Chapter Nine

Pyra felt the sand pulling at his feet as they walked across the desert. It was a different feeling than he had ever had. Even the badlands behind the Denynso compound or the wide, open areas of Uoria didn’t have this deep, sucking feeling as he moved across them and he wondered how long it took for those who had been held in the compound to get accustomed to it. He wanted to shake his head to rid himself of those thoughts without anybody around him noticing. He didn’t want them to know the thoughts that were going through his mind. Like it had always been, he wanted them to trust that he was focused completely on the task at hand and had complete faith and confidence in their performance. It was that confidence and security that would help them to feel stronger and know that they were able to do what was called of them.

The weapons that he was carrying weighed heavily on him and he wondered if he had made the right decision by arming himself so much. Though bringing along the weapons that they had found in the emergency chamber and that they had stolen from the dead in the corridor was meant to make all of them feel more prepared for whatever they were going to face in the battle against the rest of the hybrid army, it was having the opposite effect on Pyra. He was accustomed to fighting only with his hands. Even the small weapon that he did have was generally left hanging in his house on Uoria, and when he did use it was only the occasional accompaniment to his combat. Never before had he questioned his ability to take down whatever enemy was before him with only the strength of his body and the skill of his hands to rely on. The more weapons that he added, the more it felt like he was forgetting what he was born to do and what he had always done when he walked into battle. It felt like he was hiding and trying to compensate for the uncertainty that he was feeling regarding these creatures. There had been plenty of times when he had gone into battle with a species that he wasn’t familiar with and whose characteristics and abilities he didn’t know. In those instances, he had been almost excited at the prospect, invigorated by the thought of the new challenge and the accomplishment of destroying yet another type of creature. With each new fight, they learned new skills and were better prepared for the next fight.

It wasn’t the same this time. Rather than feeling excited about the idea of discovering the varied skills and abilities and challenging his one in-born prowess, Pyra felt thrown off by the idea that these creatures were not just one species but several, and that many, if not all, of them had Denynso blood in them. This was disturbing to him on more than one level. He was well aware that this meant that the hybrids were strong and fearsome. More unnerving to him, though, was the feeling that he was turning against his own kind. With every passing moment he was more determined, more driven to tear down the army that was standing against them. The more that feeling welled up within him, though, the more he was aware that within them was the same blood that pumped through his veins, and that meant the same intense, all-consuming loyalty. They were devoted to their kind from birth and it was that devotion that fueled much of the aggression of their warfare.

There had been only one time before when Pyra and the other warriors had been forced to fight against one of their own. It was a painful memory, one that he didn’t allow himself to dwell on if he didn’t have to. Ullie’s betrayal of the rest of the Denynso clan had been gut-wrenching for all of them. It had been his cooperation with a human flight attendant set on seeking revenge that had made it possible for the Klimnu to infiltrate the underground realm beneath the Denynso compound that had once been the home to the Irisa. Only Loralia was left by the time that they swarmed, but it was the attacks of those Klimnu that had threatened the life of Eden, Elianna, and Zuri. It was their presence that had taken Jem from them.

Thoughts of Jem immediately reminded Pyra why it had been so easy for them to eliminate Ullie when and how they did. If he hadn’t turned his back on his clan and forgotten the loyalty that held them together, the Klimnu would have been kept away from the compound and their suffering could have been avoided. The only comfort that he had was that through that suffering had grown the bonds between the women and the warriors, and Loralia had been saved from a life of solitude and emptiness, longing alone for the family that had been decimated many years before. And Jem came back to them. Miraculously and inexplicably, the beloved warrior who had become a symbol of everything that they fought for and had touched each of them in a deep way, had come back. Seeming to rise from the dead, Jem had made them aware of the tremendous expanse of the world beyond Uoria and how much they were truly fighting to protect.

They had approached Jonah and Rain’s vehicle and passed it, telling Pyra that they were getting close to the compound. Suddenly he heard drums in the distance. They were faint at first, thudding low in the back of his mind almost as though he were hearing his own heartbeat outside of his body, but grew louder as they continued on. He paused, looking around at the rest of the group to see if they were hearing it as well. Eden was staring at the horizon ahead of them, her eyes narrowed. Beside her, Azra was looking around, his hand hovering over the weapon across his chest. Murmurs were rippling through the group and Pyra took a few steps out in front of them, holding up his hand to quiet them. As they hushed, the sound of the drums became deeper and more insistent.

“What is that?” he muttered.

Azra stepped up beside him.

“Elise hears the drums,” he said. “She says it means that the hybrids are coming.”

****

Maxim looked beside him to make sure that Zyyr was really ready to handle this. The warrior stood strong, his eyes focused steadfastly in front of him with an expression of determination in his deep orange eyes. The leg that had been injured was wrapped tightly in bandages, but he didn’t seem to be favoring it. The injury had either healed successfully or he was putting the pain out of his thoughts and refusing to allow it to control him. Either way, he looked ready to leave the compound and venture out toward the incessant sound of the drums.

The rhythm of the drums had become a consistent source of torment. Even when the hybrids didn’t appear, the drums were a reminder that they were there, just waiting. Now Maxim felt that this time, the soldiers were coming. They weren’t just calling to them, taunting them from the outer, unseen edges of the planet. The sound of the drumming was getting louder with each moment, each pound resonating deeper within him. Now that Elise had told him that Pyra and the rest had finally arrived on Penthos and were starting toward them, Maxim felt empowered and even more prepared to face the army. He knew that they were calling him out, wanting him specifically, and he was ready to take them on whether there were people behind him or not, but the knowledge that they had come for him and were ready to face this with him gave him strength.

“Are you ready?” he asked.

“Yes,” Zyyr responded.

“Yes,” Lynx said from his other side.

“I am,” Avery said from behind him.

It was the sound of the human man’s voice that meant the most. The other two men had been alongside him for the entire journey. He knew that each of them had their own powerful motivations and the intrinsic drive to fight that came from their Denynso birth as much as they had the desire to support and protect him. Avery, though, was different. He was giving of himself openly and freely, even more committed now that he had heard the full story of what was happening. It was true selflessness, a trait that reminded Maxim strongly of his father.

The two women had remained behind in the compound, preparing the buildings for those who were joining them. Though he wanted to think that just meant making sure that there were enough places for them to sleep and preparing what food they had left to strengthen them, Maxim knew that that wasn’t all that Lila and Elise were doing while the men were gone. He knew that they were also tearing blankets to prepare bandages and laying out the remaining healing supplies, readying the buildings to act as makeshift clinics for those that may be injured during the battle to come. Though the battles that they had had with the hybrid army thus far had been only brief, Maxim knew that by now they had heard of the arrival of those from Earth and that likely that would fuel them into more intense fighting. Rather than making him afraid, this made him even more resolute and he took the first steps out of the compound with the other three men close around him.

The sun was beating down on them as they walked across the sand, the sound of the drums marking each step. It seemed that the sound surrounded them and Maxim didn’t know which direction to turn, so he kept his focus ahead and walked forward. They had been walking in silence for some time when the sound of the drums seemed to shift, morphing until it was coming from one side. Maxim turned his attention and saw the silhouette of the soldiers along the horizon. It was like the first time that they had seen them through the windows of the ship, but this time they were close enough that he could see the variation in their coloring and the hazy indications of their facial features. He didn’t hesitate another moment. Pulling the sword from the sheath at his hip, he let out a yell and started running toward the soldiers.

Avery, Lynx, and Zyyr ran after him, and in an instant, they were locked in a clash with the hybrids. His field of vision closed in so that all he could see was the man in front of him. The creature’s eyes were cold and grey, the color of the stones that lined the bottom of the river back home in the kingdom. Maxim swung his sword up over his head and down toward the creature, who lifted his own blade in response, catching the blow and forcing him back. Beside him, Maxim could see Avery caught in hand-to-hand combat with another of the hybrids. On the other side, Zyyr used a smaller blade to slash at another soldier’s chest.

The violence burned around him, filling the air with the sound of grunting, blades clashing, and cries of pain. Maxim could feel the sweat pouring down his face and the dirt kicked up by their feet sticking to his skin as he fought. He suddenly became aware of a louder sound. It filled his ears much like the drums, but it was a deeper, richer, and more continuous sound, familiar in the way that he knew he had heard it before. It reverberated through his thoughts and when he looked up toward the faces of the hybrid soldiers he saw that they were listening to it as well. Seeing their reactions caused the sound to crystallize in his mind, becoming the image of a memory and he knew what he was hearing.

Maxim ran backward a few steps to create more space between him and the hybrid, and turned toward the sound of the Denynso war cry. It was growing around him and the force of it seemed to be pushing the soldiers back away from them, demanding their attention and pausing their violent attack. Just as the hybrids had, the group appeared on the horizon as dark silhouettes, hazy in the concentrated sunlight that was seeming to deepen around them in preparation for evening to fall. They approached first in a cluster, then spread out into a row that showed their true numbers. Maxim felt eyes on his back and turned to look behind him. As if they had been watching and noticed the approach of the much larger group from the vehicle and the shuttle, another swarm of hybrid soldiers started toward them.

Turning back to look at the group that had arrived from Earth, Maxim heard their yells get louder and they started toward the battle already going on. He lifted his sword high above his head and let out his own yell, reaching out to them with his voice. The men around him followed suit and the sky seemed to explode with the power of their shouts. He ran further from the battle so that he could watch the group approach and guide them toward the clash. A figure ran ahead of the rest of the group, quickly leaving them behind.

At first Maxim thought that it was Pyra leading the pack, but quickly realized that the figure was not large enough to be the tremendous Denynso warrior. Not tall enough nor broad enough to be one of that kind, and with a blazing speed that instantly set him apart from the rest, Maxim suddenly realized that this could only be one of his kind, a Mikana. But the ship had not returned from Uoria. Kyven was still wounded, so it could not be his brother rushing toward him across the desert that was quickly becoming blanketed in shadowy purple darkness. There had been no other Mikana that had traveled to Earth with Pyra and his crew, or that had been onboard the ship that had been detoured to Penthos or could have traveled in Jonah and Rain’s vehicle.

He took a step toward the advancing figure and saw his hand shoot up above his head, thrusting a sword into the sky. The world around Maxim faded and he saw only the figure. He saw only the man running through the coming night as if running through the veil of years.

He saw only his father.