Sentari: ICE (15 page)

For the entire walk back, not a word was said. They were both so happy that they simply held hands and practically glided the whole way home.

Te’oma opened the door to the cabin and their happy mood quickly changed. Sitting bound, gagged and tied to a chair was Julius. He wriggled and squealed at them, but they were unable to understand what he was saying. Before they could react, two people grabbed them from behind and started to tie them up. They were both tied together and shoved into the corner of the room. They looked up. Standing in the doorway was an old and frail Oonuk and, right behind him was Sky, fully grown.

Neither Sky nor Te’oma recognised each other.

“Who are you?” demanded Ariana. The trip to the pool seemed to have snapped her out of her depressive state. Neither Oonuk nor Sky replied. “What do you want with us?” she asked, but they still did not respond. They simply looked at the three of them with dead eyes.

Oonuk and Sky left the cabin. They locked the door and boarded up the windows. There was no way out. Te’oma reached over and took the gag out of Julius’s mouth. “Thank you, I was waiting for someone to do that,” said Julius.

***

The sun started to settle in the distance. Te’oma, Julius and Ariana sat bored on the floor after a long and dull day of doing absolutely nothing. Oonuk and Sky finally returned.

“Who speaks for you?” asked Oonuk. His voice had become hoarse over the years.

“I do,” said Te’oma, with conviction, as he got to his feet.

“No, you do not,” said Ariana, standing up next to him.

“Why were you following us?” snapped Sky impatiently.

“Sky,” said Oonuk, disapprovingly.

“We know you’ve been following us since before Yen-Dori. Who are you?” snapped Sky aggressively.

“We mean you no harm,” said Julius.

“It’s true we have been loosely following your trail since we left Yen-Dori,” continued Julius.

“We have?” enquired Te’oma and Ariana simultaneously, both seeming very confused by this revelation.

“I believe we seek the same destination. I was told that you knew the way and I was afraid you would not let us follow,” said Julius.

“You were right,” said Sky. “Come on, let’s leave them here to rot,” continued Sky, as she turned around and headed for the door.

“Who do you seek?” enquired Oonuk.

“We are trying to find the last of seven,” replied Julius.

“Julius, what are you doing?” asked Ariana.

“It’s ok, Ariana. I think we can trust these people,” said Julius rather naïvely.

“Why do you seek an audience with this creature?” asked Oonuk.

“We are the last of our people. They were all killed by the dragons. He is the last chance we have to try and restore balance to the world,” said Julius.

“The balance can only be restored by the suffering of one who is prepared. Are any of you prepared to suffer the consequences?” said Oonuk.

“Someone has to do something,” said Te’oma abruptly.

“That is true, but is it wise?” replied Oonuk.

Oonuk sat down on an old wooden seat. “Sit down,” said Oonuk to Sky.

“You’re not listening to them are you? We don’t have the time,” said Sky impatiently.

“Sit down!” said Oonuk, with authority. Sky sat down begrudgingly on the floor next to Oonuk. “We need to rest. We will stay here for the night and then, tomorrow, we will decide,” said Oonuk.

Oonuk walked over to the small bed. He lay down and closed his eyes. The ropes binding Julius got hotter and hotter. Julius squirmed and tugged at the ropes. Smoke poured from the ropes and then they suddenly burst into flames. The ropes dropped down at Julius’s side and he scrambled away from the fire.

Oonuk opened his eyes and, as he did, the flames instantly disappeared. He closed his eyes again. Julius looked at Ariana and Te’oma petrified, not sure if he had made a terrible mistake.

Julius untied Te’oma and Ariana and the three walked towards the front door of the cabin. Sky blocked their path. “Where do you think you’re going?” said Sky.

“Please, we just want to go outside for a moment,” said Te’oma. Something in Te’oma’s voice softened Sky’s demeanour momentarily and she opened the door. “Thank you,” said Te’oma.

“It doesn’t matter. There’s nowhere you can run that we can’t find you,” snarled Sky.

Te’oma, Julius and Ariana sat outside for many hours. They did not speak many words but they all agreed that none of them wanted to go back inside the cabin. Sky occasionally opened the door to make sure they were still there.

Eventually, the freezing night air settled in and became too much to bear. They were forced to go into the refuge of the cabin. They had been out there so long that Sky had fallen asleep in her seat. Julius lay down in a bed and pulled a blanket over himself, shivering from the cold. Ariana and Te’oma snuggled up together in the other bed, sharing their body warmth.

The next morning, Te’oma woke up very early. He felt Ariana’s arms wrapped around him and he rolled over with a smile on his face. He lovingly inspected every inch of her face. For the briefest of moments, he completely forgot about Oonuk and Sky. That was until the peace was shattered when Sky kicked the bed and shouted at them to get up.

Te’oma and Ariana groggily rolled out of bed and stumbled to their feet, rubbing the sleep from their eyes. Julius was already at the table, talking to Oonuk. Julius turned his attention to Ariana and Te’oma. “Great news,” he said enthusiastically. “They have decided to let us go with them.”

Te’oma and Ariana were a little startled by Julius’s sudden change of feelings towards them. “You really trust them? I mean they did tie you up,” said Te’oma.

Oonuk winced as he got up from his chair. His body was unnaturally old. He walked over to Te’oma and Ariana. “It was no mistake that we came together, young man. I have been training young Sky here for many years, so that one day she may meet the mighty dragon. But, alas, she cannot complete this journey alone, and nor should she. I’m afraid I’m not as young as I was once,” said Oonuk.

“We can do this, Oonuk. We don’t need their help,” implored Sky.

“I have trained you well Sky, but you must never be too proud to ask for help, especially from family, especially from your brother,” said Oonuk, looking directly at Te’oma.

The room fell silent. Dumbfounded, no one knew exactly what to say. As impatiently as ever, Sky broke the silence. “What are you talking about? Brother? I don’t have a brother,” she said.

“And I have no sister,” Te’oma added quickly.

“I’ve kept this truth from you since you were but a small child, Sky. I had hoped that I would never have to tell you, but I’m afraid that I am not going to make it to see Drake with you,” said Oonuk as he sat down again.

“Will you please explain to me what is going on?” snapped Sky angrily.

“You must learn to control your rage, my girl. I have tried to teach you that, only when you can balance your mind will you be able to meet your destiny,” said Oonuk.

“You tell me I have a brother and you expect me not to react?” said Sky.

“React, yes, become emotional, no,” said Oonuk.

Oonuk walked to the front door and opened it. “It’s how you respond that defines who you are and who you will become. You all have a choice now. I can lead you to the mountain and I will answer any questions I can, however painful they may be. But I make no promises on the outcome of your journey. This is your choice and you all must choose alone,” said Oonuk, looking at Te’oma. Something about making the decision alone resonated with Te’oma. All he could think about was his father telling him never to lose faith. Maybe this was what he was talking about.

Oonuk walked out the door. Te’oma quickly followed. “Wait. You’re following him, just like that?” asked Ariana.

“I have to know,” replied Te’oma. Julius and Sky quickly followed them out the door, leaving Ariana alone once again in her cabin.

“Well, there is absolutely no way I’m staying here,” she said as she hurried out the door and caught up to Te’oma. She grabbed him by the hand.

“You don’t need bonds of blood to be a family.”

Devastation

The city of Yen-Dori was eerily quiet. The shield above hummed quietly in the sky as the city’s only line of defence. Thousands of hybrid men stood outside the city gates panting and drooling, waiting for their chance to attack. All of the inhabitants of Yen-Dori, about five hundred men, women and children, had gathered in the centre of town to defend their home. Their chances were slim, but their hope was strong. The sun rose in the distance, but the light could barely break through the dark clouds that lined the sky.

Kyest stood in the middle with Lorain at his side. Christian came running up to Kyest. “Are the blocks in place?” asked Kyest.

“They’re all ready to go,” replied Christian as he smiled at Lorain. He had had a massive crush on Lorain for as long as he had been aware of girls, a fact which drove Lorain insane.

“Good,” said Kyest. “Now, I need you and Lorain to go down to the generator room and lock the doors,” continued Kyest.

“But, Father, I want to stay with you,” cried Lorain.

Kyest put his arm on Lorain’s shoulder. “I know, my dear, but that shield is all that is holding the dragons back. I need you to keep it running at full power at all costs,” pleaded Kyest.

Lorain hugged her father like she had never hugged him before, then reluctantly trudged off. Christian followed her happily. Lorain did her best to ignore him, but he bombarded her with questions. They made their way down a small stairwell at the base of the main spire of the city.

Once they were out of sight, Kyest turned to one of his soldiers. “I want that stairwell sealed shut. I don’t want anyone other than myself going in or coming out. Do you understand?” said Kyest.

“Yes sir, but how will Lorain get out?” enquired the soldier.

“If all goes well, I will let her out personally. If not, there is a back door that leads to a tunnel that runs out of the city. I’m sure, in time, they will work it out,” said Kyest.

The hybrids at the gate began to chant. It was a deep chant in an ancient dialect. Not distinguishable words, just a bellowing dull sound that echoed throughout the city. The people were terrified. They were not prepared for this. Overhead, the mighty dragon, Denius, flew above the city, his enormous wings stretched out fully. The people looked up and gasped in fear. “Stay strong,” yelled Kyest, but even he was terrified.

Light snow began to float down from the sky. The chanting grew louder, to the point that it was almost deafening. Then the earth shook as Denius landed on the ground. The chanting fell silent. Kyest walked to the front gate. He leant down and peered out through a small crack in the wood. Denius waited amongst his army, intently watching the gate, suddenly the shield that surrounded the city retracted in a few hundred meters, the power was failing. Denius smiled, he raised his head and let out roar. He looked down at the gate and opened his mouth. A jet stream of freezing cold air came flying out of his mouth and slammed into the gate.

Kyest was knocked back as the gate instantly turned to ice. Kyest ran back to his people. “Prepare yourselves. They won’t be long,” said Kyest, as Denius continued to pummel the gate with a forceful stream of freezing air.

Kyest’s men waited up high atop two buildings that stood either side of the main entrance. Kyest looked up to them and nodded. The two men ran to giant barrels that had been set up on the edge of the building. Inside each barrel were hundreds of litres of boiling hot tar. The men each grabbed a nearby torch and lit the tar on fire. As they did, the main gate shattered.

A huge roar went up, as hundreds of hybrids came storming into the city. The men on the building top pushed the barrels, sending the tar flying over the edge of the wall. The tar fell down like a waterfall of fire, landing directly on top of the hybrids. They screamed out in agony as their skin melted. They all dropped to the ground and rolled around in searing pain. The victory was short lived. Hundreds more hybrids came running through the gates. They trampled on top of their fallen brothers and headed straight for the city centre.

Denius roared out with delight, then came bursting through the gates, shattering the stone walls with his gargantuan size. He landed on the burning corpses and walked through the hot tar like it wasn’t even there. He almost smiled as he did, his feet crushing the bones of the hybrids bellow, be they dead or alive.

He walked slowly towards Kyest, his eyes lighting up. He roared loudly and the hybrids stopped in their tracks. He wanted to destroy these people personally. He stepped past the hybrids. Kyest reached for a small device in his pocket, no bigger than a rock. He waved his hand over the device and a small hologram of the city appeared in front of him. It was a live representation of what was happening in the city. It even had the hybrids and Denius indicated on it. Kyest waved his hand over the spire, then clenched his fist. As he did, the shield that surrounded the city contracted and collapsed smaller and smaller until it was small enough to surround only Kyest and his people.

Denius looked on with disgust. He had seen Intari technology and he hated it passionately. He walked up to the very edge of the shield and lowered his giant head, level with the eyes of the people. They tried to reel back in fear, but they could not go back any further.

“Do not be afraid. He cannot break the shield,” said Kyest.

Denius snorted. “I may not be able to break your shield,” said Denius, “but I can break your city,” continued Denius.

Denius leapt into the air and started blasting giant chunks of ice towards the buildings. The windows shattered and the walls cracked, as the ice slammed into it. But the buildings did not fall down. They were strong, built to endure.

Denius disappeared higher into the sky; he flew high above the cliffs and into the Yen-Gyle Forest above.

He flapped his giant wings hard so that he could float just above the tops of the trees. He took a deep breath, then blew out an icy cold stream. The stream blasted into the trees below and instantly the trees shook. The ice permeated throughout the entire tree. It rippled through them like a disease infecting a host. The mighty trees standing nearly one hundred meters tall, froze from top to bottom, turning into giant towers of ice.

Denius reached down with his giant claw-like feet and pulled on one tree. He strained with all his might until the tree’s enormous roots gave way. He pulled the giant tree into the air, then flew directly over the top of Yen-Dori city. He released the tree and flew back to the forest. The tree fell down at a terrifying pace and smashed directly into one of the buildings. It hit with such a force that the building was almost levelled instantly. Kyest watched on with utter terror in his eyes.

***

Lorain sat down next to the ever-humming machinery that filled the generator room. There were lights and control switches everywhere, but neither Lorain nor Christian had any idea how to run it.

Christian guarded the door with a very serious look on his face. “What are you doing?” asked Lorain.

“I’m guarding the door,” replied Christian sharply.

Lorain rolled her eyes. “Will you just sit down? If they come barging through that door, the first thing that’s going to happen is the door’s going to knock you out,” said Lorain.

Christian reluctantly agreed with Lorain and sat down uncomfortably close to her.

Dust fell down from the roof as the ground shook from the bombardment of ice trees above. “We’re not going to survive this, are we?” said Christian nervously.

“Probably not,” replied Lorain.

“I don’t understand. The dragons have known about this place for years. Why attack now?” asked Christian.

“I’ll tell you why. Those strangers that were here the other night; they’re after them. This is all their fault,” said Lorain angrily.

“So why don’t we just tell them where they are and hope they leave us be?” asked Christian.

“Tell that to my father,” said Lorain, right before an ice tree slammed through the roof, smashing into the floor below. The roof cracked and began to fall down. Christian jumped on top of Lorain, shielding her from the falling debris.

***

Denius looked down from the sky, admiring the devastation he had created below. The city was rubble. Once-towering buildings were lying in pieces, strewn across the ground. The spire still stood, but the shield was becoming weak. Denius flew down and landed directly in front of the terrified citizens of Yen-Dori.

The army of hybrids circled around the shield, blocking any escape. Denius stepped forward and stared Kyest directly in the eye. “I’ll make this easy on you. Tell me where the boy is and I’ll let you live,” said Denius.

“Do not listen to him. He cannot be trusted,” said Kyest.

“My word is not good enough for you? I am offended,” said Denius rather sarcastically. Suddenly, the shield began to flicker and shrink.

“Care to rethink my offer? It will expire very shortly,” said Denius, with a rather large smile. Then the spire slowly began to fall. It slammed into the ground with a giant thud and, with it, the shield disappeared. “Too late,” said Denius, who wrapped his wings around Kyest and pulled him close as the hybrids ran towards the terrified villagers.

The hybrids were merciless. They used their razor-sharp fingers to slice open the people. They could kill them instantly but, cruelly, they sliced their legs and arms so they could not run away. But they did not die either. They were left to bleed out on the ground in writhing agony. Kyest looked on helplessly as the people he loved were slaughtered.

The sickening screams of pain fell silent as the last of the people passed on. Denius loosened his grip on Kyest, allowing him to step away. Tears ran down Kyest’s face as he looked down at his people. “Now, tell me where they are and you may live,” said Denius.

“There’s nothing more you can do, my daughter is safe, and that’s all that matters,” said Kyest.

“Bring them,” said Denius. Two blood-soaked hybrids dragged Lorain out of the rubble, kicking and screaming.

“Not as safe as you had believed,” said Denius. The evil creature walked over to Lorain. “Tell me where the boy is and I will let your father live,” said Denius.

“Don’t tell him sweetheart. You cannot trust him,” said Kyest.

Lorain contemplated the offer momentarily; she could not understand her father’s reluctance to give them up.

“They have taken the path of Yen-Dori and are heading to the Yen-Gyle,” said Lorain nervously.

“Thank you, my dear,” said Denius as he blasted Kyest with freezing air. Kyest was instantly frozen to the core. Denius swung his tail and smashed Kyest into a million pieces.

“No!” screamed Lorain as she fell to the ground. “You promised,” said Lorain. “Just be grateful I made it a quick death,” said Denius.

Out of the rubble, Christian emerged. “Run Lorain,” said Christian, as he ran as fast as he could and stabbed Denius in the side with a large, rusty piece of metal. Denius spun around angrily. He ripped the metal out of his flesh with his teeth. The metal broke as he did and stayed lodged in his side. He grabbed Christian with his front legs and lifted him up to eye level. Christian wriggled and squirmed, doing his best to free himself, but Denius’s grip was too strong.

“Let her go, you evil monster,” said Christian desperately.

“Such passion,” said Denius. He opened his mouth and a fine mist of ice came out. The mist slowly wrapped itself around Christian. The ice connected with his skin and spread across him. Christian could not move. The ice was the coldest thing he had ever felt. It quickly spread across his entire body, entombing him in a thin layer of ice.

Denius put him down on the ground. “In two weeks you will feel like a totally new man,” said Denius. Christian’s eyes darted around in the ice. He was fully conscious, but he could not move anything other than his eyes.

A hybrid walked up behind Lorain and grabbed her by the neck. He walked her over in front of Christian and then violently stabbed her in the side of the rib cage. She collapsed to the ground in pain and cradled her wound, as blood flowed out slowly.

Denius flew away, as his hybrids dispersed from the city. Christian watched on helplessly, frozen in place as the woman he loved died in front of his eyes.

“Evil is a choice.”