Chapter Five

Athan could nearly feel the eyes of the Order on them as they made their way through the orchard. It was so quiet in this section of the kingdom, as if it had been preserved as the last moment that Idella knew it and when she died the energy had been taken from it as well. Even in the stillness, though, he felt as though they were being pursued, always just steps from one of the members of the Order coming at them and taking them prisoner. His hand tightened around the handle of his sword at that thought. He had already witnessed his dearest friend taken prisoner and though he had yet to see him since discovering that he was still alive, Athan knew that Aegeus had gone through pure torture for the years that they had been apart. He had sacrificed himself, giving of his very life, to counteract the corruption of the Order and bring down the forces that were threatening Uoria and all of the Universe. He owed it to Aegeus and all of those years to stand strong against the enemy and swear to not be taken.

He walked close beside Ellora as they followed Mhavrych. His mind was still churning as he looked at the younger man’s back. He couldn’t understand who this man was or what he could have meant to Aegeus. He seemed so young and his face wasn’t at all familiar. It didn’t hold even the hint of features that Athan knew from his past and he knew that Aegeus had never mentioned his name to him before. Mhavrych had confirmed that Athan wouldn’t have known about him, and that Aegeus wouldn’t have told him about him, but that only made the situation seem more confusing. Aegeus and he had been inseparable for most of their lives. Though he was older than Aegeus, he had always respected him and the closeness of their bond had been unlike any other friendship that he had ever experienced. He had always shared everything with Aegeus and thought that his best friend had done the same for him. Not telling him about Mhavrych meant either that their friendship was not as close as Athan believed it to be, or that whatever Mhavrych meant to the mission that Aegeus had made for himself was so serious that he couldn’t even reach out to his most trusted of companions for help.

The crack of a branch in the near distance stopped Athan’s thoughts and stiffened his spine. He instinctively reached for Ellora and brought her closer to him, sweeping her to his side rather than in front or behind him because he couldn’t decipher from which direction the sound had come. Mhavrych had obviously heard the sound as well and was paused in his place, his hand hovering over the blade in his waistband. Athan saw his eyes flickering around the trees, trying to see through the thickening darkness to what created the sound. The men’s eyes met and Mhavrych gave a slight nod backwards.

“We need to keep moving,” he said, his voice lower. “We aren’t far from the edge of the orchard. Once we get there, we need to avoid the buildings that don’t usually have people in them and stay to the main road.”

“Won’t they expect us there?” Ellora asked.

Athan shook his head.

“No,” he said. “The Order thinks logically, but sometimes that means overlooking what might really happen. To them, the logical thing would be for us to go to the smaller side roads to avoid the main road because we would think that they would be on the main road, so they will go to the side roads. There might still be someone patrolling the main road, but we will have a better chance there. Move quickly, and as soon as you see anyone you recognize as not being a part of the Order, get their attention. Be as loud as you can. It doesn’t matter what you say or what you talk about when you get near them, just bring as much focus to you as you possibly can.”

“Why would we do that?” Ellora asked. “Don’t we want to get to the village and find Creia without anyone noticing?”

“The Order doesn’t want to be detected. There is nothing strange about you walking through the kingdom. You live here. You always have. And you have known Athan for many years. No one would question the two of you being together. The Order, though, does not want to seem out of place. They wouldn’t want to risk anyone seeing one of their members confront you and then have you disappear. The more attention that you bring to yourselves, the less likely it is for someone in the Order to come out and try to take you prisoner.”

“Why are you talking as though it is only the two of us who are continuing on?” Athan asked. “Aren’t you coming with us?”

“I’ll go with you for as far as I can,” Mhavrych said. “I cannot guarantee that I will be able to be with you the whole way.”

“What would stop you?” Athan asked.

Mhavrych shook his head.

“I’ll go with you as far as I can.”

They started out of the orchard again and Athan took a final glance back over his shoulder. As he did, he thought he noticed movement behind a nearby tree and the hint of a face disappear from view.

Mhavrych’s warning reverberated through his mind as they continued toward the village. He didn’t understand what would stop the man from being with them the entire way, especially considering it had been him who had been so insistent that they get away from the planet as quickly as possible. Now that Athan knew that he traveled far distances without needing a ship, however, he realized that there was very little that he really needed from the two of them. Him going along with them was for another purpose, though he didn’t quite know what that purpose could be.

Just as they had planned, they got to the edge of the orchard and increased their pace. They made it to the main road that led through the kingdom and into the main village. He looked around at the buildings in this section of the kingdom that were rarely used. There were emergency shelters and supply houses, extra homes for visiting species and even the occasional abandoned house or shop from generations past. They steered clear of these buildings, knowing that they were the least likely to have anyone near them, and therefore the most likely to have members of the Order hiding within or around them, ready to swoop down on the insurgents.

The feeling of their eyes on him was getting stronger. He knew that he was imagining it, but he felt as though they were all around him, scrutinizing his every movement, their judging gaze burning into him as they shot hatred of him and his betrayal through his body. Mhavrych remained in his place in front of him, and Athan found himself hoping that he didn’t leave. He didn’t know why. It might have been the growing sense of camaraderie and kinship that was building among them as they traveled across the planet. It might have been a simple sense of uncertainty about the man that made him uncomfortable with the idea of him disappearing and him not knowing where he went or what he might be doing. Whatever the reason, Athan wanted to keep his eyes on Mhavrych and ensure that they remained near one another, at least until they returned to the village and were somewhat safer.

They pushed themselves faster, running now as they made their way along the main road toward the more populated area of the kingdom. The sense that they were being watched was only increasing with every step and out of the corner of his eye Athan saw a figure step out from around the corner of a small building used during the harvest to store food before it was processed and distributed. He touched his hand to Ellora’s back and applied pressure, pushing her to move faster. He wanted to call out to Mhavrych, but his voice wouldn’t come. He didn’t want the Order member to know that he had seen him. Somehow that seemed that it would put them in even greater danger.

Behind them the man had walked out onto the main road and was following them, keeping his pace steady so that he was approaching them rapidly. Athan felt panic start to form in his belly. It was only one man, but that meant that there were others. He remembered the early training that he had gone through when he was first initiated into the organization. They were taught to always remain in close enough proximity to one another that even if it looked as though they were alone, several others could be at their side in a matter of moments to ensure that they were protected and that they were able to complete the mission that they had be sent to fulfill.

They continued to run and Athan saw another figure join the first. This one held a weapon in his hand and Athan knew that at any instant the figure could throw it, grievously wounding whoever it hit. He pushed Ellora slightly harder and they caught up to Mhavrych so that soon the three were running beside one another, creating a line across the road. It made Athan feel as though they were more vulnerable, but at the same time, it meant that none were in front and none were behind. They were all equal.

It was obvious that the other two could hear the footsteps of the Order members coming toward them now, but neither relented to look back over their shoulders. Ahead of them Athan saw another figure step out into the road and his heart leapt into his throat. They were surrounded now. with two men behind and at least one in front, they had little chance of overcoming the Order. As they continued forward, no other option to fuel them in another direction, however, Athan realized that the figure ahead of them was not a member of the Order sent to find them. Relief swept through him as the young, familiar face came into full view. Gathering all of the strength within him and fighting through the fear that told him to stay quiet, he shouted.

“Kyven!”

The name burst out of him and he saw the figure pause, turning in their direction. Ellora let out a sound much like a sob beside him and then Athan heard her scream out her son’s name as well. Athan repeated it, yelling louder this time as they continued down the road.

“Mama?” Kyven called. “Athan? What are you doing here?”

Athan could hear the sound of the footsteps behind them lessening and when he looked back he noticed the last bit of a tunic disappearing around the corner of one of the buildings. The Order members were no longer pursuing them. For now, they were safe.

A smile came to Athan’s lips as he watched Ellora gather her younger son into her arms for a warm, affectionate embrace.

“How are you?” she asked, leaning back to look into Kyven’s face. “Are you alright?” She took her hands from around his back and settled them on either side of his face. “Have you healed?”

Kyven looked at his mother with an expression of affection, but also that Ellora was worrying heedlessly. He nodded.

“I’m fine,” he said. “Well, I’m almost fine. I’m nearly healed. I don’t think that there is much more than can be done other than just letting my body get better on its own. The healings and the treatments have done all that they can.”

Athan could see Ellora’s shoulders lower with relief.

“Good,” she said. Her smile faded and she looked around as if just noticing where they were. “What are you doing out here?”

Kyven stepped back to allow his mother’s hands to fall away from his face.

“I’ve been laying around trying to get better for too long. I needed to do something. There are so many extra people in the kingdom right now that they are running out of food. I volunteered to come out here and get some of the food stores. What are you and Athan doing here?”

Ellora began to stammer some sort of response, but Kyven didn’t seem to notice. His eyes had fallen on Mhavrych and his expression had shifted. It was tense now, a look of surprise on it that wasn’t necessarily pleased. Ellora noticed that he was looking at the other man and stopped talking. She looked back and forth between them, then began to speak.

“We really shouldn’t keep everybody waiting,” Athan said loudly, grasping hold of Ellora’s elbow with one hand and the back of Kyven’s shoulder with the other. “There are a lot of people who are going to be hungry if we don’t get some food to them soon.”

He needed to keep them moving. They couldn’t stop here and Athan knew that the thoughts churning through Kyven’s mind were too much for him to confront right then. They needed to gather the food that Kyven had come to retrieve and get back to the village so that they could talk to Creia.

Athan stepped up to the nearest food storage building and opened the door cautiously. He looked inside before stepping out of the way and allowing Kyven to enter. Together they gathered armfuls of bags and crates and carried them out. Mhavrych followed behind them and took up two large barrels that he tucked one beneath each arm. Ellora scooped up a bag and then closed the door. They started toward the village at a slower pace than they had approached, but still faster than they usually would. The look on Kyven’s face told him that he knew something more was happening than they had told him, but Athan wasn’t going to share anything with him while they still might be near the seeking ears of the Order.

Finally they reached the edge of the village. He felt calmer and more relaxed as they made their way through the homes and shops, then on toward the meeting hall. Though he knew that they were far from completely out of danger, now that they were in a more crowded place they were more secure than they had been when out in the open crossing the planet and making their way through the back of the kingdom. Mhavrych was still with them, which was reassuring to Athan, but he still wasn’t completely at ease. They walked into the meeting hall and dropped off the food that they had brought, which was immediately scooped up by the women who were preparing meals for the visitors.

“Have you seen Creia?” Athan asked Kyven.

Kyven nodded.

“He’s in the back with Rey. What’s going on? You still haven’t told me what you were doing in the back of the kingdom, and I didn’t see you for the last two days. What’s happening?”

“We need to talk to Creia. It’s urgent. We’ll explain everything when we can, but for now we just need to talk to him.”

They made their way through the meeting hall and to the massive stone door that blocked Rey’s private chamber from the rest of the hall. Athan used the large carved knocker to announce their presence and almost immediately the door opened. Creia’s eyes widened when he saw them.

“Sir, can we speak with you?” Athan asked.

Creia nodded.

“Absolutely.” He stepped out of the way to allow the small group to enter the chamber with him and then closed the door. “Has something happened?”

“We have reason to believe that the Order is more corrupt than we originally thought,” Athan said. “Ellora went down into their lair and they threatened her. The three of us nearly didn’t escape with our lives. It has taken us two days to return here because we have been trying to avoid them.”

“Why are they threatening Ellora?” Creia asked.

Athan and Ellora exchanged glances. They hadn’t told him about Aegeus and Athan was still hesitant to do so. Though Ryan had confirmed to those in the ship that Aegeus had not been killed in the battle as had been the belief of everyone in the kingdom for so many years, he also suggested that he might not be alive for long. There was always the chance that the scientist had already eliminated Aegeus now that he had found his sons, and Athan didn’t want to tell Creia that he was still alive only to find that he had actually been killed just days before. At the same time, however, it was critical that the Denynso king understand the severity of the situation and the gravity of the threat that the Order posed to Ellora and to the rest of them so that he would be willing to act as promptly and effectively as possible. Ellora gave a small nod and Athan turned back to Creia. He took a step toward him and saw Rey stand from the chair where he had been sitting.

“Aegeus didn’t die in the battle,” Athan said, trying to choose his words carefully. “When we were on Penthos, Ryan told us that he was still alive.”

“Alive?” Rey asked, coming toward them, his eyes wide. “What do you mean he’s alive? Where has he been?”

Athan took a breath. He needed them to stay calm. They couldn’t afford any hysteria that might bring too much attention to them. He noticed that Mhavrych was sinking back away from the two leaders, trying to stay out of sight. Athan was still confused by his actions, not understanding what was causing him to be so evasive even while trying to help them. For now he couldn’t concentrate on that. He needed to inform the Kings of what was happening so that they could make the decisions that needed to be made.

Aware of Ellora’s presence and the impact that what he was going to say would make on her, Athan told Rey and Creia what they had learned when they were on Penthos. He explained the Valdicians appearing on the ship and the image of Ryan that had told them of the danger that was awaiting them. He could see their faces darkening, the anger building even more as he gave more details than he had before, but he continued forward, pushing forward to describe Ellora going down to confront the Order and the threat that they now posed. The confusion radiating off of Rey was palpable and Athan felt guilt gnawing at his belly.

“The Order?” Rey asked.

Creia looked at Athan darkly. He knew that he should have called Creia out of the room to discuss this. Rey didn’t know about the Order or what they did, and telling him could have put the entire kingdom, and everything that they had already done, at risk. Athan took another step toward the King, looking at him imploringly.

“I’m sorry, Rey,” he said.

“I am King,” Rey said. “I should know everything that is happening within my kingdom.”

“It isn’t just you,” Athan tried to explain. “The majority of the kingdom doesn’t know about the Order.”

“That’s unacceptable,” Rey said, his usually calm and gentle demeanor breaking under the obvious distress that he was feeling. “As King of the Mikana it is my responsibility to take care of my people and make sure that they are properly protected and managed. How am I –“

“Sometimes taking care of your people means accepting that you don’t know everything,” Mhavrych said, cutting Rey off as he stepped forward, finally revealing his presence fully to the Kings. “You are no different than the kings of the Mikana that came before you. In the earliest days of the Order, the King was a part of it, but that changed. For many generations now, the rule of the kingdom and the control of the Order have been separate. It is better that way. You have been kept from knowing about the Order and its responsibilities for a reason, and that reason has not changed. The fact that you know of it now makes no difference. You are not a part of the Order. You have no say in its operations and no control over it. You will not be able to resolve its corruption on your own, and when we have found victory over those who have corrupted it, it will carry on as it has…without your interference. Do you understand?”

Rey looked taken aback by Mhavrych’s boldness and his mouth opened and closed a few times before he spoke.

“Who are you to tell me what I am allowed to know or what I am permitted to do within my kingdom?” he asked angrily. “It is clear that you are not even Mikana. You are not a member of my kingdom. What authority do you have over me or over any of my kind?”

Mhavrych drew close to Rey, his jaw set and no intimidation on his face or in his stance. There was a long, still pause and Athan could feel the tension building in the room. Finally Mhavrych spoke.

“You will never know who I am or why I matter. It is not for you to know. You are not the Order. You will never be the Order. What I am means more to you and to all of the Universe than you could ever understand. The sooner that you accept that, the better the chances will be that all of you will survive.”

Athan stepped up to Mhavrych’s side and looked at the Kings.

“It is urgent that we get off of Uoria as soon as possible. The Order is now turned against Ellora, Mhavrych, and me. They will turn against any who is aligned with us and everyone will be vulnerable. Because of the nature of the Order, they are a hidden threat, a disguised danger. I have only recently learned that even I do not know all of the men who are members. That means that we have no way of knowing who in this kingdom we can really trust.”

“What are we to do?” Creia asked.

“We need to get to Penthos,” Ellora said. “My husband and my other son are waiting there. There is a war happening and the only hope that any of us have is to fight in it. Getting us off of Uoria will protect us from the Order here, but it will also mean giving them the help that they need on the battlefield. We have to defeat Ryan and the army that he created.”

“I don’t understand what any of this has to do with each other,” Rey said. “You said that the Order has been around for many generations. Even if generations before Ryan started the experiments that he is doing now, they could not have started this, they couldn’t be the beginning of the Order.”

“There are still many things that we need to figure out,” Athan admitted. “We are just now unraveling what all of this means. What matters now is that we get off of Uoria and to Penthos. From there we will be able to bring this all to a close.”

“We will leave tomorrow,” Creia said. “We’ll gather everyone into the ship and be to Penthos as soon as possible.”

Athan started to agree, but saw Kyven shaking his head out of the corner of his eye.

“We can’t do that,” Kyven said.

“Why?” Creia asked. “The danger is only going to continue to build. Athan already said that we won’t be able to recognize the members of the Order and that means that the longer we stay here, the more danger that we are all in. They could come for us at any time and we would never be able to get to Penthos to help Maxim and those who are there.”

Kyven shook his head again.

“Leaving now could be just as dangerous. I have seen Penthos and the army that they are facing there. No matter how dedicated the people here who want to go with us are, they are not prepared for what they will experience. They need all of the preparation possible. We need as much food and water as we can gather and get onto the ship, and the army needs to be trained. Besides, Rain hasn’t returned from the settlement. We need her to pilot the ship and the people she has with her to boost our numbers. We have to stay here, at least for a time. We need to be ready if we are going to give any benefit to those who are waiting for us on Penthos. An untrained, unprepared army will be more dangerous than no army at all.”

“How will Athan and Ellora remain safe?” Rey asked. “We don’t know the faces of the Order. They could come in to our homes, into our training grounds, and destroy us without anyone ever realizing it.”

“No,” Ellora said, her voice sounding as though a realization was just settling into her mind. “No, they won’t try that. Remember what Athan said. They don’t want to call attention to themselves, especially now that Mhavrych is with us.”

“What does he have to do with protecting us?” Rey asked.

“Aegeus knew Mhavrych, but even Athan didn’t know him. He is someone far more important than any of us understand right now and his existence has been hidden away for so long. They might want to destroy him, but they also know that his very presence among us means that we are aware of the threat. As long as we stay vigilant, we can do everything possible to stay safe. We accept only those we know into our training grounds. No one is ever alone. We speak to no one about what is really happening. Those who are willing to fight must be willing to do so without having all of the information. If they press for more, they are removed. That is the way that it is going to have to be. Rain and her kind will be here soon. We should be ready to leave in no more than a week.”

“Will those on Penthos be able to hold the hybrid army off until then?” Creia asked.

“All we can do is have faith in them,” Kyven said. “And know that they will stay strong until we are able to be there to end this before it can get any worse.”