. All these are symptoms Elei experiences.

As the adrenaline (well, adrenalin and noradrenalin) rush continues unabated for hours or days, it can trigger sudden, reversible heart failure. It looks like a classic heart attack but it isn’t. Apparently, in such cases, there is no blockage in the arteries of the heart and no damaged heart muscle, and recovery rates are much faster than with heart attacks, sometimes only taking a few days. (http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/press_releases/2005/02_10_05.html)

Just type “Broken Heart Syndrome” in a search engine and you will find many sites.

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank the following authors for being such great critiquers and friends, for offering support and help with brainstorming, and for their critical comments: Marion Sipe, Jeffrey K. Hill, Claire Bugler Hewitt, Arlene Webb, Harlow Fallon, Jean Davis, Cindy Borgne, J. A. Beard,
Randall Bird, Cyrus Keith, Katie Salidas,
and Anita Siraki.

A big thank you also goes to my group ‘Writers Cubed’ for their constant support.

Any errors in the manuscript are mine.

GLOSSARY

General terms
:

Agaric mushrooms
: enormous mushrooms, large as trees, growing in groves. Sometimes they are phosphorescent.

Aircar
: hovercraft (useful for unstable terrain such as the Seven Islands which contain many swamps)

Biotransmitter
: small transmitter inserted in the body (partly made of human tissue so the body won’t reject it)

Camo
: camouflage tarp (to cover aircars not to be detected from the air)

Dakron
: from ‘Dakru’ (see below in the Seven Islands) – solid, high-energy fuel mined in the mountains of Dakru

Em hotep:
greetings (ancient Egyptian)

Gultur
: Indo-European for ‘vulture’ – the ‘all-women race ruling the Seven Islands (originally their name had been: Gwen Gultur – the Women-Vultures)

Hatha
: holy (from the name of the ancient Egyptian goddess Hathor, whose name means “House of Horus”) – used for the elite Gultur line of “Echo” Princesses to which Hera belongs (they have the original strain of the parasite Regina, hence are considered purer than other Gultur and sacred)

Heavenway
: a raised highway

Hoverbarge
: a large sort of aircar (hovercraft) for transport

Imeyer ra
: what is your business?

Info-pole
: a pillar with a screen where you insert coins and can look up information, like geographical locations

Longgun
: semi-automatic gun with long barrel (like a machine gun but requiring the user to reload each time) – favored by the Gultur

Nepheline
: a semi-transparent form of plastic. From ancient Greek ‘nephele’ (‘cloud’) – used in making everything from chairs to boats.

Polyesthene
: a fabric similar to spandex (flexible fabric made of
synthetic fibers) – made-up word from the Greek ‘poly’ (‘many’) and ‘esthene’ (‘feel’ and ending -ene) – used in creating close-fitting uniforms for the Gultur

Rasmus
: a brand of an antique semi-automatic pistol, such as the one Elei carries

Saew
: custodian (‘guard’ in ancient Egyptian)

Seleukids
: diamond-shaped, military aircrafts (airplanes) forming the Gultur air fleet. They also carry drones they can send to track down people on the ground.

Senet
: ‘sister’ in ancient Egyptian – used among Gultur as a greeting

Surin
: isolating film used wrapped around dakron cubes when used in gadgets such as guns (dakron has some toxicity)

T’e
: yes/all right (ancient Egyptian)

Telespeak
: old-fashioned telephone where you have to call the operator to connect

Tel-marks
(also called “snakeskin”): marks left by the parasite telmion (hence: ‘tel’) on the skin of the infected person.

Wavebreaker
: here, the term is used by the Gultur to refer to their patrol boats – a go-fast boat (I imagine it like a 2010 Hacker-Craft Triple cockpit Runabout)

Parasites
(all are made-up but based on real-life parasites)

Cronion
: a protozoan parasite that can be deadly if not kept in check by another parasite (like telmion), it infects the brain, controls certain hormones (which enables it to cause strong adrenaline rushes) and controls one eye, giving infrared vision.