* * *
Some time later, when they had finally found the right outfit for Kaya, the two girls prepared to leave their apartment. Stopping right outside their door, Kira checked the hallway for any passing guards or servants. Finding none, the two girls quickly made their way towards the hangars. The trip was easier than expected, as they managed to make it all the way to the hangar entrance without seeing a single person, but as Kira peered into the hangar she knew their luck had run out.
Inside the hangar, there were nearly a dozen servants and guards loading a transport vehicle with large containers. Luckily none of them were facing the entrance, but sneaking into the hangar unnoticed would be tricky. Peering around, Kira noticed a stack of empty cargo containers to the left of the door. Looking back at Kaya she silently indicated that they would need to go to the left. Kaya nodded in comprehension and readied herself to make a run for it. Kira looked back at the guards and servants, watching for any opportunity to move without being noticed.
Just as she was beginning to think it was hopeless, one of the servants at the other end of the hangar dropped a cargo container with a loud crash, spilling the contents across the floor. The accident created the perfect distraction, so with a quick signal, the two of them dashed into the hangar while the workers weren’t looking.
Kira was able to travel the distance in half a second, thanks to her armor, but Kaya was forced to run at normal speed. Thankfully the spilled container created enough of a ruckus that no one in the hangar was paying any attention, allowing the girls to move unnoticed. Sneaking along the empty containers, the girls continued to move until they found a dark and secluded area under some scaffolding. Hiding beneath the scaffolding, Kira tried to figure out what to do next. Aithos’s note hadn’t elaborated on where he wanted to meet them, so she decided to just wait it out.
A few minutes later, Kira noticed Aithos enter the hangar from an entrance near the recently-spilled cargo container. In a loud voice he reprimanded the clumsy servants and ordered them out of the hangar, saying that he would take care of it. Kira glanced over at Kaya and whispered, “We’ll wait until they are all gone and then we’ll make our way over to him, okay?” Kaya nodded in agreement.
Together they watched as the servants made their way sheepishly out of the hangar. Once all of them were gone, Aithos walked over to the entrance he had come through and shut the door, locking it behind the servants. He waited a moment before turning around and looking directly at the two girls. With a wave of his hand he gestured for them to come over to him. Exchanging puzzled looks, the sisters crawled out from under the scaffolding and made their way across the hangar.
“How did you know we were there?” Kira asked as they walked up to him.
With a wry smile he replied, “I was watching your every move once you were in the hangar. Well done on waiting for a distraction before coming in. The guards would have likely seen you if you hadn’t.”
“You were watching us? How? I thought there were no cameras in the palace.” Kira looked around the room, trying to spot any surveillance cameras.
“There aren’t, but there is more than one way to keep track of you. Remember your holodisks? They have a tracking beacon in them, which is different from the emergency beacon that helped Aeria find you on Earth, and which only I know how to monitor. I trust you weren’t followed?”
Kira didn’t know how she felt about being monitored, but decided it wasn’t worth arguing about. “I don’t think so; we didn’t see anyone on our way in.”
“Well that will just have to be good enough. Are you ready to go?” He asked, looking from one sister to the other. Both girls looked to each other and nodded in agreement. “Good! Your trip is going to be a little rough, but I trust it will be worth the discomfort. Follow me,” Aithos said as he started walking towards the cargo vehicle parked a few yards away.
“What kind of discomfort are we talking about?” Kira inquired, suddenly feeling apprehensive as they approached the vehicle.
“It won’t be that bad. Besides it should only take about twenty minutes or so.” He paused, stopping next to a set of cargo containers on the floor. Bending down, he pulled one of the boxes open, and to Kira’s surprise it was empty. “You’re going to be traveling in this.” Aithos grinned, pointing inside the container.
“Are you serious?” Kaya gaped at him in disbelief. Kira started to panic as she stared into the container. It was long enough that she would be able lay down in it, but it reminded her of a coffin.
“If you want to see your father, this is how it has to be done. I know it’s not very luxurious, but at least there are two of them,” he explained, pointing to another container a few feet away. Kira breathed a sigh of relief, feeling glad that at least she didn’t have to share one with her sister. “Each of you will get inside, and I will seal them from out here. They are ventilated, so you shouldn’t run out of air, but it’s going to be dark and cramped in there, so try not to panic.”
Great! I get to be locked in a dark and cramped box and all he can say is ‘don’t panic’? Kira protested to herself. With a wary smile, Kira nodded and climbed inside the cargo container, lying down on its hard interior. With an apologetic look, Aithos lowered the container’s lid and locked it in place.
Cramped and dark was a serious understatement of this experience. The container was barely big enough for her to shift her weight and with each passing second, it felt as though it was collapsing in on her. Suddenly she was second guessing the plan, wondering if she hadn’t placed her trust in the wrong person. What if Aithos wasn’t really taking them to Earth, but to some other place? What if he was the one behind the militant attacks and this was all just a ruse to capture her and Kaya? He had insisted on secrecy after all.
Trying to stay calm, Kira concentrated on her breathing, taking in long slow breaths. After a moment or two her eyes adjusted to the darkness and she could see a small amount of light coming in from one of the ventilation holes. Shifting as much as she could, she positioned herself so she could see out of the hole. She could just barely see the outline of Kaya getting in the other container and Aithos sealing it shut. Without so much as a grunt of effort, Aithos picked up the massive container Kaya was in, and walked over to the transport vehicle. He gently set the container down and turned to do the same with Kira’s container. The feeling of being lifted into the air was surreal, but Aithos seemed to be taking extra care not to make the move any more uncomfortable than it already was.
Once they were on the vehicle, Kira heard Aithos walk around to the front and climb into the driver’s seat. A few seconds later, they were out of the hangar and were soaring over the city of Ishkur in the fading light of the second sun.
The ride was short, although it didn’t really feel that way inside the oppressive container. Each passing second drove more and more doubt into Kira’s mind. Was Aithos truly to be trusted? There was no telling where they were heading, as she had never been allowed to explore the city. As she felt the vehicle start to slow down she looked out the ventilation hole and was able to catch a glimpse of their destination. It was a massive, squared pyramid that stood hundreds of feet tall, with a smooth white exterior that glimmered in the orange glow of the twilight. They seemed to be landing in front of it, as Kira was able to make out a large causeway leading up to an open passage.
As the vehicle came to a stop, Kira could hear Aithos talking with another person. Peering through the hole again, she saw that there were two guards greeting Aithos in a familiar tone. The conversation was indiscernible from within the container, but the guards didn’t seem to be suspicious of the transport. After a short conversation, the vehicle started to move again and within moments it was inside of the massive pyramid. There was a loud thud from behind them and the vehicle came to another stop.
This time Aithos was alone, and as he walked around the vehicle he softly called, “Just sit tight for a few minutes. I have to go initiate the transport process, but I’ll be b
ack shortly.” And with that he disappeared into the depths of the pyramid. Kira tried to look around at her surroundings but the room was too dark to make anything out.
Left with just her thoughts, Kira tried to soothe her doubts. The trip seemed to be going as scheduled and there was no indication that Aithos was deceiving them, but she still couldn’t figure out what her father needed to tell her. She couldn’t imagine what was so important that they would need to go to such extreme measures to meet, but she decided that it didn’t matter. Just the thought of being home and seeing him alive made all of the discomfort worth it. She just hoped Kaya was handling the trip as well as she was.
It felt like ages before Aithos returned to the vehicle. When he did, he called out, “This will only take a minute and then you will be back on Earth. I will warn you that this trip might be a little… nauseating. Most people feel a bit sick after their first transport, so just try to stay calm”
Kira had always been anxious to use one of these transport buildings, but now that she was about to, she wasn’t feeling quite as enthusiastic. During her lessons, Master Yu-On explained that the transport buildings formed a temporary tear in space, similar to a black hole, that allowed a person to travel extreme distances almost instantly. The idea was not only mind bending, but also frightening. What if something went wrong?
Without warning, the room they were in started to vibrate and fill with light. Peering out through the ventilation hole, Kira was alarmed to see that the wall they were facing was glowing. After a moment, a small circle of white light appeared in the middle of the wall and started to grow in size. As it grew, the wall appeared to disintegrate until it had completely disappeared, revealing a swirling tunnel of light and wind behind it. There was a loud hissing noise as all of the air in the room was sucked into the swirling vortex and Kira could feel herself being pulled into it as well. Little by little she could feel her body being stretched as the vehicle moved into the light tunnel.
Everything seemed to collapse in on her as if she and the container were being forced through the tiniest of holes. Gravity lost all of its effect and for a brief moment she felt as though she was hovering in an indefinite expanse of nothingness where time stopped and all matter ceased to exist. Then, without warning, there was sickening pulling feeling as her body was torn apart, particle by particle. She didn’t know how but she could feel herself being flung through space and time at blinding speed. And then suddenly everything was normal again.
Kira blinked rapidly and tried to get her bearings. She was still inside of the container and it was still sitting on the back of the transport vehicle, but the blinding light from the room was gone.
“Everyone make it through okay?” Aithos called out. Kira pounded her fist against the side of the container to show she was alright. “Good! A few more minutes and I’ll be able to let you out. Just try not to get sick inside my brand new containers!”
Kira made no promises as she felt an overwhelming desire to retch when the vehicle started to move again. Luckily it was a short ride, and after only another three or four minutes they came to a stop. Aithos hopped out of the driver’s seat and walked back to containers, releasing the latches as quickly as he could. The familiar night sky of Earth revealed itself to Kira as Aithos opened the container lid. Sitting up Kira tried to smile, but before she could stop herself she threw up over the side of the container, narrowly missing Aithos’s feet.
“Whoa! Watch the boots, girl!” Aithos cried out, jumping out of the way and laughing. “I told you the first trip is always rough.” He shook his head as he made his way over to the other container and unlatched it. Kaya sat up, looking green and mumbling something before her eyes widened and she also vomited over the side her container. This time Aithos was ready and was already out of the way.
Once she felt normal enough, Kaya looked up at Aithos and asked, “What was that? It felt so… weird.”
“You, my little friend, just traveled thousands of light-years in the matter of a few seconds. Fun, right?” he jeered with a knowing grin.
“Fun is not the word I’d use, but at least we made it. Where are we?” Kira looked around at the surroundings and noticed that she recognized the area. They were at a grove of trees not far from her village. She knew this because she recognized a deformed tree that had been struck by lightning once, many years earlier.
“We aren’t far from your home. Your father should be coming shortly. Maybe you should walk around a bit, try to shake of the effects of the transport. We certainly don’t want you getting sick on your father when he arrives,” Aithos added sarcastically.
Kira rolled her eyes, but took the advice nonetheless. She still wasn’t feeling quite like herself and walking around sounded like it might actually help. Climbing out of her container she walked over to Kaya and helped her get out. Kaya was still looking pretty pale and clammy, but was able to stand on her own. Hopping off of the transport vehicle, Kira looked up at the sky.
The night sky on Earth seemed so quiet and peaceful compared to Tython’s, but Kira preferred it this way. There was something about the simplicity that felt natural to her in a way Tython’s heavens never had. Now that she knew what the stars were, she would be able to tell the elders of her village that they were important, that there was more to them than they thought.
She tore her eyes away from the stars and looked around at the grove of trees again, getting a fond feeling of familiarity; something she had gone without for the greater part of a year. Sure, the palace no longer felt foreign to her, but it never felt quite like this. Her thoughts faded as she noticed a shadow in the trees move. Squinting in the dim moonlight she had a hard time keeping track of it, and after a moment she lost it completely.
“Kira, look!” Kaya called out from behind her. Turning around, she noticed three figures approaching from the direction of the village. It was her father, accompanied by Yamara and her uncle Druin.
Running over to where Kaya was, Kira put her arm around her sister and whispered, “We’re finally home, aren’t we?” Kaya turned to look at her, and with a tear sliding down her cheek she nodded furiously. The three figures broke out into a run, closing the distance between themselves and the girls.
Their father was the first to reach them. He ran up to the girls and wrapped his arms around both of them crying out, “You’re here!” The three of them embraced for a long time, all succumbing to their emotions and crying. Pushing away but keeping his hands on their shoulders, he examined each of them. “You both look so different… so grown up,” he said, wiping the water from his eyes.
“We were so worried about you!” Kaya managed, trying to calm her emotions.
“Me? Why were you worried about me? You were the ones who were taken! Imagine how I felt!” He shook his head, choking up again.
“I’m sorry, Dad, it’s all my fault! I told them we would go with them…” Kaya explained, looking guilty.
“No, no, child, you have nothing to apologize for. I know why you went, and it was the right thing to do,” he consoled her, hugging her again.
Kira left their side and walked over to Druin and Yamara. Hugging each of them, she said, “I’ve missed both of you so much. I can’t believe we are here; I thought for sure we would be stuck on Tython forever.”
Druin beamed at her and said, “Those are some fancy clothes you’ve got on; thought you were one of them at first.”
Kira looked down at her armor, forgetting that she had it on. With a grin she said, “It was a gift from Velion. I think you’ve met him, haven’t you?”
Druin’s smile faded, and with a grim look he said, “How could I forget? He only terrified the entire village into thinking he would destroy it if we didn’t let him take you and your sister.”
Kira didn’t know how to respond. She had forgotten that all of this had begun that way. It seemed so long ago, and so much had happened since then.
“Oh child, I’ve spent every night since you left worryin
g about you! I’m so happy you are safe and sound!” Yamara interjected, hugging Kira again.
Kira blushed in the dim moonlight, not knowing where to begin. “I’m sorry we’ve been gone for so long. There was just no way to come home until now. A lot has happened since we left. I’m not sure where to begin,” Kira frowned as Yamara let go of her.
“I do,” her father called out from behind her. Kira turned to look at him as he walked over to them, holding his arm over Kaya’s shoulder. “I’m afraid there are some things that I haven’t been completely honest about,” he continued, looking pained as he spoke. “Maybe we should start a fire and sit? There is a lot I have to tell you.”
Kira wasn’t sure what to make of this new pained expression on her father’s face but she didn’t like it. He was always collected and unemotional, but now he wasn’t either of those things. The tears in his eyes had slowed, but the worried and guilty look on his face told Kira that there was something wrong. Perhaps the message he had really was important.
Collecting herself Kira started working on finding firewood. Using the speed and strength that her armor granted her, she dashed around the grove of trees with lightning fast speed and was able to collect enough wood for a fire in the matter of seconds. Once she had the wood she used her armor to bend the earth to form a fire pit. As she stacked the wood into the newly formed pit she noticed the alarmed expressions her family had on their faces. With a nervous laugh, she said, “I guess you didn’t expect that huh? Well, I’ll try to explain later.”
Forgetting herself again, she reached into her armor and fished out her holodisk. Putting her finger on the symbol for laser, she aimed the device at the wood and pressed it. Immediately a green laser shot out of the cylinder and ignited the wood. Again she saw the horrified looks on their faces, but decided to just ignore them as she sat on the ground. The others hesitated and exchanged bewildered looks before following suit.
A few moments later the fire was burning strong and the surprised expressions had faded. “You said there was something you hadn’t been honest about?” Kira asked, trying to break the silence.
“Oh, right,” her father said, the pained expression returning to his face. “I have a confession to make. I don’t know how to put this, so I’m just going to say it.” He paused and swallowed hard. “I’m not your real father.”
Kira blinked, thinking that she must have misheard him. “Wait, what? I don’t think I heard you right.”
“No, you did. I am not your real father, neither of you,” he repeated, looking grave. Druin and Yamara seemed to be just as surprised by the news as Kira was.
“What do you mean you aren’t our father?!” Kira raised her voice, feeling angry and confused. Was this some sort of sick joke? She wondered.
“I don’t know how else to put it,” he replied bleakly.
Kaya appeared absolutely horrified as she looked back and forth between Kira and their father. Kira leveled a fierce gaze at him and demanded, “If you aren’t our father, then who is?”
He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, “it was a long time ago, right after I bonded with your mother. We were trying so hard to have children then, but nothing seemed to work until something strange happened. At the time we didn’t know how to explain it, so we didn’t tell anyone.”
“I don’t understand. What are you talking about?” Kira demanded, feeling even more lost.
“One night, your mother and I were out on a walk, when a strange man appeared out of nowhere. He did something to us… took us someplace we’d never been before; someplace deep in the Black Wood. I don’t know how he got us there; it’s sort of a blur, but there was a building there, where he cast some sort of magic that took us somewhere else, somewhere… not here.”
Kira was horribly confused when Aithos, who had been sitting quietly on the transport vehicle, spoke up, “Wait, was the building he took you to tall and half-finished? Like a ruin that had been abandoned?”
Their father nodded, seeming to remember something, “Yes; it was covered in growth from the woods, but it was clearly abandoned. It was a strange building with a hidden door.”
“What happened when he brought you there?” Aithos asked anxiously.
“He took us inside it, and cast some sort of magic. All I remember was light and a strange sensation of being crushed, and then we were someplace we had never seen before. Like a distant land that didn’t look anything like here.”
Aithos looked positively alarmed at the description. Looking at Kira he said, “I think your father is describing the transport building we just came through. They must have been abducted by one of my people. What happened then? It’s very important that you give me as many details as you can.”
“It’s difficult to explain but it was a dark, cold place, devoid of life and covered in snow and ice. The sky looked different too; there were strange colors in the heavens, bright reds and oranges. The stranger took us to another building, where he separated us. He locked me in a dark room and took their mother somewhere else. All I remember after that is feeling very tired and falling asleep. When I woke up, I was back inside my hut, lying next to their mother. The only thing different was that I had a scar on my abdomen, but I couldn’t remember where I got it.”
“You don’t remember coming back?” Aithos pressed.
“No, I don’t recall anything, but when I asked my wife about it she said she remembered the same trip. The only difference was that after he had separated us, he… he made love to her…” their father trailed off and looked down in shame. Kira’s mind raced as she tried to process what he was telling them. Kaya shook her head in disbelief and looked to Kira for answers, but there were none to be had. “Nine months later Kira was born.”
“But you said you weren’t Kaya’s father either,” Kira reminded him.
“That’s because it happened again, several years later. This time he only took your mother, but when he returned her, he spoke to me.”
“He spoke to you? What did this man look like? What did he say to you?” Aithos demanded.
“I don’t know what he looked like. I could never get a good look at him as he was wearing a large black cloak but what he said to me, I’ll never forget.” He paused, giving Kira an apologetic look before continuing, “He told me that my wife would be pregnant again. He said that one day others like him would come and take both of the children, and that I would have to let them go. He said that it was necessary if they were to fulfill their destinies and if I didn’t let them go, that he would return and destroy the Earth. Then he disappeared, right in front of me. I thought for certain it was a dream, but a few weeks later my wife was with child again.”
“It makes sense now! I knew you couldn’t just be the distant descendants of Kronus! There was no way the royal markers would survive so many generations. If this stranger was part of my family then that explains why you can use the royal armor and holodisks. We must tell Velion immediately!” Aithos commanded, walking over to Kira and picking her up by the arm.
“Wait, what if there is more?” Kira protested, pulling her arm from his grasp.
“There is,” her father spoke up. Aithos halted and looked at him impatiently. Grasping the urgency, their father rushed on, “The hunter who came back sick so long ago, had a message for me. He said that while he was in the woods alone, a man in a black cloak appeared to him and instructed him to tell me: ‘they are coming,’” he finished, looking somber.
“You mean he was here, on Earth just days before we arrived? And you are certain that he said the girls were important?” Aithos pressed.
“I’ll never forget his words; I assure you they meant a great deal to him.” Walking over to Kira and Kaya, their father looked dismal. “I’m so sorry, I should have told you ages ago. I just didn’t want to believe it. When I recovered and they told me the spirits had taken you into the heavens I knew I had failed you. Can you ever forgive me?” He reached out to touch Kira’s arm.
Sh
e recoiled and shook her head. She loved their father but this secret was too big, too great for her to just dismiss. Kaya did not move but quietly said, “You did what you had to do.”
“We really must be going; I’m sorry to cut this short but there are events happening that the three of you cannot understand, and this information will be absolutely vital. I will bring them back again as soon as I can, but for now we must leave,” Aithos implored, grabbing Kira by the arm again. This time she did not fight, but just stared at her father as she was dragged back to the vehicle. He started to cry, his expression imploring her to forgive him, but she couldn’t; not now, maybe not ever.
Kaya frowned, and hugged their father. She waved to the other two and said, “We really have missed you, but don’t worry about us. The palace is very nice and they treat us like royalty. We love you.” With that she turned and walked to the transport vehicle. This time Aithos did not make them to get into the containers, but said that there was no longer any need for deception.
A few moments later the vehicle crested a hill and the girls could no longer see their father or the fire. Kira closed her eyes and let the enormity of all she had just heard wash over her.