Chariots of Heaven
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Kaya followed her uncle as he made his way towards the main hall. All of the elders followed behind them in a long line, discussing her sister’s story. With each step Kaya took, her body reminded her of the exhaustion she felt from the long and arduous trip. She wasn’t excited to entertain the doubts and questions of these stuffy old villagers. She wanted nothing more than to return to her home and go to sleep, but it would have to wait.
She was worried about Kira. Despite all of Kaya’s efforts to help out on the journey, she hadn’t been able to keep Kira from harm. When they finally returned from the extraordinary trip, only to have Kira collapse in a fever, it was almost too much to handle. It was hard enough to see her father on what might be his deathbed, but having to watch her sister be carried to their home unconscious was almost unbearable. Kaya had seen death before, even at a young age, but she hardly knew what to do without Kira there to comfort her. She looked up at her uncle and smiled. At least she still had him.
Druin looked down and met her gaze. He gave a half-hearted smile that told Kaya that he was as worried as she was. Bending over as they walked, he whispered, “They will be okay, don’t you worry. Your sister is the most stubborn person I’ve ever met, and the medicine already seems to be helping your dad.”
As usual, his words made her feel better. He was always kind and gentle with her, despite his ragged exterior. She nodded and replied, “I know. I just wish I could have done more...”
Druin grabbed her wrist and stopped short, causing several of the elders following them to stumble and knock in to each other. The old men gave him an affronted look and stepped around the two of them, shaking their heads and grumbling to each other.
Ignoring them, he bent over and looked her dead in the eye, “Don’t ever doubt what you’ve done. Maybe we weren’t happy that you disobeyed and went after Kira, but what you did was admirable. You showed that you were braver than any of these people here. They all had the opportunity to go with your sister, and they chose not to out of fear, but not you. You went without a thought for yourself and had you not gone, she might not have survived. Do you understand?” He looked firmly from one eye to the other. Kaya nodded and blushed a little. He always knew how to cheer her up.
Looking satisfied, he stood up and patted her on the head. “Now let’s go in there and answer the questions of these old codgers. I’m sure they will have many, as they don’t normally take the stories of children at face value.”
“You believe us, don’t you?” Kaya asked sheepishly.
Bending over again and looking her in the eye he said, “Of course I do. I’d swear my life on your word, child.” He grinned at her and poked her in the rib, making her squirm and giggle. “Now let’s get this over with and get you to bed before you pass out like your sister.”
They turned back towards the main hall, but as they began to walk again an odd sound started to grow in the distance. Kaya was the first to notice it. After a few steps, she stopped and surveyed the horizon, trying to determine the source of the sound. After a few moments of searching, she was able to make out a dark object, flying high in the air and rapidly growing in size. Blinking, she tried to determine what it was, but the shape was wholly unfamiliar to her.
“Uncle Druin,” she called out, pointing towards the sky.
He stopped walking and followed her gaze. Squinting in the bright autumn sunlight, his eyes found the black object and a look of confusion passed over his face. “What is it?” he asked.
Kaya shrugged and shook her head. By now, the sound was loud enough that the entire entourage of elders also stopped. The group of men and women exchanged startled looks as they stared at the black object.
An uneasy feeling started to grow in Kaya’s stomach as she noticed the object in the sky seemed to be slowing down as it approached. The sound it was making kept growing and growing, until it became a deafening roar. The ground began to shake as it slowed to a stop just outside of the village walls. As it hovered there, Kaya was able to get a good look at the flying monstrosity. Truly, there was no better word to describe the large, black triangular object floating high above her. It was enormous, stretching hundreds of feet.
The bad feeling in her stomach twisted into a knot, as she noticed that the large object was giving off a faint green glow; the same green glow that the mysterious woman from the woods had been emitting. There was no mistaking the color. Just as the enormity of the situation was washing over her, Kaya noticed Yamara walking towards her. She held the gleaming metal cylinder in her hand and in that instant, Kaya knew what had happened. Somehow the mysterious woman knew where the device had gone and she was coming for it, just as she had come for it in the woods.
“Uncle! It’s her!” Kaya screamed, but Druin, who was standing several feet away, couldn’t hear her over the roaring sound. She ran over to him and yanked on his arm. He looked down at her, bewildered, as she yelled, “It’s her! It’s the woman from the woods!” This time, he heard her. His eyes grew large and without saying anything he ran off towards his hut, limping as he went.
Kaya wasn’t sure what he was doing, but there was no time to ask. She knew that she had to get the object as far away as she could, so she turned and ran over to Yamara. Yamara, like everyone else, was staring up at the strange monstrosity, and was so distracted that she didn’t even notice Kaya pull the metal cylinder from her hands.
Holding the cylinder tightly against her chest, Kaya sprinted down the hill, making her way towards the eastern gate. She had to get it away from the village. There was no telling what the woman from the woods would do if she found the device in the hands of the elders. Whatever it was, it had only brought trouble so far and she knew it would only bring more if it stayed there.
She ran as fast as her exhausted muscles would allow; passing through the gates unnoticed by the sentries, who were busy watching the sky. She moved as quickly as she could through the tall grass outside the walls, but all of her effort was for naught. For as she made her way further from the village, the object above descended ahead of her, blocking her path. She stopped, watching it lower until it was right in front of her. The rumble from the vessel was so loud that she was forced to drop the cylinder and cover her ears. As it approached the ground, the air surrounding her started to move rapidly, making it difficult to breathe.
There were no words to express her dismay as the vessel extended three long support struts, landing a few yards in front of her. All thought disappeared as she stood in awe of the vessel before her. Nothing in all her life could have prepared her for this.
How could something so large move through the air, she wondered. How was it possible to even lift such an enormous object? It stood nearly forty feet above her and stretched for a hundred feet to either side of her. It was unlike anything she had seen before. Made out of black metallic material that was as smooth as ice, it gleamed in the autumn sunlight.
The winds calmed and the loud rumble coming from within the vessel died down as it came to a rest in the tall grass. The green glow that had been emanating from it faded as Kaya stood there, frozen, not knowing what to expect.
Behind her, she could hear the villagers approaching, murmuring to each other about the enormous object before them. She didn’t need to hear their words to know that none of them knew what to make of it. As they came up behind her, she could hear some of them praising the spirits, having interpreted the object as some sort of blessing. She, however, was not so optimistic. Regaining her senses, she reached down and picked up the cylinder. If she was right, the mysterious woman would emerge any moment to reclaim the device.
A hush moved through the crowd as the vessel made a loud hissing sound before a section of the exterior started to move. They watched in astonishment as a large platform lowered from the belly of the vessel, revealing three humanlike figures, all of whom were clad in glowing silver armor. To the left stood the mysterious woman from the woods, who had a look of deep sati
sfaction on her face. At the center, stood an enormous man with white hair and a white beard, who was flanked by a smaller silver haired man. As the platform lowered, the woman whispered something to the others and pointed at Kaya.
The man in the center nodded and fixed his gaze on her. He was the tallest of the three, standing several feet taller than Kaya. He was covered in thick chiseled muscle, his chest as huge as a buffalo’s, and his shoulders stretching almost as wide as Kaya was tall. He had long flowing white hair and a shimmering white beard that hung down to his chest. Strapped to his back was a long spear, although it was unlike the one Kira used. It was made out of metal that curved and twisted, forming razor sharp edges all along the length. More peculiar was that it seemed to be glowing with energy, as it was emitting a faint blue light.
As the man stared at Kaya, a chill ran down her spine. She couldn’t be sure, but he did not look pleased to see her; in fact he looked rather unhappy at the sight of her. The platform they were standing on came to a stop, and all three stepped off of it.
All around her, the people of the village were dropping to their knees and praying before the three strangers. She looked around and was surprised to find that she was the only one still standing; even Felmar and Yamara, who were at the front of the group, were bowing.
Were these really the spirits she’d heard so much about? Kaya wondered to herself. She looked back at the approaching figures and frowned. The only thing she could be sure of was that they weren’t quite human. Sure they looked enough like her, but something about them seemed different, almost ancient. The way they carried themselves was as if they were experiencing time differently than she was, like there was no rush, no urgency that was so common among her people. No, these couldn’t be the spirits, Kaya decided. They were something entirely different.
She could feel her stomach tighten again as the three strangers came to a stop in front of her. She didn’t know what to expect from the other two, but the woman had shown such blinding speed and strength in the woods that there was no chance of escape. The only hope she had was to willingly give the device back to them. Gritting her teeth, she held the cylinder out towards the enormous man at the center.
He peered down at Kaya with a strange look on his face, and examined her with an icy stare for a few moments. Kaya started to quiver as her heart began to race. She could feel every beat against her chest and was finding it difficult to breathe. What was he waiting for? They were looking for the device, weren’t they? Why wasn’t he taking it?
Increasing her confusion, the man looked away and shifted his gaze to the mass of villagers behind her. An odd look passed over his face and he grinned. To her disbelief, the man stretched out both of his arms and slowly began to lift off of the ground, emitting more and more green light as he did so. Gasps echoed through the crowd as the enormous, muscle-bound man floated several feet above the ground.
In a voice that seemed to shake the heavens he called out, “I am Velion, High Ruler and God of the Twelve Kingdoms of Tython! All who bow before me shall be spared! Behold my power and tremble!” Once he had spoken, the green glow of his armor grew brighter and brighter until after a few seconds the green light was as blinding as the sun and the earth below Kaya started to quake. Cries of fear came from the crowd as the villagers fell to the ground in terror.
Kaya held her ground, refusing to stumble like the others. Noting that the strange woman from the woods was watching her intently, she maintained a calm expression, unwilling to show any fear. She didn’t know what to make of these strange beings or their peculiar powers, but she knew they weren’t spirits and she would not bow to them. After a few moments the ground ceased moving, and the man above her floated gently back to the ground. He seemed quite satisfied as he looked out at the villagers, who were all cowering in fear and terror. Kaya looked over her shoulder at the people behind her. Yamara was signaling to her to bow, but Kaya refused and looked back at the man before her.
He was staring at her again, but his previous look of satisfaction was now gone. In a quiet voice he said, “You would be wise to bow, little one. You do understand the words I’m saying, don’t you?”
Kaya nodded and replied, “I can understand you just fine, but I will not bow. You’ve come for this haven’t you? Well go on, take it and leave.” She extended the device out again, hoping he would do as she asked. He did not. Instead he tossed his head back and he boomed with laughter.
Collecting himself he grinned and said, “I see now why my daughter was so interested in finding you. Tell me child, what is your name?”
Kaya was dumbfounded. Of all the responses he could have had, she did not expect him to be amused. Sheepishly she replied, “My name is Kaya.”
Velion smiled, his face filling with unexpected warmth. “Well Kaya, I understand that you have the ability to use this device, is that true?” he asked, pointing to the metal cylinder. She nodded and held it out, pressing the first symbol. As before the device burst to life, creating a large holographic map in the air. A hush went over the crowd behind her as the villagers watched in awe. Kaya noticed that the shorter man with silver hair seemed to be the only one who was surprised by her actions.
Still smiling, Velion asked, “And is there anyone else here who can make it work?”
“My sister, Kira, can. But she’s the only other person that’s tried,” Kaya answered.
“I see,” Velion said. Looking back over the crowd he pointed and said, “You, come here.” Kaya looked over her shoulder and saw Felmar stand. Her heart sank a little as he came walking up; she didn’t despise the man the way her sister did, but she didn’t like the idea of him having possession of the device. Once Felmar was next to Kaya, he fell to his knees again and made a show of worshiping Velion.
Frowning with impatience, Velion ordered Felmar to his feet and instructed Kaya to give him the device. She wanted to protest, but thought better of it. She pressed the symbol, turning the device off before she held it out to Felmar. He had a wicked look in his eyes as he snatched the device from her hands.
“Press one of the symbols,” Velion instructed.
“Yes, my lord,” Felmar said, clearly trying to flatter the strangers. With his wicked grin growing larger, Felmar happily obliged the order. He pressed the first symbol just as Kaya had done, but nothing happened. Still grinning, Felmar pressed it a second time and again nothing happened. His grin faded into a look of panic as he frantically pressed all of the symbols on the side of the cylinder. Still nothing happened. Kaya noticed that again, the silver-haired man seemed to be the only one surprised by the events.
“As I suspected,” Velion announced. “You can leave now,” he snapped. Felmar begrudgingly returned the cylinder to Kaya and glared at her before he made his way back to the others. Velion fixed his gaze on Kaya again and considered her for a moment. “Where is this sister of yours? Is she in the crowd?”
“No. She is back in the village,” Kaya answered, unwilling to reveal too much to the strange man.
“Why isn’t she here with you?” Velion asked, searching Kaya’s face for any deception.
Kaya didn’t like the way he was looking at her, but felt compelled to answer. “She’s injured. Something she should already know,” Kaya retorted, pointing at the blonde woman. Velion did not turn to look; instead he kept his gaze fixed on her.
To Kaya’s surprise, Velion gave a thoroughly worried look and asked, “Would you take me to her, child?”
“I thought you came for this. What do you want with my sister?” she demanded, waving the cylinder in front of her.
Velion sighed, and with a growing look of irritation he curtly replied, “The holodisk is of no concern to me, little one, although I can understand your confusion. Let me make this clear; what I really came for was you and your sister. Now, please take me to her, before I lose my patience.” He extended his hand, indicating that he wanted her to lead the way.
Kaya didn’t like the idea of leading these
people straight to her sister, not in her current condition, but what choice did she have? They clearly had strength and power that she didn’t, so how could she refuse? Begrudgingly, she turned and started to make her way through the crowd, back towards the village. Yamara gave her a grave look as she passed by, but Kaya reassured her, whispering, “It’s okay.”
The villagers parted before them as she led Velion and the other strangers towards the village gate. She could tell by the looks on the villagers’ faces that they were deeply concerned by the interest these strange beings were showing in her and Kira. She knew that they thought she’d angered the spirits and they’d come to punish her. She wanted to tell them off and call them fools, but she couldn’t be sure that they weren’t right. Maybe she and Kira had done something wrong by going into the Black Wood. They’d certainly found some strange things; maybe they did anger these three strangers in some way.
With her concern growing, Kaya decided to be bold again. She stopped short in the middle of the crowd and turned to face Velion. Holding her head high she demanded, “You aren’t going to hurt her, are you? Because if you are, you might as well kill me now, because I’ll never let that happen!”
The silver-haired man snorted and said, “My, my, she is a feisty one, isn’t she?”
“If you think this one is feisty, you should see the sister, Thanatos. They truly are a pair,” the blonde woman interjected.
Frowning, Velion replied, “Child, I have no intention to harm you or your sister. I promise that I will not lay a finger on her.” Velion held up his hand, as if swearing an oath. Forcing a smile, he gestured for her to lead on.
Kaya glared at the three of them. What was their game? Who were they and why did they care about her or Kira? Frustrated, she spun on the spot and stamped off towards the village again, this time with a hastened pace. She wanted answers and clearly she wouldn’t get any until they saw Kira.
Almost running, Kaya made her way through the village gate and up the hill. Cresting the top of the hill she stopped in front of her hut and turned back towards the three following her. She could see that several yards behind the three strangers, the entire village was following them. This was truly becoming a spectacle. Frowning, Kaya pointed at her home and said, “She’s in there, but I don’t know what good coming here will be. She’s probably still asleep.”
Velion nodded. “That’s fine child, I only wish to see her for myself.” Indicating to the others that he wanted them to stay outside, he went to enter the hut, but before he could, Druin emerged from inside, holding a spear in his hand. Standing tall, he held it to Velion’s throat and said, “I won’t let you harm them. You might frighten my niece, but I am not scared of you!” Kaya understood now what her uncle had done; he had gone to grab his weapon in order to protect them. If only he knew what these strange beings were capable of.
Kaya tried to warn him but she didn’t get the chance. Before she could utter a word, the blonde woman bolted towards Druin like a blur of green and silver lightning. In the span of half a heartbeat she had moved nearly twenty feet and slammed her shoulder into Druin’s side, sending him flying through the air. He landed in the dirt several yards away, lying in a crumpled heap of pain. Kaya called out, but the damage had already been done.
Druin groaned in pain as he rolled over in the dirt. Kaya looked wildly at the blonde woman. “How could you?!” she demanded.
The blonde woman laughed and said, “Oh, don’t worry. He’ll survive; I went easy on him.” Sneering at Kaya, she turned to look at the crowd in the distance and yelled, “Let that be a lesson to anyone else who would try to stop us!” The villagers all dropped to their knees again, worshiping and praying in the distance.
Seeming amused, Velion ignored the scene and entered the hut, his huge body barely fitting through the door. Kaya looked back at her uncle, who was starting to stir. Deciding that he would be fine, she followed after Velion, entering the warm and stuffy hut.
Lying on her bed, sound asleep, was Kira. Kaya was amazed that her sister was still asleep, despite all the commotion. They’d barely left her alone before Velion showed up in his flying monstrosity. She must have been truly exhausted to have slept through that.
Velion eyed Kaya’s father for a moment, but proceeded towards Kira’s bed. He crouched at her bedside and began to examine her injuries, touching his hand to her bandages.
“What are you doing? You said you wouldn’t lay a finger on her!” Kaya demanded.
Velion turned to look at Kaya, the irritation evident on his face. Quietly, he said, “How many times must I tell you, I mean you no harm? How am I supposed heal her wounds if I don’t know what they are?” Kaya didn’t know what to say, as it hadn’t entered her mind that he might want to heal Kira. She was convinced that they had come to take the holodisk, or whatever they kept calling it. Why would he want to help them?
Velion turned back to Kira and pulled at her bandages, revealing the deep gashes from the sabercat’s claws. The wounds were swollen and filled with puss. He shook his head. “Her wound is infected. She is going to die,” he paused, “unless…”
“Unless what?!” Kaya demanded, tears forming in her eyes. Kira couldn’t die, not after everything they’d been through. Kira was supposed to be the strong one! She was supposed to take care of Kaya, not the other way around! Kaya couldn’t allow both her father and her sister to die; if there was a way to save either of them, she demanded to know what it was.
Velion turned back towards Kaya and said, “Unless you agree, of your own free will, to come with me and the others.”
“Come with you? Where?”
“Back to my home, child,” Velion replied, eyeing her closely.
“Where is your home? Would I be going alone?” Kaya didn’t like the sound of this at all.
“It’s a place very far from here, across a vast ocean of stars and no, you would not be alone. Part of the deal is that your sister has to come with us as well. Choose quickly, do you want me to heal her or not?” Velion stared at her, without expression.
It was such a strange request, that Kaya didn’t know what to do. She looked at Kira’s arm again and cringed at the gruesome sight. She’d seen infection before and knew that Velion was telling the truth. She looked back at her father, who was sleeping soundly and looking healthier than he had in days. She frowned, unable to decide. If only someone older was there to tell her what to do.
“Well?” Velion urged.
She wanted more time to think but could tell that Velion was losing his patience. She did, however, have an idea. “I agree, but on one condition,” Kaya replied. “You must also heal my father and promise to leave my village in peace. No one is to be harmed!”
Velion eyed the girl, smirking as he did so. “You’re very shrewd for someone so young. So be it. Do we have a deal?”
She hesitated, looking at Kira’s infected wounds again. “Yes,” she replied, hoping that she hadn’t just made a huge mistake. Velion turned back towards Kira and pulled out a device that looked very similar to the cylinder she still had in her hand. Holding it over her arm, Velion pressed one of the symbols and immediately the object started to glow bright green, filling the hut with its light.
To her amazement the gashes on Kira’s arm started to change. The blood and puss evaporated and the skin started to pull itself back together. After a few seconds the gashes were completely gone and the skin looked as if there had never been a wound at all. Velion smiled over his work and moved the device down towards Kira’s ankle. Holding it a few inches above her swollen foot, the device went to work again. The swelling diminished and the bruising disappeared completely, leaving the ankle looking as normal as ever.
Kira began to stir, but did not wake up; instead she rolled on her side and let out a long groan. Velion smiled again and looked towards Kaya. “She will be as good as new when she wakes up. Now tell me, what ails your father?”
Kaya still couldn’t believe what she’d witnessed. Who
was this man? How could he heal wounds like this? She looked back and forth between Kira’s healed arm and Velion’s smiling face. “How?”
“All in good time, little one; but for now I need to know what is wrong with your father if I’m to uphold my end of the deal,” Velion insisted.
“I don’t know what’s wrong with him, he’s been sick with a fever for many days. That’s why we were in the woods; we were looking for medicine for him.” Kaya answered, walking over to her father’s bed. He was sleeping quietly.
“I see. Well, I’ll do what I can,” Velion replied. His massive body moving in the small hut was almost comical, but Kaya was so awestruck by what had just happened, that she failed to notice. He crouched next to her father and activated the device again; this time it glowed with a yellow light instead of a green one. Velion paused and asked, “Tell me child, where is your mother?”
“She died many years ago,” Kaya replied, taken aback by the question.
“I see. I’m sorry for your loss.” He went back to work. Holding the device a few inches above her father’s body, Velion moved it from his head all the way to his feet and back again. The changes were less dramatic, but Kaya could see the color in her father’s face return to a normal pigment.
He started to shift in his bed and to Kaya’s amazement he opened his eyes for a few seconds and smiled at her. Just as quickly as he had come to, he rolled over and fell back to sleep. Velion deactivated the device and stood, trying not to hit his head on the ceiling. “I’ve done what I could for your father but the rest is up to him. He was much closer to death than you might have guessed, little one. I’ll give you a moment to say goodbye. When you are ready, come outside and we will be on our way.” He walked over to Kira’s bed and, putting his massive arms under her body, lifted her up. Still fast asleep in his arms, Kira looked peaceful as the two of them left the hut.
A moment later, as Kaya sat next to her father wiping the tears from her eyes, Druin burst into the hut. “What… what is the meaning of this? Where is he taking Kira?” he asked, looking disconcerted as he glanced around the hut.
“Shh… Father is resting.” Kaya placed her hand on her father’s shoulder and smiled to herself. “It’s hard to explain, but I’ll do my best.” She told him as much of the story as she could manage in the short time she had.
Reaching the end of the story, she finished, “I made an agreement with him, that if he healed my father and Kira, and left the village in peace, that we would go with him.”
“Go with him? I’m not letting you go anywhere with that man!” he shouted, more at the people standing outside than at Kaya.
Frowning, Druin sat on the floor next to Kaya, and looked at her father. “I’m glad the stranger was able to help my brother, but you cannot leave. You risked everything to save your father, and now you are just going to abandon him?”
Kaya shook her head; she didn’t know what to do. All of this was so much for her to take in and she wished Kira was there to help; she would know what to do. “These people are different, Uncle. The villagers believe they are the spirits themselves.”
“The villagers are fools! They’re no spirits!” Druin yelled, again more to the door than to Kaya.
She felt trapped. She’d made a deal with Velion, and there was no turning back. “I don’t think they’re the spirits either, but as you saw, their strength is beyond ours; that blonde woman single-handedly killed five wolves, without even so much as a scratch. He kept his end of the deal and I gave my word; I must go.”
“You don’t know what you are doing; you are just a child. Let me go talk to them,” Druin insisted.
“No.” Kaya’s eyes filled with tears. “He gave me a minute to say goodbye, but you must let me go with them. I don’t want you to stand up to them again and get killed. Someone has to stay and watch over my dad.” Her uncle did not respond right away. He sat there, deep in thought, for a long moment before eventually giving in.
Pulling Kaya into a hug, he whispered, “I love you Kaya. If your mom was here, she would be as proud of you and your sister as I am. Tell Kira that I said so, won’t you?” Kaya nodded furiously, beginning to sob. “I don’t know why these people want to take you, but I guess we don’t have a choice,” he said, squeezing her tightly. “You take care of your sister! Never leave her side if you can manage it, and please, for my sake, stay out of trouble!”
Kaya nodded furiously again, the tears rolling down her cheeks as she did. Why was this happening? She didn’t want to leave! There was finally hope that their father would get better and now she had to leave him? It wasn’t fair! She wouldn’t go! “No, I’m going to stay!” Kaya cried out.
“I want that more than anything, but if you refuse to go, they will hurt us. Me, and Yamara, and your father too. You wouldn’t want that would you?” Druin shook his head knowingly, “No, you have to go. Be strong, like your mother and sister.”
“Time’s up!” The blonde woman’s voice called from outside the hut. Druin helped Kaya out the door.
CHAPTER 7