The Heroes Fall -1- When War Calls

  Chapter Fifteen

  They find no chance of change in a memory.

  January 20, 997 R.E.

  The destruction of Callibra played out far below—a faded memory of bloodshed and horror, now in the deepest reaches of his mind. Jaden stood watching from the mountainside, staring helplessly as he had done on that gruesome day, watching in utter defeat as the Alliance military force took control of his home. They had managed to arrive without any real warning, avoiding even his grandfather’s keen senses as they neared the Gates, and took his home from him.

  Jaden raced forward. He knew that it would be in vain, but he could not bear to see it all again. He had to get home, had to get to his family before it was too late. He would save them this time. No matter what stood in his way, he would not let them die again.

  The sky seemed on fire as he ran—gold and orange stretching to the horizons, as if a reflection of the chaos in the village below. It lit his way, but he could barely see through the tears forming in his eyes. He kicked a rock that protruded from the mountainside in his haste and began tumbling uncontrollably, the world becoming a blur as he rolled. He was caught and held by the bushes below, allowing him to stand up, unharmed.

  It was dark now, the fiery glow had vanished, but that was not all that had changed. The gunfire and explosions had stopped. The screams of his people had silenced, and the roar of the fighter jets was no more. All had become quiet.

  The village was safe.

  Slowly, he moved through the buildings in confusion. Somehow the battle had come to an end, and those who had taken shelter inside their homes were gradually starting to come out. He could see only a few of their faces, the moon and rings shining dimly in a cloudless sky, but he knew they were greeting him; bowing to him as he passed, wearing smiles but saying nothing. It almost seemed as if nothing had happened, and the rivalry of the social clans had finally been forgotten.

  Jaden walked on, nodding back to some as he passed. He then saw Bo and his friends waving to him from one of the houses. They were sitting lazily on the walls, conversing among themselves. He waved back, and it felt as if he were with them again; a thousand stories being told in the briefest of instants as they shared their thoughts with one another, teasing in the name of fun, content simply to be where they were.

  He stepped toward them, but then stopped. There was something else here that he had to find. He waved once more to Bo and the others, signalling that he would join them later, and then he continued on his way. His home was only another twenty yards from where he stood. He could see his family waiting for him. His father was standing behind his mother, holding her in his arms, while his sister was sitting beside them, seemingly not too interested in anything going on around them, and his little brother was waiting anxiously for him to come pick him up.

  He stopped several yards from them, looking into each of their eyes. Like the others, they were all now smiling, as if the attack had never happened. Callibra as they knew it was a peaceful village, free of the wars, and nothing would ever change that. Everything was right in this moment, in this paradise they had lived in for as long as they had known.

  But it wasn’t right. It couldn’t have been. They were dead, all of them. Callibra had been destroyed. None of this was real. Jaden felt the rage beginning to burn inside him again. He wanted to make it right for them, so that they could be this way forever, for all eternity. He couldn’t bring them back to life, but he could take the lives of those who caused their deaths, bringing justice to the senseless crime. He wanted to do it for them, in their names, to give them the peace they deserved.

  He looked into each of their eyes, wanting to apologise for all that had happened. He tried to tell them he was sorry, that he had run as fast as he could but still hadn’t been able to get to them in time. They looked back at him, unsure, confusion set firmly on their faces, as if they did not know what he was saying.

  They couldn’t hear him.

  All was quiet in the village.

  Jaden lowered his head. There was nothing he could do to make them see how he felt or how much he wanted them to be with him again.

  He looked back up. ‘They will die for taking you from me,’ he said.

  They would not hear or understand him, but he needed to tell them, to feel that the ghosts of yesterday might somehow know that they would not be forgotten, and the crime of their deaths would not go unpunished.

  As he turned to walk away, he felt a tug at his arm, gentle at first, then stronger as it began to shake him. He turned back to his right, but saw nothing there, as if it were an invisible force trying to get him to stay with his family.

  His eyes eased open as he woke from the dream, allowing only a little of the light to seep in.

  ‘Jaden.’ He could hear a woman calling him. ‘Jaden, wake up!’

  Through small openings, he could make out a figure in front of him. He closed his eyes again, wanting to return to where he had seen his family, to feel that he was at home.

  ‘Jaden, please wake up,’ the woman persisted.

  ‘What do you want, Traveller?’ he asked sleepily. ‘I will talk to you about the rings in the morning.’

  ‘It is morning, Jaden. I let you sleep all night.’

  Jaden became completely awake. ‘Tarsha?’ he asked in surprise.

  The old woman nodded. She was sitting in front of him and wearing the same clothes as she had worn in Callibra. Her hair was as tangled as ever and her face had only been briefly rinsed, much of the dirt and muck of travel remaining in the lines around her eyes and lips. ‘It is good to see you alive,’ she said. ‘I was afraid you had not made it.’

  Jaden looked around him. He was still inside the hollow of the mountain; the lush gardens, stone shrines and flowing waterways looking vibrant under the glow of the sphere above. He was still alive. The water had not poisoned him. He coughed loudly as he sat up. The sickness remained, but he did not feel as badly as he had before he slept.

  Jaden rubbed at his right eye before trying to make sense of anything. It almost didn’t seem real. How could this place exist? How had he managed to find it? He thought it more likely that he would have died in the storm, or become too ill from the cold to live on until the next day. But here he was, dry, warm and safely inside a mountain that not only had amazing gardens and stone structures within it, but also the most beautiful statues he had ever seen. The faces of the statues came to mind; he remembered seeing them through the curtains of water, trying to place where he had seen them before. They were familiar to him somehow, he knew that, but he couldn’t think how. The man, he decided, was unrecognisable, looking like no one else, but the woman … she was real to him. He glanced around the hollow once more, the light stinging at his tired eyes and forcing him to squint. But he had seen enough. He knew the answer.

  The statue was of Raquel.

  ‘This place is Daijuarn,’ he said.

  ‘It is,’ said Tarsha.

  ‘How did I get here?’

  Tarsha made herself more comfortable on the step below him, wincing in pain slightly. ‘I don’t know,’ she said.

  ‘How did you get here?’ he asked.

  Tarsha was distant for some time, and then as if she had finally heard him, she answered. ‘You were being tracked—did you know that?’

  ‘Yes,’ said Jaden instantly. ‘I mean no, sorry. I thought I knew.’

  ‘Not just by me, it seems, but the Alliance. They are interested in you, for reasons I cannot guess. You’d best be more careful, Alliance scouts are not easily fooled. You should at least make some attempt to hide your way.’

  ‘Did he follow me in here?’

  ‘No. He will not be following anyone anymore,’ said Tarsha, placing the rifle on her left upright so that Jaden could see it. ‘You would have suffered the same fate had I not realised who it was in that uniform of yours. Where did you get it?’

  ‘The fort,’ said Jaden with a shrug.

  ‘The fort?’ Tarsha repeate
d, her eyes becoming alight. ‘You were captured?’

  ‘No, I climbed in. There were no guards on the walls.’

  ‘Reckless,’ said Tarsha. ‘You are lucky to be here.’

  ‘I wanted revenge, what else could I have done?’

  ‘Followed your grandfather’s advice, for one!’

  ‘I’m here now, aren’t I?’ asked Jaden, almost angrily.

  As if sensing Jaden’s new mood, Tarsha quieted, while Jaden looked away from her then shook his head before placing it into his hands. He hadn’t meant to sound so irritated. This place did something to him. For all its beauty, it made him feel strange, on edge, almost anxious. There was something about the false light and the feel of the air that would not allow him comfort. None of it felt right. It was not real, not by nature, of alien design. This was a place made by those who had failed to help his people when they were attacked, and had failed to help him when he had fallen over the waterfall. He could sense it.

  ‘How did my grandfather know of this, does he know the Daijuar?’ he asked, trying to take his mind off the nagging sensation building within.

  Tarsha refused to look into his eyes, staring somewhere off in the distance. ‘I do not know his true association with them, but he has been my source of knowledge for many years.’

  ‘Why did he want me to come here?’

  ‘That is something we will have to learn on our own.’

  Jaden stood and walked down to the fountain, looked inside to see the statue of Raquel and then turned toward the gardens behind him. There was fruit on the trees, and many of the smaller plants he now noticed were vegetables and herbs. There seemed everything one needed to replenish their health.

  ‘What is this place?’ he asked, approaching the closest tree. ‘Do the Daijuar live here?’

  ‘At times, perhaps,’ said Tarsha, her voice clear in the stillness of the air. ‘I believe they would call it a monastery. Look,’ she pointed upward to the centre of the hollow, ‘that is a Taj Mylun—a synthetic sun, a tribute to the power they use and a means of rejuvenation for them. It will give light long after we are gone, maybe even forever, and keep these plants greener than any others you will ever see. The temple here is for meditation, or perhaps sleeping, I do not know. There is much I still have to learn about them, but by that symbol you see above here, you can be sure it is of Daijuarn design.’

  Jaden stared at the symbol of the two entwining serpents, and then at the markings below. He then looked at the loh-korah. His grandfather had given it to him and told him that it would help, somehow. The symbols were the same as he saw now. The loh-korah must have been Daijuarn. Perhaps that was why Raquel hadn’t been too interested in helping him. She might have already thought another of her kind had taken him under their guidance.

  Jaden approached the temple doors slowly, his eyes set firmly on the markings to either side.

  ‘What are you doing?’ asked Tarsha.

  Jaden did not respond. He scanned over the walls where two silver plates existed on either side, and then brought his wrist up to his chest.

  ‘These symbols match,’ he said.

  ‘What? Show me,’ said Tarsha, getting up slowly and walking toward him.

  Jaden noticed that she had been hiding a wound on her left side, the blood seeping through her clothing at her ribs.

  ‘You’re hurt,’ he said.

  ‘Never mind that now,’ said Tarsha. She took hold of his wrist and began meticulously searching over the loh-korah before doing the same to the wall in front of them. ‘Well, it seems you are right. Your grandfather must have given you the key to this place.’

  ‘What do you mean?’ asked Jaden.

  ‘Go on, try it,’ she said. ‘Put the loh-korah over the symbols and rest your hand in the groove above.’

  Uncertainly, Jaden turned his wrist around and did as Tarsha had said. Nothing happened at first, but moments later the symbols connected together as if by a magnet and his arm became held tightly against the plate. He tried to pull away, but the force was too strong.

  ‘Don’t fight it,’ Tarsha comforted. ‘This is Daijuarn, it will not harm you.’

  Jaden glanced at her, wanting to say something, but was distracted by an unlocking sound.

  ‘There we are!’ said Tarsha triumphantly, and she walked to the doors and tried to push them open. They didn’t budge, so she began to try to pull them apart instead. ‘You must not have done it right,’ she said, having no success. ‘Try again.’

  Jaden did as she wished, and again he found himself held to the wall before the same unlocking sound came. Tarsha attempted to open the doors, but still there was no change. The doors remained shut.

  ‘Show me,’ she said in frustration, checking over his wrist. ‘The symbols match, it should work!’ She placed his wrist against the plate, but was still unsuccessful. ‘Try this side,’ she said, moving over to the left.

  ‘The symbols don’t match,’ Jaden protested. ‘Do we need another?’

  ‘No,’ said Tarsha. ‘At least, I do not think so. Come, try.’

  No sound came from Jaden placing the loh-korah against the silver plate on the left, nor did it hold his arm in place.

  ‘It’s no use,’ he said, ‘it won’t work.’

  ‘Give me another look.’ Tarsha examined every detail there was on the wristlet. ‘What is this dent?’ she asked after a moment, pointing to the centre of the loh-korah.

  ‘I don’t know,’ said Jaden, now seeing the same discrepancy. ‘I think I fell on something.’

  ‘A fall would not have the force needed to make a dent like this. It looks like a bullet mark.’ Her eyes flicked up to his. ‘Were you shot?’

  ‘No,’ said Jaden, ‘I don’t think so.’ He thought back to the attack. ‘Something hit me, I think, and then I fell. It might have happened then.’

  ‘I see,’ said Tarsha, her attention back on the wall. ‘Well, it may be enough to prevent us from getting in. In fact, I think we can say for sure we will not be entering today.’ She sighed, glancing quickly over the temple, as if losing all hope in an instant. ‘One day I will learn their secrets,’ she marvelled, ‘even if it takes me another fifty years.’

  Jaden said nothing, as much from tiredness as not knowing what to do.

  ‘Try once more,’ said Tarsha suddenly.

  ‘It won’t work.’

  ‘Please, once more. This time, make sure everything is perfectly in place, including your hand.’

  ‘I did that last time.’

  ‘Just do it!’

  Jaden reluctantly put his wrist over the symbols, causing the same unlocking sound to come, and just as it seemed that this time the doors would open, suddenly the sphere above them began to emit a cool blue light, as if a cloud had passed in its way.

  ‘What’s happening?’ asked Jaden.

  ‘I don’t know,’ said Tarsha, backing away from the wall. ‘Quick! Take your hand away, now! We may have made a mistake.’

  Jaden did as instructed and moved back with her, but the light above continued to lose its power.

  ‘I thought you said it would last forever,’ Jaden pointed out.

  ‘I assumed it would,’ said Tarsha in disbelief.

  There came a haunted wind in the hollow, whistling through the many stones and rustling the leaves of the trees and plants alike. There was a high-pitched ring, and then all sound dulled as if being devoured with the light. There came a rumble deep beneath them as the ground began to shake.

  ‘You assume a lot,’ said Jaden, trying to keep his balance.

  ‘One must, when dealing with the Daijuar,’ countered Tarsha, hanging onto the railing in front of them. ‘They are an elusive kind.’

  ‘What happens now?’

  ‘Just hang onto something!’

  Jaden grabbed the railing as the rumble continued to gain in strength. The entire mountain was shaking now, and it seemed its very walls would collapse around them. The light dulled even further, leaving them in almost ab
solute darkness, but no rock could be heard falling, nor did any cracks appear in the ground. The rumble appeared harmless.

  In the distance, a slam of metal could be heard, and as the rumble calmed, there were footsteps, too. As the footsteps neared, the light above began to regain its original colour and brightness, revealing the footsteps to be those of three men all dressed in white, two of whom had finely chiselled features, the one on the right with dark hair, the other on the left with light. They flanked the man in the centre who was three steps in front and had long white hair and a short beard of the same colour.

  ‘Grandfather!’ called out Jaden, racing down the stairway toward the approaching men.

  The men flanking him regarded Vennoss with interest and then looked at one another questioningly, seemingly ignoring Jaden running toward them. Jaden embraced his grandfather as they met, and then his grandfather held him strongly at arm’s length, looking him up and down. Jaden noticed then that he was not smiling, nor was there even a hint of happiness in his grandfather’s eyes.

  ‘What’s wrong?’

  Vennoss looked past Jaden to Tarsha, who had walked painfully down to them.

  ‘She’s wounded,’ he said, ‘tend to her.’

  The two men took long strides past Jaden, normal for people of their height, and helped Tarsha back up to the temple again, where they opened the doors easily with nothing more than their hands. When all three had vanished behind the doors, Vennoss looked back to Jaden.

  ‘Where have you been? I told you to come straight here.’

  The tone was harsh, almost of anger, as if Jaden had somehow done wrong.

  Jaden was confused, unsure what to say. ‘I came as soon as I could.’

  Vennoss did not seem to believe him. ‘Where did you get those clothes?’

  Jaden took a moment to think; he wanted to say he found them, but knew he could not hide the truth. He wore an Alliance uniform. There was no way around it. His grandfather would see straight through the lie.

  ‘The fort,’ he conceded.

  ‘What fort?’ asked Vennoss.

  ‘The one in Callibra. The one built over my home.’

  Jaden could not fight back the tear welling in his eye. He could handle being spoken to this way by anyone, but not his grandfather, not the man who had always been kind to him, helped him and made sure that he was well. Seeing the tear, Vennoss released his grip, and it seemed he had returned to his old self. They stood apart from one another, avoiding eye contact the best they could.

  ‘You should not have gone near them,’ said Vennoss, his tone now softer but still strict. ‘It was foolish. Your bravery will lead you to more trouble than it’s worth.’

  ‘I’m sorry, Grandfather,’ said Jaden, lowering his head.

  Vennoss took a deep breath. ‘No,’ he said, ‘I am sorry, child, I do not mean to scold you. It is good that you are alive—let us leave it at that.’ He paused. ‘I guess you would have some questions, then?’

  Jaden looked up to see a hint of playfulness had returned to his grandfather. ‘A few,’ he said with his best attempt at a grin.

  ‘Well, then, it is time you learned. Come, come, walk with me.’

  The two left the centre of the hollow and ascended into the gardens, taking no particular route as they weaved their way through the many fruit trees. Vennoss picked a ripe peach and gave it to Jaden, who ate it immediately.

  ‘What about my illness, Grandfather?’ he asked between bites.

  Vennoss did not turn, instead making sure their way was clear by pushing the many branches to the side. ‘That is part of what I wish to talk to you about,’ he said. ‘I have been looking for you, so where have you been?’

  ‘Trying to find the waters that would heal me,’ said Jaden.

  ‘No water will heal you, child. I said that the water was good. Remember your training. You were simply to find where the stream ended.’

  ‘I found a waterfall, was that it?’

  ‘You should know. You are here. What did you find at the waterfall?’

  ‘Nothing,’ said Jaden, remembering his fall. ‘I swam downstream and climbed out.’

  Vennoss stopped, this time turning back to him. ‘What?’ he asked.

  ‘I wanted to try to get back up the waterfall, I had to get out.’

  ‘No, no,’ Vennoss cut him short, waving his hand for silence. ‘How did you get in here?’

  Jaden was puzzled. ‘By a passage over there,’ he pointed to the other side of the hollow.

  Vennoss followed the direction with his eyes. ‘Impossible,’ he said. ‘That entrance has been sealed for centuries.’

  ‘It’s open now,’ said Jaden.

  ‘Yes, but how?’

  ‘Lightning, I guess,’ Jaden shrugged.

  Vennoss was silent. ‘No,’ he said, and then with a swift motion of his hand, he grabbed at something around Jaden’s neck and held it up so that he could examine it closely. ‘You have been guided here by someone. Who have you met?’

  ‘A Daijuarn woman,’ said Jaden, ‘but I lost her when I went over the waterfall.’

  ‘And you survived,’ said Vennoss bluntly, as if expecting the response.

  Jaden nodded.

  ‘You are not immortal yet, child. You are alive because of her, and she has guided you here. Why and how she has done this, I cannot say. She should not know this exists.’

  ‘You don’t know her?’ said Jaden.

  Vennoss shook his head. ‘There are no Daijuar that would have sought you out in this land other than Adonis and Blair, the two men who came with me, but I had to go looking for them. What is this? Did she give it to you?’

  Jaden took hold of the silver chain, studying it carefully. ‘I don’t know what it’s called. She said it would let me see whatever I wanted to see.’

  ‘And what have you seen?’

  ‘My home. It is harmless, Grandfather,’ Jaden assured him.

  Vennoss was sceptical, but said no more as he continued on the way up. Jaden followed, wondering how his grandfather hadn’t known who Raquel was. Perhaps she wasn’t Daijuarn. That could have been why she hadn’t answered his questions. Maybe it wasn’t because she didn’t want to tell him the answers; it was because she didn’t know them. But why hadn’t she told him that? She was wise beyond her years. She may have simply given him a chance to vent his frustrations. The crystal had been a gift to help ease his mind. He now realised everything she had done had been to comfort him. But why? What did she want in return?

  Jaden felt confused. Nothing seemed to make sense, but there was something more important for now. Vennoss believed she held power of some sort that had saved his life and guided him into the hollow, but she had let him fall. He could have died. He chose not to believe like his grandfather, but suddenly grew concerned for him. He did not seem himself, a shell of the man he had once been. He had been quick to anger and slow to compassion, and now he seemed to believe that Raquel was somehow a threat to Jaden and this place. He almost appeared paranoid. Something was not right with Vennoss anymore. He had changed.

  Jaden decided he would not mention anything about Raquel again, nor would he speak of anything that had happened after the attack. He would speak freely, as they used to, when he was sure the wound his grandfather had suffered from the attack was healed.

  After a few minutes of walking, they soon reached a rectangular area of smoothly carved stones and tiles. There was a wall of polished brown, dark grey veins throughout it, that Jaden could see his reflection in, accompanied by four small benches, two at each end, made of the same strange stone. The floor was tiled in the same manner, and in the centre was a circle of black marble with a seven-foot Daijuarn symbol made of amethyst within it. Vennoss walked to the left before turning around, leaving Jaden to study what was around them for a moment.

  ‘How are you faring?’ he asked.

  Jaden said nothing, his eyes locking onto his grandfather’s, as if he were asking the same question in return.


  ‘I’m alive,’ Jaden said coldly.

  Vennoss nodded. ‘That is all I could have hoped,’ he said slowly, ‘after I failed you.’ He raised a hand so that Jaden wouldn’t speak. ‘I will not ask to be forgiven. What happened is unforgivable, it should never have been. The Alliance has found a way into these lands, and now they will move on to Corsec. If they manage a victory there, it will be the end of the Resistance.’

  Vennoss sat down on one of the benches away from the wall. ‘I wanted you to come here for two reasons,’ he said. ‘First, to heal milayiss, the sickness that is not a sickness, but a change in one’s body and mind. I want to offer you a cure to it. If left untreated, it can lead to one’s death. If it is mastered, it can lead to prolonged life beyond ordinary years.’

  ‘I don’t understand,’ said Jaden.

  ‘All in time. All in time,’ said Vennoss. ‘For now, I want you to try to understand the Daijuar if you can. They are a race by ideal, not by blood, and they live for reasons neither you nor I can guess. However, they do share a common goal. They wish to protect the innocent with their power. For this reason, they have developed a code over the centuries, much of which is centred on the belief that they should never use their power to harm anyone. No soldier or civilian has ever been harmed by them. In battles, they have defended and nothing more.

  ‘I need not tell you their power is great. A single Daijuarn Sentinel could have defeated the force that was sent to our home if they wished to kill. That is why it is so important that no matter how much hate they have, no matter how much they yearn to end another’s life, they will never use what they have for anything more than defence. Do you understand this?’

  ‘It is simple enough,’ said Jaden.

  ‘Good,’ said Vennoss. ‘I have talked it over with Adonis and Blair; they have agreed to take you in their care and help you master milayiss. In time; you will walk with them, go where they go, do as they do. You will be one of them. You will be Daijuarn.’

  Although Jaden did not look at him, he could tell that his grandfather was smiling widely.

  Jaden shook his head slowly. ‘I don’t want to be of the Daijuar anymore.’

  He looked up to see the smile fade from his grandfather’s lips.

  ‘Has it not been your dream?’

  ‘When I was younger,’ said Jaden, walking to sit on the bench next to the one Vennoss sat upon, ‘but not anymore.’

  ‘You will have to enlighten me on your reasoning, child. This is the last thing I would have expected to hear from you.’

  ‘They failed me, Grandfather. They failed us. I can forgive you for your mistakes, you have always watched over us, but the Daijuar were not there when we needed them. I know you are a friend of theirs, but they are not friends of mine. There was only one shield, and it did nothing to help us. Our home is lost. I don’t know if I can ever accept that.’

  ‘I see,’ said Vennoss. ‘You have lost more than your heart could afford, and I know that it wishes to place blame, but the Daijuar are not at fault. The shield was in desperation, but you are right, it was too late.’

  ‘With their power, they should have brought the Alliance to justice.’

  ‘It is not in their code,’ corrected Vennoss.

  ‘Then the code needs to be changed.’ Jaden stood up and paced to the edge of the tiles. ‘I don’t want to be a part of a race that would let the innocent die as they did.’

  ‘The Daijuar did what they could,’ Vennoss defended. ‘You cannot blame them.’

  ‘They could have done more,’ said Jaden sharply, and he began to cough violently as the memories began to flash before his eyes. The coughing stopped and he managed to speak again. ‘I could ask them a thousand questions. Why didn’t they come earlier? Why didn’t they save us? Why didn’t the shield last for hours as they do in the stories?’ Jaden could see the shock and pain his words were causing his grandfather, but couldn’t hold back anymore. ‘Why were they weak when we needed their strength?’

  Vennoss did his best to keep his voice calm. ‘No matter what they wish, they will never risk their own death. None of the Daijuar has ever been killed in battle.’

  ‘Then they are cowards! They will see hundreds die just to save themselves.’

  ‘Yes,’ said Vennoss, raising his voice with Jaden’s. ‘So that they may save thousands later! Do not hate them, child, they do what they must!’

  ‘But it isn’t enough! With that power, they could change the world!’

  Both fell silent as neither found they could say anymore. It had been the first time they had raised their voices to one another in an argument, and the innocence they had both held onto fondly felt lost. The next moments gave birth to an awkwardness that was new to them as the sacred connection was lost. Jaden sat down where he was as his grandfather turned to the wall, refusing to look at him, but he was the first to break the silence.

  ‘I am afraid,’ he started slowly, ‘that you may not have a choice.’

  Jaden took his time before saying anything in return. ‘Why not?’

  ‘The Daijuar may be your only hope to survive.’

  Jaden paused again in thought. ‘Then I will die.’

  ‘Come now, child,’ said Vennoss warmly, ‘you cannot mean that. You are young and your wounds are fresh. Do not be so quick to judge. Besides, I have another solution.’

  Jaden looked up as his grandfather walked to him and offered him a helping hand.

  ‘Let us go to the temple. I will explain on the way.’

  Jaden stared at the hand for some time, thinking of what his grandfather had in mind. When he could not think of anything, he took the hand and stood up, and they began their walk back down the slope.

  ‘Do you like it here?’ asked Vennoss, pushing the trees aside again.

  ‘It is not Callibra,’ said Jaden.

  ‘No,’ said Vennoss, ‘but do you like it?’

  Jaden shrugged. ‘It’s peaceful.’

  ‘How would you like to stay here for two, maybe three years? There is plenty of food and water, and you will be sheltered from the wars and elements.’

  ‘I’m going to join the Resistance,’ said Jaden simply.

  Vennoss chuckled. ‘The Resistance, or someone else fighting the Alliance, will be there in the years to come. Another soldier is not going to make much difference, and you will not do them much good with your illness.’

  ‘Then what do you want me to do, Grandfather?’

  ‘I want you to get better. Accept the help of the Daijuar, and I will see if I can request that you remain here for some years while you recover.’

  Jaden said nothing. Despite his decision to stay clear of the Daijuar, it seemed an attractive offer, and his grandfather was right, he wouldn’t be much help to the Resistance if he were at the mercy of the sickness. It had subsided a little since being inside the hollow, but he could remember clearly how he had felt when he was trying to keep up with Raquel. When he was unable to rest, it felt as if his entire body was failing, just as it would during battle. He would die a pointless death, not even fighting those who had taken his home, and so there would be no use in him being there. He would be a hindrance, not an asset.

  His grandfather seemed to have guessed the answer, as without turning, he entered the temple doors with Jaden close behind him. They followed a small corridor leading to a brightly lit hexagonal room. There were stands in each corner, holding small spheres in their tops that were miniature versions of the one out in the hollow. The floor was tiled with the same stone as there had been at the benches, and in the centre was a highly decorated stone block of three layers, Daijuarn symbols inscribed on its base. Tarsha was lying upon it with Adonis and Blair standing on either side of her. As Jaden approached, he could see a light shining between Blair and Tarsha’s injured side. It was a white glow, accented with golden flares as they sparked from Blair’s hand in a steady rhythm and floated gradually into Tarsha’s wound.

  Jaden was captivated by what he sa
w and almost hadn’t heard his grandfather call out next to him.

  ‘Adonis, he has agreed.’

  Adonis nodded calmly and signalled for Jaden to follow him into one of the two separate doors behind him. Jaden looked once more to his grandfather for reassurance, and then followed the tall, dark-featured man into the next corridor. The corridor led to a tight stairway that descended deep into the mountain, winding around a single column with no more than a faint blue glow in the rocks to light their way. When the stairway did not seem that it would end, Jaden began to think more about the situation than where he was going, and he suddenly realised that he was walking behind an actual Daijuarn being. This could have perhaps been his first encounter, if Raquel was not Daijuarn. Strangely, he felt no different to normal. While this man was most likely very powerful, it had little to no effect on Jaden, unlike his encounter with Raquel. She may not have had any power at all, and yet she somehow seemed more powerful than this Daijuarn man. Whatever the case, it was nothing like he had expected, and he concluded that he may have had the Daijuar all wrong. Perhaps now he could get some answers.

  ‘Where are we going?’ he asked.

  ‘To the Kaeshan Chamber,’ said Adonis, his voice deep and powerful, but without any threat or anger.

  ‘What for?’

  ‘You are to receive the essence endobrace.’

  ‘The essence?’ Jaden echoed.

  ‘Yes, the source of our power. Somehow, you have been exposed to great quantities, and now your body is shutting down. That is why Noviahn expects you are ill.’

  Noviahn, thought Jaden, that’s what they called his grandfather, like Tarsha had in Callibra. The different name made him feel his grandfather was not the man he had grown up to know. Perhaps he had not been completely honest with him. Jaden would learn the truth some day, but for now he wanted to know more about the Daijuar.

  ‘How will the endo-base help my illness?’

  ‘Endo-brace,’ Adonis corrected. ‘It is a brace that sits under your skin and attaches to your veins.’

  Adonis stopped and held out his hand so that Jaden did not walk into him. Three steps below, he still managed to stand only a little shorter than Jaden. He then lifted his hand so that his sleeve fell down around his elbow.

  ‘This is an endobrace,’ he said, his hand and wrist now coming alight with the same white glow that had come from Blair’s hand.

  Jaden studied the many dark lines under the man’s tanned skin. They looked to form a similar design to the loh-korah, except that they were below the skin as Adonis had said and could not be removed easily, if at all.

  ‘All Daijuar have been exposed to the essence beyond repair. We are now required to wear these so that we can release and store the essence as needed.’

  ‘What did the Daijuar do before the endobraces?’ asked Jaden.

  ‘Died,’ said Adonis bluntly, ‘as you will if we do not give them to you.’

  ‘Is that how you make the shields?’ asked Jaden.

  Adonis gave a slight nod and then continued walking. ‘Many of us store the essence if we know a battle is coming. Our shields will remain strong only as long as the essence is within us.’

  ‘What happens when it runs out?’

  ‘We retreat, and wait for it to replenish.’

  ‘That’s why you can’t fight in all the wars,’ Jaden observed, ‘and why you couldn’t save my village.’

  Adonis turned with his hand giving light once more, regarding him for a moment.

  ‘We couldn’t save your village because we didn’t know it was going to be attacked,’ he said calmly. ‘Presently Blair and I have enough essence stored to set up shields for several hours. We could not have saved your village alone, but we could have helped had we known.’

  ‘I saw one shield,’ said Jaden.

  Adonis nodded. ‘One would not have been enough,’ he said, and continued down the stairway once more. ‘Once you have the endobraces, you will train to be a Daijuarn Sentinel. We will need more help in the coming years.’

  Jaden held his tongue. He had almost protested the idea of becoming a Sentinel, as he had vowed to himself that he wanted nothing to do with the Daijuar, but remembered that Adonis would not have known of his intentions, or that his grandfather wished for him to remain inside the hollow for the coming years. And now that he had spoken with Adonis, he felt that he could have no gripe with the Daijuar for not saving his village. Perhaps his hate was misplaced. They were people, just like him. They were powerful, but still just ordinary people at heart. They couldn’t be everywhere. They couldn’t know everything. They couldn’t defeat entire armies alone. Maybe becoming part of the Daijuar wasn’t such a bad idea after all.

  ‘How did the essence cause my sickness?’ asked Jaden.

  ‘All life on Earth has evolved to accept the essence. That which rejects the essence will die sooner than other life. Your exposure is abnormal, so you have become ill and require assistance.’

  ‘So I will wear the endobrace. What happens when the essence runs out, how do you replenish the essence?’

  ‘I don’t know,’ said Adonis. ‘It simply happens. Some replenish gradually, others more quickly. It has been a topic of discussion among us for centuries.’

  ‘Even you do not understand the essence?’

  ‘Correct,’ said Adonis as he reached the bottom of the stairway. He then led Jaden through a room that was almost as dark as the stairway had been, lit by the same blue glow from the rock but also with a luminous white mist that hovered at their ankles. Jaden could feel the polished stone underneath his feet as he walked, but it was the only smooth surface around him as the walls and roof were all jagged rock.

  ‘This is the Kaeshan chamber,’ Jaden guessed out loud.

  Adonis did not correct him.

  They stopped walking as they reached an opening in the wall ahead of them. It was darkest here. Even the blue glow was almost too faint to see. There was a ledge that they stood against as they looked over a smooth, hard substance just below Jaden’s chest.

  ‘Take off the loh-korah. Make sure your clothing is not touching your feet and put your arms here,’ instructed Adonis, standing to Jaden’s left. Jaden did as requested. ‘Rest your elbows on the side. When I tell you to, let your hands go under the surface. I will then tell you to walk up the steps that are on your right. You will then repeat the process with your feet. Do you understand?’

  Jaden nodded, his eyes still fixed ahead of him.

  Adonis put his own hands up on the substance after rolling his sleeves back. ‘This will hurt,’ he said, and Jaden turned to him questioningly as a fiery glow appeared under the Daijuarn’s hands.

  The opening was revealed in the light, seeming endless as it stretched far beneath the mountain. Jaden could now see the steps next to him, but quickly looked back to the smooth surface. It appeared gold, and felt to be loosening beneath his fingertips. The smooth surface was becoming molten, heated by the energy being released into it by Adonis.

  ‘Now, let your hands sink.’

  Jaden reluctantly pushed his hands beneath the surface, feeling strangely cool underneath, but as the energy continued to pour into the pool, it became even colder, and soon felt as if it were freezing his lower arms.

  ‘Keep them there!’ said Adonis as he realised Jaden had begun to pull away.

  The pain was becoming too intense. It felt as if sharp shards of ice were now slicing into his skin. He thought to back away, to stop the process of getting the endobraces. This was a mistake, a terrible mistake. He started to wish he had never agreed to allow the Daijuar to help him. The sickness seemed a better choice now. Anything was better than leaving his hands in the golden substance. The pain was becoming worse with each second that passed.

  ‘Take them out, now,’ said Adonis finally, and Jaden quickly pulled his arms away from the pool, cowering low to the ground as he allowed his hands to dry in the air.

  ‘Now your feet.’

  Jaden hel
d his hands in front of his eyes, watching as the molten gold melted into his skin. He looked in disbelief at Adonis, as if he had to have been crazy to expect him to now put his feet into the pool, but Adonis was unflinching, and waited patiently for Jaden to do as he wished.

  ‘Shouldn’t I wash them first?’ asked Jaden, hoping for an excuse to return above.

  ‘This won’t take long,’ Adonis comforted, as if seeing straight through Jaden’s words. ‘The pain only lasts while it sets.’

  ‘How long will that take?’ asked Jaden.

  ‘It depends on how long you take to complete the dipping.’

  With a horrified look, Jaden made his way slowly up the steps and then moved his left foot toward the pool.

  ‘Only the soles of your feet,’ said Adonis. ‘That is all you need. There is a ledge for you to sit on. You will not be able to stand afterward.’

  Jaden sat down on the ledge and moved both feet to the pool. ‘Why do I need to put my feet in?’ he asked.

  ‘Our feet are what connect us to the Earth, there is more essence there than the air. Do not be afraid. We have all had to do this.’

  Jaden closed his eyes, bracing himself for what he was about to feel, and with a deep breath, he put both feet onto the surface. It felt warm on top as before, but cold as it was broken. He tried to escape from his mind, to be away from the pain he knew was coming. But it was no use. He could not escape. The feeling of sharp shards slicing into his skin was too much to bear, and he almost screamed out to release the pain, but before he could, Adonis told him to take his feet away from the pool. The dipping of his feet had been much faster than his wrists.

  ‘We are done,’ he said. ‘Now you must wait. Do not try to walk.’

  Adonis allowed the pool to return to its previous hardened state before walking over to Jaden.

  ‘Try to relax,’ he said. ‘I will do what I can to ease the pain.’

  Jaden nodded with his teeth clenched, and Adonis stood next to him, a white glow with golden flares coming from his hands and floating into Jaden’s lower arms. As the glow increased, Jaden could see the strange substance draining away underneath his skin, and hugging tightly against his veins, moulding itself to fit around them as if somehow drawn to them through the tissue.

  ‘So I’m of the Daijuar now,’ said Jaden.

  ‘Soon,’ said Adonis. ‘When you learn of our ways, you will be one of us.’

  ‘How long will we be here?’

  ‘As long as it takes for your body to accept the Kaeshan gold,’ said Adonis.

  Jaden winced from the pain but said no more. Now he would have to wait as Adonis had said, and in the coming hours, the endobraces would be formed, and he would begin his life as one ruled by the Daijuarn code.