Chapter 15

With the Orb of Destiny back in his possession, Rhuknor could bring his true power to bear. Graymor thrashed and wailed against his father, but the Primordial Dragon’s mastery of the Orb was far greater than Maranu’s. However, the Orb brings about its user’s deepest desires, which proved to be a two-edged sword in this case. Rhuknor wished to stop Graymor from his path of destruction, but the only way to do that would be to destroy him utterly. Rhuknor’s love for his son made it impossible to kill him as per the laws of the Orb, so it only destroyed his physical form, rendering him an intangible spirit. The cost of such a monumental shift in the balance of power was Rhuknor’s own body, making him as ethereal as his son. In their new limited states of existence, they could no longer affect the physical universe directly, and it would take many years for their powers to regenerate.

Saria watched behind a protective forcefield as the telepaths and Light Monks did their work. Eramar stood anxiously at her side. Saria knew that Eramar was usually not one to be squeamish, but even she could feel the worry emanating from him like a lit match.

Sensing his distress, Saria gave her subordinate a supportive squeeze of his hand. “Don’t worry. They say they’ve been making real progress. The most accomplished Thinkers and Light Users in the Empire are in that room. And don’t forget, Kormal and Hannah are there too. If anyone can help her, they can.”

Eramar drew in a deep breath. “Even so, there are still so many things that can go wrong. So many traps with Shadow Elemency and telepathy that could be waiting within her psyche. And it’s not just Amelia I fear for. The others are in danger as well. You know how many operatives we’ve lost to psionic traps during Mystic interrogations. They could’ve augmented her psionic system to turn itself into a bomb after certain telepathic probing techniques, and we wouldn’t know until it was too late.”
Saria smiled reassuringly. “That’s why you and I are here, to account for the unforeseen. If there’s an energy disturbance, I can absorb it with my power while you teleport everyone to safety. Besides that, the security systems are on standby to suppress Amelia’s psions should she become a threat.”

Amelia twitched a bit on the operating table, and Eramar held his breath. The gathered six Light Monks and telepaths didn’t react as they continued applying their Elemency. The hands of the Light Monks glowed white with their Light Elemency while the telepaths closed their eyes and folded their hands. Kormal stood over Amelia’s head with his hands on her temple. Hannah was at Kormal’s side, gripping his shoulders as she fed him psions. Several sphere-shaped medical droids the size of baseballs buzzed about Amelia’s body, running constant scans over her vitals. Amelia was unconscious, tranquilized by both implants from the droids and the power of telepathic suggestion.

Eramar grimaced distastefully. “How many more of these ‘sessions’ will she have to suffer through?”

“As many as are necessary. Kormal says she has many layers of telepathic tampering to unravel. His meditation techniques can accomplish in days what therapists can’t in years with their patients. And Hannah believes that there are still trace amounts of Shadow Elemency within her body, perhaps on a microscopic level, but enough to be fatal should she say the kill phrase. We must purge all Dark Water from her system to keep her safe from her suicidal impulses. It’s almost unheard of for a Mystic operative to last this long in captivity. Most would’ve said a kill phrase by now and let themselves be consumed by Dark Water. The fact that Amelia has not means that there is hope.”

Eramar shook his head, running a hand over the forcefield that separated him from his love. The energy field, a nonlethal type of barrier, glowed rhythmically in orange undulations where his skin made contact.

“Even if we succeed, I don’t know if I can love her the way I used to ... the way she needs to be loved. I wish there was a way to be certain. I wish ... I hope that I can trust her again one day.”

“Trust that part of her that wants to live, my friend,” said a familiar voice from behind. “That’s the part that will always love you.”

Saria gasped and spun around. And there he was. The man of her dreams. The man that she admired the most ... and the man that had hurt her the most. Zand was just as dapper as ever with his polished glasses and neat, white hair as he rendered a polite bow. Eramar seemed just as surprised as Saria felt, but he quickly composed himself as he returned the bow.

“My Lord Prime Minister.”

“Good to see you, Eramar,” Zand said in that measured tone of his that could still make Saria swoon with desire. Then he turned those wizened green eyes on her, and said quietly, “Saria.”

Saria could recall a time in her long life when he would whisper her name in the dark of night, and it would fill her with ecstasy just to hear it. Now, she was more cautious. The time that Zand could whisper sweet nothings in her ear had long passed.

Saria made a point of crossing her arms as she grimaced. “I was wondering when you would show yourself. Now that you’ve made your presence known to Ryan, it was only a matter of time before your ‘contingencies’ were set into motion.”

Zanderius smiled in that irritating way of his, perhaps the only man in the universe that Saria had no power to intimidate. “May we speak in private, my lady?”

“Anything you have to say can be said in front of my subordinate.” Saria cast a sideways glance in Eramar’s direction. “Although, given all the dirty work you have him do for you behind my back, he could qualify as a double agent.”

Eramar clearly caught the note of irritation in Saria’s voice as he nervously adjusted his collar. It wasn’t that she entirely blamed Eramar for taking instructions from Zand from time to time, but it did irritate her slightly.

“Perhaps I should leave, my lady. A meeting between Ministers is not an affair that I should interfere with.”

Zand raised his hand. “No, perhaps she’s right, Eramar. It is better that you remain. What I have to say ... it will affect everyone. All sentient life will come to know the details of this conversation before long. Among friends, there is no need to conceal such things.”

Saria tried not to react, but such a proclamation from Zand could mean nothing less than a shift in the geopolitical power dynamics of society.

“Saria, what have you heard of the situation regarding Atlantis?”

Saria blinked in confusion. “There was ... talk of unrest. Political riots in the capital from a few of the fringe members of the Aquatic Alliance. But I’ve been assured that the situation has been dealt with.”

Zand shook his head. “That is a lie. The Atlantean government is spending great sums to keep the situation quiet in order to avoid destabilization among the water-based planets throughout the universe. However, the circumstances are far more dire than the media has been led to believe. In truth, Nepton has been completely overrun.”

Eramar stepped forward in alarm. “The primary trading center for one of the Six Pillars ... overrun? And without anyone being the wiser! That can’t be!”

“I’m afraid it can. I don’t know all the details as the Aquatic Alliance falls outside of my sight within the Tarrus Empire, but I believe the primary instigators are the Sharkmen. They’ve taken valuable hostages and are using their political standing within the Aquatic Alliance to declare the situation an internal affair. The Atlantean government has opted for appeasement. That’s why they have yet to seek aid among their allies in the Water Ministry.”

Saria shook her head, her mind racing as she considered the ramifications. “But that will change in due time. Sorric probably already knows and is planning a quiet rescue operation. The ties between Merfolk and Water Elementals are still strong.”

“And yet, this is only a prelude of the true threat.”

Saria scoffed. “A prelude? You’d call the possible destruction of one of the Six Pillars a mere prelude?”
Zand took a step forward, and it felt like the entire room shifted with his subtle movement. “Such are the times we face, I’m afraid. Saria, Zorron has begun his search for the Cosmic Cores, and he’s on the verge of finding the ones that remain among the free spirits.”

Saria could feel her eyes widen and her cheeks pale. “And lo, when the one who is Desolate casts his gaze upon the treasures of the Beasts, the time of the Reckoning draws nigh, and judgement for all who claim to dwell in the Light,” she said in a dazed voice, quoting an old prophecy from the Angel Prophetess herself.

Zand nodded slowly. “Which is precisely why the time has come that Squad 99 realize the true purpose of their union.”

“So tell me again why this ‘special training session’ needs to happen in the marketplace instead of our usual sparring areas?” Éclair asked, doing her best not to laugh at Grafael’s antics.

Grafael, very unaccustomed to subterfuge given his culture’s strict adherence to honesty, looked decidedly uncomfortable as he cleared his powerful throat. In fact, Éclair could’ve sworn that he was blushing a little, his cheeks turning a slight shade of purple in that unique Dragon trait.

“Uh ... well, that’s ... because ... uh ... because I wanted to drop by the Ogre’s shop.”

Éclair arched an eyebrow. “Oh, you have business with Thisy?”

“Yes,” he asserted as he continued his brisk pace that Éclair had a little trouble keeping up with given his long stride. “Thisimius was going to make some adjustments to my hammer. It doesn’t ... smash things the way I like them to be smashed.”

Éclair had to suppress another giggle. This was perhaps the first time she had known Grafael to say an untruth, and it was as adorable as it was hilarious. “And how is it supposed to smash things?”

Grafael shrugged. “Well, back home on Sauria, some of our warriors were adapting seismic generators to their weapons to create vibration effects similar to earthquakes. An artificial means of achieving something close to Earth Elemency. I have been meaning to employ similar upgrades to my Chromovite war hammer. Now that I can use Elemency, it might even be easier to accomplish.”

Éclair cocked her head to the side. That actually wasn’t a bad lie. He might be better at this than I thought.

Grafael glanced down at his wrist communicator to check the time. He growled softly, taking Éclair by the hand and pulling her into a slight jog. “We need to hurry. We’re going to be late.”

Éclair grinned again as she caught him in his little white lie. “Oh. You have an appointment with Thisimius? I thought you were just swinging by on the way to the training arena.”

“Yes ... I mean, no! I mean...” Grafael trailed off as he refused to make eye contact. “I ... I just really want to train today. There’s a new move I want to use on you, and it will be best to do it after I get my hammer back from Thisimius.”

This time, Éclair couldn’t help a giggle as she tapped Grafael’s large war hammer which was strapped to his back as per usual. “So you’ve already dropped your hammer off at Thisy’s shop?”

“This is ... uh ... a different hammer.”

Éclair rolled her eyes, but continued smiling as Grafael pulled her along through the bustling streets of the Marketplace outside the Fire Ministry. Walkers around the Marketplace gave the two a wide berth. It was never wise to stand in the path of a Saurian.

After a while, they came to Thisy’s Armory, a plain hut made of mud which stood in stark contrast to the modern aesthetic of their surroundings. Although, Éclair knew that Thisimius had a large underground basement beneath the hut that sported the most advanced machinery in the Empire, so the shop’s outward appearance was meant to be deceiving. Thisy wasn’t exactly advertising his wares to the general public since most of the high-paying clientele on Tarrus already knew of his mechanical genius and sought his help regularly, so there was no need for gaudy displays like many of the other blacksmiths within the Marketplace.

Grafael carefully pushed open the heavy wooden door to Thisy’s shop, pulling Éclair in with him. It was pitch-black inside.

“Huh,” said Grafael loudly into the darkness. “The lights have gone out, and Thisimius doesn’t appear to be in the vicinity. I shall investigate. Stay here, protectorate ... for your safety.”

Éclair shook her head in wry amusement, but did as she was bidden as Grafael released her hand to fumble clumsily into the darkness. She could already hear the others breathing in the dark corners of Thisy’s shop. She even heard someone say, “Ouch”, no doubt from the hulking Saurian stepping on their foot. By the sound of the voice, it was probably Rachel. Éclair put a hand to her mouth to keep from bursting into laughter. After a great deal of loud shuffling, and impatient grunting from all the gathered attendees, Grafael seemed to get into position as several people whispered, “Is it time yet?”

Then the lanterns came alive, illuminating the shack in a comfortable orange glow. Éclair beamed, doing her best to look surprised as everyone cried out, “SURPRISE!”

All her friends on Squad 99 threw confetti in the air. Rachel actually made it a point to throw some right into Éclair’s face, getting a good bit stuck in her hair. Tork hovered near the ceiling with his wings, twirling around sparklers that he lit up with his own fire breath. Thisimius was holding the cake with the biggest grin on his large, bulbous face that just about melted Éclair’s heart. It was a large cake with white and velvet icing decorated with nineteen wax candles. The cake was almost as large as Éclair herself, but in Thisy’s huge hands, it looked small. Leon was there clapping and smiling, though in that reserved posture of his as per usual. His darker cake was also on the table with twenty candles set on it. She was glad he remembered to get a cake for himself this time. He said he didn’t want a cake for himself, but she insisted that they make this a joint party. There were a few presents gathered around the table, some for Leon and some for Éclair. A few for Ryan as well, one of which Éclair had picked out herself. Ryan’s dessert was also present, thankfully. She knew that Ryan’s favorite dessert was lime sherbert ice cream, so she had informed Rachel ahead of time.

Dusting off some of the confetti stuck to her face, Éclair sighed as she said good-naturedly, “Rachel. I told you I didn’t want a surprise party. I had a quiet evening all planned out at Leon’s favorite restaurant. I even started making invitations for everybody.”

“It was my idea,” explained Leon. “I knew how much you preferred surprise birthday parties over stuffy restaurants, but you dismissed the notion since you knew that I did not. However, I felt that this year, we should do things more to your liking.”

“Then next year, we should do things better suited to your liking,” Éclair said as she tried in vain to disentangle some stray bits of confetti from her hair.

Leon waved away Éclair’s concerns as he came in to give Éclair a hug and a kiss on the cheek. She was impressed at how easily he showed public affection nowadays. Leon drew away some bits of confetti from her ear as he whispered, “As long as you’re happy, things are always to my liking.”