Child of Time
By Spencer Johnson
Published by Spencer Johnson at Smashwords
Copyright 2013 Spencer Johnson
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This is a work of fiction. As such, any resemblance to persons, living or dead, locations, or organizations is purely coincidental and unintentional.
Other titles by the same author
Fate’s Web Prequel to Child of Time
Contents
Prologue
Chapter one: The Beginning of Dreams
Chapter two: Acceptance
Chapter Three: Awakening
Chapter Four: The High Council
Chapter Five: Learning
Chapter Six: Anomaly
Chapter Seven: Journey
Chapter Eight: War
Chapter Nine: Thoros
Chapter Ten: Allies
Chapter Eleven: Replica
Chapter Twelve: Doubts
Chapter Thirteen: Second Chances
Chapter Fourteen: Kayloo Prime
Chapter Fifteen: Revolution
Chapter Sixteen: Proof
Chapter Seventeen: Armada
Chapter Eighteen: Subterfuge
Chapter Nineteen: Shadows
Chapter Twenty: Light
Chapter Twenty-one: Destiny
Chapter Twenty-two: The Well Laid Plans
Chapter Twenty-three: Convergence
Chapter Twenty-Four: Revenge's End
Chapter Twenty-Five: The Ending of Dreams
Prologue
On the joined twin worlds of Samtan and Thane life was simple but not so easy as to let one become soft. There are two worlds in orbit of each other each with two suns in each planet’s orbit. Some said that the solar system could not exist and that it had been built by some ancient life form. Others said that the first ascended ones had built the system as a refuge for any oppressed life form that would live in peace. Not enough was known of the ascended one's powers to confirm or deny the latter belief but what is known is that the ascended ones were the first ones here perhaps even as old as the planets were. The scientists on Samtan were not even sure who or what the ascended ones were only that they were immortals that could move through space and time. Something like how you or I might move through water or air. They did not exist in corporeal form but could shift their energy into a shape that looked human.
The world of Thane was identical to the world of Samtan accept that on Samtan the people embraced technology and exploration. They live in balance on Samtan with cities and forests blended into one where the buildings are no more buildings than they are living trees. On Thane the people embraced the old ways, the ways of the old world, the ways of earth. The small towns and farming communities dotted the landscape. There was no exploitation of the planets for resources as the scientists and ascendants had founds ways of developing energy from geothermal as well as cold fusion generators. With near infinite power potential from matter mined from the nebula, quantum manipulation of energy to matter meant near infinite resources.
Some of the elders spoke of the old world and of the people there that made war on one another for nothing or something no more than a piece of ground or pieces of metal that though pretty was too soft for any practical use. A world that for its shortcomings was home to their mother people and as such was not to be condemned by the actions of a few. Not much is known of the old world because it had been several hundred years since the last people had been brought over the portal by the ascended ones.
It was told around the hearths at night stories of the other races that lived on the joined worlds. That some of the fishermen had seen and even talked to a race of water elves that inhabited the oceans of Thane. Peoples that lived in in underwater cities. It was also known that on Samtan the deep parts of the earth were peopled with thorans, reptilian life forms that on occasion would come to the surface to trade. There were a few draconic shifters that lived near the equators in the hotter climates. They took the form of flying reptiles and soared in the sky. People often said that they were descendants of the first ascendant. That the shifters had chosen corporeal existences over energy. Together the four races lived in balance, no one feeling the need to rule over the other. If any difficulties needed settled the matter could be brought before an ascended who with permission would read the thoughts and memories of those present and in extreme cases observe the probable futures to find a settlement that was in the favor of all. The few that had committed crimes worthy of the highest penalty had their memories stripped from them and they were sent out to live and die in the universe. All in all the estimated inhabitants of both planets were below two hundred thousand.
The suns were the most spectacular feature of this strange solar system. Though they shone with the brightness and energy of a star, they seemed to have no gravitational mass. How this was possible no one knew. There were four in all, two for each planet. Their orbit was low enough and the girth of the planet large enough that they only illuminated a quarter of a planet at a time allowing for even day and night cycles. You only saw the same sun every other day. Perhaps the most unexplained feature of the suns was the organic energy produced by them.
This organic energy seemed to be the same kind that the ascendants existed as and seemed to increase regeneration both on the cellular as well as on the genetic level. A person’s immune system was boosted by a great factor so no one ever got sick. Injuries healed within the hour if small and other more severe injuries took as long as a few days to heal. Death was a thing that was momentary if a life mage, healer or ascendant was near. Even then only if one was killed outright in a terrible accident. Aging stopped at anywhere from twenty-five to thirty years of age.
The people were of a different mindset than of the old world as I have already mentioned. Where one had no foreseeable death there is no hurry. As such the desire to propagate the species was not a pressing matter. Physically they had begun to manifest certain skills or gifts as they were called. Some were benders who could bend the elements around them to their will. Others were healers, some were telepaths, some could glimpse the future, and still others could move things with the power of thought. Of those that did not manifest special skills so to say still were masters of their trade having spent many years learning perfection as apprentices. It was here that Kiyan lived
Chapter one: The Beginning of Dreams
The night was warm but not too warm to sleep. The song of the crickets filled the air and a few bullfrogs would join the chorus with a bass tone adding to the faint melody of the waterfall near the village. Sleeping wasn't Kiyan's problem, it was the things he saw when he was asleep. For a few months now most nights were filled with dreams of things that made little or no sense. Things that more often than not caused him to awake terrified and soaked in a cold sweat.
Kiyan rolled in his bed as he felt the alien world of his dream. He stood on a flat black stone as creatures or machines flew past. Shadows moved as if in a hurry to be some place but he couldn't make out any features, only shadows with substance. Squarish stone and metal mountains towered on each side. Looking up at the sky one could not even see anything other than a dim glow as the mountains were full of light. Kiyan had witnessed this dream before, despite that the place was familiar as if he had been there. He knew what would happen ne
xt. Looking at the sky and waiting, he finally saw it. Glowing dots appeared and grew in size. None of the shadows seemed to notice or even care. The dots grew larger than a series of smaller dots appeared, Kiyan watched as one of these dots flew toward him. He knew what it was without knowing why. He knew that fire would come next and he would stand in a burning desert in a moment, nothing left of the city that towered around him. He felt the terror of the shadows as they realized the lights and their meaning. Kiyan closed his eyes hoping to block out the emotions he felt surging around him. He hated this dream because he always felt drained and exhausted afterwords. As the feelings of terror and despair filled him suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder. This night would be better.
“It's OK now.” He felt the voice more than heard it. He felt the love and compassion but also a touch of pain he couldn't put his finger on. On opening his eyes he saw the same face as he had on the last three nights. The face framed by dark hair unlike any face he had seen in waking. The face seemed to glow from within and the eyes glowed with a sharp but warm blue hue. Somehow he knew her, knew her name was Kendra but it seemed a distant dim memory.
“I thought you would be safe here but it's coming no matter what I do.” A sad smile only seemed to make the dream more real.
“Sleep now. Tomorrow is a big day for you.”
How could she know Kiyan wondered but then again it was a dream, perhaps she was part of his own mind. Coherent thoughts began to fade. “I hope she isn't part of me, Kendra was the most beautiful thing I've seen.” Sleep overcame him.
Waking with a start Kiyan remembered the dream with surprising clarity. He reviewed it in his mind until he remembered her final words. Jumping out of bed he felt the soft grass beneath his feet and remembered the hard black stone of the dream. Trying to separate dream from reality after dreams like that was sometimes difficult. He had to remember that buildings here were made from living plants not stone and metal. He shuddered thinking how hard life would be living in a rock but then again it was only a dream. A whiff of breakfast cooking was enough to make him forget about the dream world and clear the final remaining cobwebs out of his brain.
Sliding downstairs he heard mother saying something about there being time for a quick morning swim before breakfast. “Awesome.” He shouted remembering too late not to shout in the house. A quick swat from mom and a chuckle from dad as he flew out the door was all there was time for. On his way to the lake he joined up with Fred and Jeremy and his kayloo.
The kayloo is a telepathic creature that would bond with a young person and would watch over them and help them through their life like a part of the family. Kiyan opened his mind to Ray and let him feel the dream hoping for an explanation of some sort. Ray was very intelligent in spite of his appearance as a mix between an elephant like horse or that was what it looked like from the picture book that one of the village elders had given Kiyan. That was not his only form. He sometimes was a winged pegasis or a water mammal like the dolphins from the book.
This morning Ray was his normal self and grabbed Kiyan by the waist and set him on his back. Jeremy and Fred took off running suspecting what was next but were both too slow. For something taller than a grown man Ray could move faster and soon had caught both the younger boys, one in each trunk and had soon reached the lake where they were unceremoniously thrown in one by one. Best part of the morning Kiyan thought as he sailed through the air landing with a splash. So far Ray had found the best way to start a bath. The water was not cold but without persuasion the boys would slowly inch their way into the water. The admonition to wash behind the ears was felt by Kiyan even as Ray started scrubbing his sloppy blond hair. Knowing that struggling was useless Kiyan made use of the opportunity to splash Fred who dove under the water a moment later to avoid the torrent of water Ray was spraying with his other trunk.
After the cleaning was over the three boys would begin diving and having contests to see who could hold their breath the longest. Pretending to be a water elf was the most fun part of the bath. This morning a fit of giggles made Kiyan lose when he remembered the time when Ray had summoned the local healer and plucked him out of the water when he had broken the record a couple months ago. He felt Ray lifting him when laughter made swimming hard. The feeling of worry from Ray did not help matters any.
All too soon the morning swim was over and the boys were drying off in the morning sun. The ride back to the village was quiet until Ray spoke in Kiyan's mind.
“Perhaps you should talk to the teacher or a seer or even an ascended. The ascended would surely know what the dream means.”
“True” Kiyan thought, the ascended seem to know pretty much everything. But the woman that stopped the dream, she seemed so familiar yet unknown at the same time. Maybe she was real maybe not. As it was he had only seen her in the dreams of this last week even though he had been having the dream for over a month now. That one and others some of a lighter tone. He could not but help the feeling that the dreams were related even though they showed different things. This line of thought was interrupted by Fred.
“Are you scared of the testing?” Asked Fred.
“No.” Lied Kiyan. “Are you?”
“Not even a little?” Responded Fred sidestepping the question.
“Maybe a little.” Kiyan grudgingly admitted.
The testing as Kiyan told himself was nothing to be afraid of. It was merely a ceremony that was held each year a child turned twelve years old. It was here that they would be tested for any gifts and what skills they had. Some of the elders that had watch him through his life as well as his parents and any other adult interested in his future. They would question him and find out what he wanted to do in life and determine what profession would best suit him. Above all it would be his choice and if anything the others were there to guide him and give advice. He knew everyone in the community and had quite a few friends but he knew also that of the one hundred and fourteen people in the village there was only eight children so for each member of the community the testings were important occasions.
“Have you thought about what you want to do? If you have any gifts? If you want to go to Samtan? If you are going to be an ascended?” Jeremy was like that sometimes, never one question at a time.
Kiyan laughed. “Somewhat but not really. I don't know what I want to do. And if I have any gifts then I would have to go to Samtan to the academy probably and I don't want to go that far away.” The three of them would be going through the ceremony together. Sometimes Kiyan thought that all the parents planned it so there would be three to four kids about the same age in the village at a time. Often it would be a hundred years before a family decided to have another child.
“But you could use the teleporter and come home every night so it wouldn't be that far away.” Fred and his logic. Not far away! Even now he could see Samtan and one of its suns in the sky. But still the idea of going and being around so many people was intimidating.
“Well what do you two want to be?” Asked Kiyan.
“I want to be a bender. I can already swim really well so maybe I'm a waterbender or even a water former like the man who moved the river nearer the town.” Jeremy blurted out his lofty aspirations.
“Ah I don't care if I have any gifts, I just want to be me.” Said Fred.
“Me too.” Responded Kiyan.
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Marisa couldn't help but laugh at Kiyan’s enthusiasm each morning to go for his swim. She watched as Ray lumbered up behind Kiyan as he was joined by Fred and Jeremy. It made her more comfortable knowing that Ray was with Kiyan. She knew that he would keep them safe in case of an accident. The smile returned with the memory of the chaos caused by Ray when he thought Kiyan was downing because he held his breath so long. “Oh the eggs, I'll burn them if I daydream.” She felt James' hands on her shoulders and she turned to him after taking care of the eggs.
“Do you think she will take him away?” She asked a quiver in her voice.
“I don't
know. She said to care for him like our own until he was old enough. I never found out when that would be.” James responded. Kiyan was a good boy but he was still a boy. Kiyan knew the circumstances of how he came to be in the village as did most everyone else. James remembered the day when the ascendant had appeared at their door with an infant in her arms and said that the child needed a home to grow up in. She had offered no explanation as to his origins or his future. James and Marisa had only been married for a couple years and the child had fit right into their home.
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Hmmmm the smell of a well-cooked breakfast. Mom was one of the best cooks in the village and she had cooked Kiyan's favorite breakfast. The fresh fruit and breakfast cakes had no equal in his mind.
“Now Kiyan run a comb through your hair before someone thinks you a madman.” Marisa commented lovingly.
“That's too late Marisa dear.” James said earning him a glance from Marisa. “The new has been out for some time.”
“You're no help James.”
“OK breakfast is on the table, Get it while it is hot.”
After breakfast James Marisa with Kiyan and Ray walked to the village center. The largest building in the village had been built from several live oak trees into a large round building capable of housing all the residents of Loomis. There were eight of the elders as well as the village teacher, the parents of Fred and Jeremy, Carlisle the seer, a couple benders and someone on the outskirts of the room dressed in the white robe of the ascended. A short gasp from Marisa made Kiyan look up but she said it was nothing, just a pebble in her shoe.
The oldest elder was named Joshua. He was the one who everyone agreed was the most similar to a leader as was needed in the village. Joshua stood and commenced the testing. As he explained the details and the importance of the testing, the lifelong implications and the choices before each of the participants, Kiyan's mind wandered. Trying to ignore the uneasiness he felt from those assembled here he watched the faces of those sitting in the circle around him.