Bindery Books | Spike's Last Life: Chapters 16

Emory, Brody and I climb the castle spires to see five of the thirteen Lykos moons tonight. They are usually hidden by the constant blanket of Barretta clouds and nightly rainstorms. Tonight is the clearest it has been in awhile. This has been the driest week on Barretta since coming here all those years ago.

The night air cools our overheating bodies in our secondary hybrid forms. We jump from protruding jagged stone to jagged stone, meant for soldier birds to guard the perimeter of the castle, until we are all perched diagonally on the roof of the largest turret. I’ve memorized the amount of space needed to climb the castle. When we first moved here, I used our Mind Link to see out of Emory’s eyes and observe the landscape. Anything I couldn’t observe with the Mind Link I would use my Vibrations to send out an echolocation. The echolocation would transmit back perfect dimensions of my perimeter. The migraines are the only problem with the Vibrations. I have what the Lycan Wolves like to call keratoconus. A frustrating condition where my dome-shaped corneas over time turn cone-shaped. My field of vision is an inch in front of my eye. Everything else in the world looks like blurred phantoms moving around. It’s terrifying actually especially in the dark. Normal colors are distorted. Thick glasses didn’t work so they moved on to the next best thing. They tried to create hard plastic contacts that could go over my eyes and they worked in my normal form. They weren’t perfect, of course. They hurt my eyes if I kept them in too long or if my eyes were dry. Mucus would develop if my eyes were irritated. I had to put them in a solution to clean for six hours before bed each night. So, I was essentially blind for six hours each day. Ethereals forbid I had to see in the middle of the night because of an emergency. The problem arose when I would shift from my first form in to my secondary half-wolf and half-human form. Since I grew in my hybrid form, the contacts would break when I would transition from my first form to my secondary form. I tried three times with malleable contacts that the eyes doctors experimented on and it always led to broken glass in my eyes. When Thea and her mother found out what the eye doctors had been doing to me, they were fuming. They forced the doctors to no longer work on live subjects and gave them life-like wolf mannequins that could change from first form to secondary form to third form, full on raging wolf. I didn’t stick around Lykos long enough to know if those doctors ever created a perfect tool for me to use. I just resigned myself to believing that hopefully they would figure their shit out for the next warrior wolf with my condition. That way they wouldn’t be forced to quit. I would have been forced to quit too if it weren’t for for my Vibrations.

We avoid leaving evidence by not clawing our way up the turret. Vesta hates it when we mess with the infrastructure of the castle. I hear Brody inch closer to Emory trying to seem slick. Emory humors him until Tommy flies through the air on his Nomad, Pudge, who in the form of a large bird. A Nomad is a fleshy creature with no eyes, no nose, and no mouth. It eats mush through its pores. They read the minds of the people around them, and when they find a compatible being, they take on the form of their most treasured animal or being companion. They are creatures made up of stardust, supernova explosions, and the cosmic garbage of the galaxy. All creatures start off as Nomads and eventually branch off in to different species as they take on different forms.

“I didn’t want to miss anything.” He lands in-between Brody and Emory. Tommy scoops up Emory and kisses him, “I missed my little pup.”

Emory laughs. His body vibrates as if blushing from head to toe. Brody’s heart rate rises in anger and jealously. I don’t understand why Brody is so jealous. Emory just uses Tommy for the “brick” between his legs.

You shush. Emory Mind Links me, If Brody wanted me, he would make a move.

I think he was trying. Then, Tommy interrupted.

Male Opaques tended to be voyeurs until they found a mate they thought would be suitable in a monogamous relationship. Brody floats to sit by me. His angry heartbeat closer than before.

Are you mad? I ask Emory. Or can I use the Mind Link to see through your eyes?

Go ahead.

I focus my attention on guiding myself to his corneas. The image is not entirely clear. It is slightly blurry from having a forced filter over it. Areas are foggy and others are pixelated and incomplete. The five moons are different colors. Two are yellow, one is blue, one is pink, and the other is orange. The visible stars are illuminating the sky in oceans of beauty. I could send out Vibrations to see but I do not want to deal with a searing migraine tonight. I just want to enjoy their company and the soothing breeze.

The breeze reminds me of Thea. Of when we were younger and we galloped across the Lycan Forest. How she has been trapped on Exile while we just sit here waiting for someone to save her. If I had the tools to save her I would do so in a heartbeat.

I let go of the Mind Link and lay my head on Brody’s shoulder. Tommy and Emory have forgotten we are here and kiss almost non-stop. I put my fuzzy hand in-between their faces to make them stop.

“I did not come up here just to listen to you two conceive a child.” I inform them.

“We would make cute fiery furry babies.” Tommy pulls out a bottle of alcohol from one of Pudge’s traveling sacks and pops it open.

“A fire wielding werewolf?” Emory questions, “Who is going to calm it down if it has temper tantrums?”

“I can,” Tommy smiles.

I cringe and take a sip out of the bottle. The burn sliding down my throat slightly distracts me from the erratic movements of the cuddle session. Brody takes a huge gulp and tries to take another one. I hear the liquid in the bottle and grab it from him whispering, “Drinking is for fun. If you’re doing it to forget, it becomes a problem.”

Brody yanks on the bottle but I rip Emory away from Tommy.

“Your turn little brother.” I loop my arm around Emory keeping him at my side.

We all take turns until four bottles are gone. Drunk-flying-Brody challenges Tommy and Pudge to a race around the mountains and castle. I’m on team Brody. Emory is team Tommy. Emory narrates the action for me. We lose focus on the race when it extends itself past the fun.

“This dick twirling contest has gotten boring quick,” I shake my head burping.

Emory and I laugh at the burp, and I do not know why. None of it makes sense. Nothing ever does. Does it?

Nothing matters so I should be like Emory. Having two boys fight over him and not caring how long it takes for them to squabble.

Fuck. Me. I want her. I do not know if it is the alcohol… or if I am just… I want her. Everything about her body.

Her beautiful, round, glowing dark face clouds my mind. Her bouncy hair floats in my daydreams. Night dreams? Whatever. The sacrifices I would make to have my hands clinging to the back of her neck like her own living necklace.

“Someone has a girl on the brain.” Emory taunts. He yells to all of Barretta, “Celestia has Jupiter on the Brain!”

I shove his shoulder slightly.

“Ow,” Emory fakes pain, “What was that for?”

“For being a dick.”

“It’s not my fault you don’t act on what you want.”

I wish I could be mad at him but he is not wrong. I just do not know what to say it. What to talk about with her. How to say anything other than fucking mush.

“Just tell her she is cute. That is what I did for Tommy. You are so blunt about everything else. You can easily go up to her and just say ‘You are the sexiest person I’ve ever seen. Let me eat you out or whatever girls say.’”

“That sounds like possibly the worst advice I have ever heard.”

“But it is advice.” Emory starts singing a pop song the Royal Wolves would always play for us. “This is my song.” He starts dancing to his own singing.

Emory is right. I cannot have something I want by wishing.

I want to share my life with her. Who is her? The idea or the woman. I do not know. I do not care. But I want to be buried every morning in her beautiful curls. My arms wrapped around her brown curvy waist. And when she wakes with night terrors, I can be there to nuzzle her neck to sleep.

I want to share my life with Jupiter.

That is freeing to share. Freeing and embarrassing.

“It is only embarrassing because you are afraid of rejection.” Emory sings to me, “If I can get two boys to fall for me, you can get fifty woman to worship you.”

“I just want one.”

Chapter 17: ASHLEY

I’m falling again. The last time I fell like this, Salem was dropping me on to Barretta. My body tumbles through red, green, and black Threads of the universe. Every night since I arrived here my dreams have gotten worse.

* * *

I already did this before. I’ve been here before.

The Mothers of Artemis stand around the Ancestral Forest Crystal in a circle holding dripping multi-colored candles. The six women wear black lace dresses and black veils over their faces. Their prayers are cast upon me and the iridescent purple crystal. Blue and red radiating crystals surround the forest. The crystals intermingle with beautiful, ancient trees. Pink fireflies light up the purple crystal. Moon rays peek through dancing and rustling leaves.

I walk up to the crystal and place a pink hand on it. The voices of my ancestors speak to me.

Protect the innocent.

Carry on our legacy.

Dismantle evil.

We give you the power of all our lives.

We give you the power of our souls.

We give you the solution of the Guerreros and the Threads of the universe.

Our births.

Our deaths.

Our memories good and bad.

Our decisions that have led us here. All yours.

We grant you our strength. But, we cannot grant you the right to become an Ethereal.

Carry our Fairy Dust with you and vanquish all evil.

Love deeply.

And die a worthy death.

My hand slowly dissolves the purple crystal in to Fairy Dust. Neon glittery airborne particles dissolve against my skin and enter through my nostrils and mouth. My irises turn purple. Invisible Threads yank me in to the air. My green hair floating around gracefully. The fabric of the universe around me ripples in waves.

* * *

“The ancestors choose you to carry on the Fairy Dust?” My mother questions while pacing the room. Her arms and neck are covered in floral tattoos. Her pink pointy ears twitching nervously. Her long billowing white dress drags behind her. Her white hair braided in a crown around her head with two strands draped out the front and the rest falling out the back. We stand in her cluttered study. Open books filled with pictures of previous Ethereal Ascensions coat the brown weathered pages. Diagrams of Crystals hang from the walls labelled with their different components.

“Yes.”

“And Artemis did not greet you?” She quickly asks.

“No.”

She stares at all the books and starts flipping through every diary entry. She massages her forehead whispering to herself until she has forgotten I’m here.

“Can I go?”

My mother jumps startled by my words. She sighs, “None of this makes any sense. Artemis picks her Ethereal Successors by the voices of the Ancestors. If the Ancestors picked you, then why didn’t she pick you? You are the obvious pick.”

Ethereal Successors took on the mantle for Ethereals. Ethereals controlled different pipelines of magic. Artemis controlled all magic pertaining to Crystals, Threading of the universe, and Fairy Dust. The Successors were chosen as a back up in case an Ethereal died. The last Successor died a few days ago. Usually when a Successor dies, the Ethereal Artemis sends a beacon to their Ritual Crystal in order for a replacement to be sent to the forest. This time around nothing was sent. No signal came in. Ancestors sent nightmares calling us to the forest. They always sent nightmares when they needed us to urgently listen. In times of great need, they made sure their voices overcame any physical barriers. The nightmares were always their memories, our memories, or stolen Seer visions.

“Maybe I’m not ready yet mom.”

“Kairos is getting closer to Flounce. You have to be ready or else I don’t think we will stand a chance against him.”

“Our armies are formidable. We can handle Kairos.”

“Artemis has always found it in herself to protect us. Why has she left us?”

“Ethereals can be just as flawed as we are. We hold them to a higher standard than we should. Maybe she is tired of us.”

“No. There is something wrong with her. Our powerful protector has left us.”

She’s probably just paranoid. That’s what I will keep telling myself because her words unsettle me. Because when the all powerful beings that are meant to protect disappear, what then?

* * *

Our crystal castle was built upside down and suspended between three hundred story trees. The Trinity of gigantic trees were grown by the founders of Flounce. The day they landed on Flounce they committed to growing these saplings in to a safe haven for all beings throughout the galaxy. Parts of their roots twisted together and buried beneath the ground to grow as one solid unit. The branches were braided in to each other to create landings that housed villages and bridges that connected each community. As beings evolved and the universe gave birth to us fairies, we formed the Crystal Palace from Fairy Dust. Since then, other trees have sprouted around the Trinity reinforcing and expanding upon their endless roots.

Artemis placed the Ancestral Forest Crystal in the forest behind the Trinity. The Ancestors would pass on the Fairy Dust ability to one person they deemed the most powerful. It was usually an heir of the king or queen of our mainland section of Flounce. Ideally, it could go to anyone as long as they were deemed strong enough by the Ancestors. The power usually went to someone who didn’t want it and didn’t desire to use it for wrong doing. In this case me. The Fairy Dust wielder would then continue to teach their powers to their kingdom’s citizens so they can all protect themselves. As a precaution, Artemis would pick the next Ethereal Successor to be the protector of Flounce and the fairies.

Artemis has lived for a very long time and is never expected to die. The point of the Ethereal Successor is, in the event she does die, someone will always be there to take on the mantle. Artemis will Siphon a fraction of her powers in to her heir at the time of their Ethereal Ascension. They will use that connection to Siphon the rest of her powers in the event of her death. Though, Ethereals can only pass on powers to their Successors before they pass and not after. At the Ethereal Successor’s death, the Crystal would leave their bodies and be guided back to the woods by the Ancestors. The Ancestors built a protective film around the Ancestral Forest until the ritual was completed.

So, why was I worthy to the Ancestors but not Artemis? Is mom right?

My father and I walk through the various communities greeting our citizens and stopping to hear their requests. Clouds of Fairy Dust fill the air as children play catch the leaf ball, a big wad of leaves stuck together by powers, before it hits the ground. We are on the seventieth story admiring an aquamarine blue pool of water that rests between the Trinity.

I sit on the edge of a sky bridge swinging my feet over the ledge. A tense band of stress compresses the area between my neck and forehead.

“Something bothers you, my dear.” My father, a tan skinned older man with white, long hair like mothers, says.

“Why is mom hyper focused on having Artemis bless me when we have armies at our disposal?”

“Armies are good to have. We need our armies to protect our people. But the Artemis Successor has always carried the burden of a target on their back. The Artemis Ethereal abilities grant you control over the Threads, crystals, and the Fairy Dust of the universe. Yet, it also grants you the ability to block certain users from using the powers for evil. Essentially, we want you as the Artemis Successor to block Kairos from any abilities that he or his soldiers could access with Artemis gone.”

“But she isn’t gone. She’s missing.”

“Her voice has been quiet for long time. The ancestors call us every night. They warn of an invasion. They warn of a loss.”

“What kind of loss?”

“The language of the Ancestors is versatile. It can have many meanings. The nightmares have been of children crying, your mother alone, and fire. I assume they mean loss of life, power, citizens, and family.”

“You and mother make it sound like Kairos will make a move on Flounce.”

“I have no doubt that he will. We have a vacuum of power. We are not missing a king or queen but we are missing our protector. Flounce has heavily relied on Artemis and their Ethereal Successor to protect our people. Kairos will destroy everything he can.”

“And you have just accepted our destruction?”

“No. Your mother hoped you would become the Successor which puts a lot of pressure on you for a decision you have no control over. Our armies are ready for him to show up at any point. There’s not much else we can do. We’ve asked Epsilon for assistance.”

Lykos and Venus are the closest planets but can’t help. Venus is at war with itself. Robots versus humans and hybrids. And Lykos is still recovering from Kairos attacking.

“What have the witches said?”

“They are sending reinforcements.”

“Will it be enough?”

“I hope so.”

* * *

The reinforcements arrive a week later. Dad communicates with them as he knows their native tongue. I just smile at them when I’m told to. The witches sent a hundred soldiers. Their leather outfits fitted tightly around their bodies. Spell books, miniature crystals, and herbs take up their pockets. Red cloaks keep them visible around the Trinity at all times. Fifty work through the day and fifty work the graveyard shift. They roam around the Trinity scowling at their boredom. Every warlock, witch, and warwick sticks to their native tongue so I don’t bother speaking to any of them. Or so, this was the case, until, a warwick with dark skin and long braids startled me on my favorite high-up perch overlooking the Trinity pool. Their muscles bulging from their tight uniform. I nearly jumped off the perch with the jolt that ran through my body.

“You are the heir to the Flounce throne.” The warwick has a femme voice but masc appearance.

“You speak our language.”

“All the soldiers here do. They recruited us based off our abilities and knowledge of your culture. My comrades just decide not to speak to you.” Although they spoke Flock, they still had a slight accent. Not Epsilonese accent. It is familiar. I’ve heard it before in an old video during history.

“Not very friendly of them.”

“They are speaking their comfort language. Do you blame them? War is not friendly to any of us.”

“You consider us to be at war?”

“Peace does not require soldiers to prepare for an attack at any moment.”

“I assumed war was the state of another planet attacking another.”

“War is when aggressors decide they do not want anyone to live with ease. Peace is the post-war period where many have died to silence the aggressor before another war is imminent.”

“Hm.” I smile, “What made you decide to talk to me?”

“I would like to know who I will die for.”

“You’re prepared to die for us?”

“I’m prepared to protect you against Kairos.” The way they says ‘you’ throws me off.

“I don’t understand the value he sees with our planet.”

“Understanding a mad man will drive you mad.”

They smirk and swing their feet off the ledge. Their hand sticks out to reach mine, “I’m Salem.”

“I’m Ashley.”

“Enjoy this moment, Ashley. This may be my last.”

* * *

“You will marry her.” My mother demands.

“As much as I love trees, I don’t want to marry one I just met.”

“She is not a tree. She is a nymph. And we are doing this in hopes that Artemis sees your willingness to stand with people who do not necessarily look like you. Maybe she will finally pick you if she sees you have fallen in love with nature.”

“So, your way of trying to get me an Ethereal’s approval… is to fuck a tree?”

“Come on. Be fair. She is a pretty nymph. I picked her based off your dating chart you gave me.”

“Yes. She’s perfect. But perfect enough to get married tomorrow?”

“Your father was not my first choice.”

“That’s rude of you to say right in front of him.”

My dad shrugged his shoulders, “She still ended up with me and she was my first choice. So, I don’t care.”

“She has a pretty name. Calliope.” I add with a positive tone.

“That’s a step in the right direction. Calliope is Queen of all classes of Nymphs. Her armies would protect all fairy regions on Flounce. They control all the forests, oceans, and deserts on Flounce that fairies have yet to explore or cannot explore due to their treacherous terrain.”

“She is already Queen? Don’t you need to get married to become royalty?”

“Not Nymphs. They pass power to the next healthy heir when the older royal starts to decline in health or notices that they are no longer making significant change to their communities.”

“Why don’t we do that?”

“Different cultures have different traditions. The fairies are tasked by our former Time Lord, Titus, to protect our Fairy Dust and crystals. The power we wield could be weaponized in the wrong hands. The ancestors help secure the correct heir.”

“So if they didn’t pick me…”

“We would have looked for another fairy to be the heir to the Flounce Throne and Fairy Dust.”

“But I’m your daughter.”

“Picking someone else as our heir was a secondary option. We would not have to resort to picking someone else. You are too powerful my babe. The Ancestors picked you at birth. We still had to perform the ritual to double check. The only thing missing now is your Ethereal Ascension. Your reign as Flounce Queen has been set in stone.”

“What happens when I fall in love with someone else?”

“That is an option we have considered.”

“And?”

“Calliope is married to one member from each Nymph class. She has six wives. You would be her seventh.”

My eyes go wide. Seventh? Why so many?

I’m the seven pick for everything apparently. Seventh Queen of Flounce. Seventh wife. Seventh wielder of the Fairy Dust. And I was supposed to be the seventh Ethereal Successor.

My mother breaks the silence, “All beings can access different abilities through connections. There is a form of magic called Siphoning that allows the exchange of energy to power an individual. But there is a stronger form of magic that Kairos has tried to erase from existence. We call it Weaving. Weaving is the process of Threading strands of the universe among two or more beings in order to become more powerful. Barretta has used this power when creating their War Birds. When used haphazardly, it destroys all users involved and combines their powers in to a different form. Done correctly, Weaving can power all users. Calliope practices Weaving with all of her wives.”

My mom’s reason for me getting married becomes abundantly clear. There is always a reason for everything she does. Always scheming.

“This marriage isn’t just about Artemis. You want me to learn Siphoning and Weaving.”

“Siphoning is easy. Weaving is a beast that can erase you from existence if done incorrectly. We need you to learn how to properly do it. Kairos is a looming threat that you need to be ready for.”

* * *

“Are you ready for this wedding?” Salem asks from the door way of my bedroom. Fairies spin lace around my body with their Fairy Dust until they complete a flowing, shimmering black dress. They place flowers in my green hair and braid two strands of my hair in to a flower crown.

“No. But I have to do it for my kingdom.” I resent the idea of an arranged marriage. I always assumed I would be allowed to fall in love and find my queen as I grew up. Not this. Not like this.

The fairies leave the room by adding, one final touch, a glowing golden aura around me.

“Would you get married to protect your kingdom?” I ask Salem.

“I would.” They sigh, “I’ve done many awful things to protect innocent people. If you knew, you’d try to kill me. I would leave home in order to protect a home that isn’t mine anymore.”

“Anymore?”

“Flounce was once home.” They leave their explanation there. I don’t prod. People who feel like sharing can. It’s not fair to pry information from people who aren’t ready to give it.

“I just hate I can’t make decisions for myself.”

“In War, the self is less important than the whole.”

“But I want to live. I want to have a normal life.”

“Out in the universe, there is a child that lost their family. A mother who lost their child. A grandfather who will never hear the voice of their grandchildren again. They wish to the Ethereals that they too can live normal lives. Sacrifices must be made to protect your people. Our duty as soldiers is to protect the innocent so they never have to wish they could live normal lives. You could not pick the circumstances in which you were born in to, but you have power. You have a power that others do not. And you can use that power to fuck off or you can use it to defend others. There will come a day when you will get to be happy. But right now, you have a privilege that you must do something with.”

“How can you be sure?”

Salem grabs my hand and puts it to my chest, “Because you were meant to live a long and beautiful life.”

Salem escorts me out my room and down a hallway of three-story high windows and vaulted ceilings. Stone columns make up the interior foundation of the crystal castle. We stop in front of oval stone doors carved with geometric designs. Salem and another warwick soldier open the doors to the throne room.

The throne room is filled with the six classes of Nypmhs: oceanids, naiads, nereids, oreads, alseid, and napaeae. A red luxurious carpet runs up to the alter parting the crowds in to two. Light filtering in through the five peach colored, stained-glass windows basks everyone in a orangey glow. My golden glow separates me from everyone else. The middle-stained glass window reaches to the heavens. On top of it, a round window with sunlight shining through points a spotlight on Calliope.

Calliope, a dryad, is dressed in a bright neon green dress made of moss. Her six wives stand adjacent to her all dressed in their various different classes. The oceanid is in a seashell dress, the naiad wears a moving stream mixed with lily pads and water plants, the nereid has voluminous waves frozen in time peaking past her ears, the oread sports rock like structures coating her plump body, the alseid has the body of a centaur with gold plated sun beams covering her private regions, and napaeae sports a dress made of tree roots.

Lilies fall from the ceiling as I start my walk down the aisle. People slowly bow row by row until I’m face to face with Calliope. Her wooden skin is beautiful. Her features round. She smiles at me and I smile back. My mother recites the opening introductions and opening rites.

Time passes quickly. I hardly have any time to think about where I am. My face sore from smiling so much. I eventually drop the happy smile and settle for a slight dimple lift. Sounds from the crowds fill my ears.

“She is our queen and savior,”

“May she bring us safety against Kairos.”

“The Ancestors have picked our protector.”

But what if I’m not? What if I’m just some kid chosen by the lottery of birth and nepotism to gain the throne? What if I can’t save anyone?

My mother startles me. She grabs my arm and starts wrapping it in a knot with Calliope’s. The wedding is over. The tying of the knot officiates arranged marriages. Kissing a loved one during weddings is reserved solely for natural connections made when two souls who found each other again.

Musicians play music on their string instruments and the throne room turns in to a dance floor. My mother guides me and Calliope to a side hallway leading into my new bedroom. The past week they moved my things to my new royal quarters. The room has a built-in trap door for any evacuations. A four poster bed with closing patterned curtains sits against two arched windows. Near the back of the room, a blue wardrobe and make-up station are positioned next to the washroom.

“As your mother, it feels weird to say this, but you and Calliope will use this time to…”

“Mom. Stop.”

“You understand?”

“Yes.”

“Well.” My mother speeds out of the room and towards the throne room to join the festivities.

Calliope is silent and smiling.

“I’m Ashley.”

Calliope motions in sign language, Calliope. It’s very nice to meet you.

I sign back, “I’m sorry. No one told me you signed.”

“It’s okay. I’m used to it.”

“No one should be used to the lack of accommodation for their needs.”

She continues, “We do not need to fully have sex. I know we just met.”

“Thank you. You are very pretty. Can I say that?”

Calliope laughs, “You don’t get six wives by being ugly.”

I sneer, “Why agree to my mother’s request to marry me? You have your hands full.”

She rolls her eyes, “The fairies have the Ancestors that they consult with. We have the Tree Root Echo Ecosystem. T.R.E.E. for short. Trees from different planets can communicate with each other by connecting their roots through the fourth dimension. The T.R.E.E. gave us an order to combine our forces. Seers among us said you would need my knowledge of the Weaving.”

“And you just agreed.” I ask.

“Of course. I cannot have a life without my people. I cannot live a normal day if I don’t prepare for an attack against an aggressor. My life means nothing without my friends and family. If teaching you a new magic system will help us both, then we should share magic. Different communities thrive better when they combine their strengths. When we bar the sharing of knowledge or steal inventions for innovation from a different culture, it harbors resentment amongst communities. I’d rather voluntarily give you the knowledge than have you search it out somewhere or try to force it from us through war.”

“You’re just going to trust me?”

“The Ancestors and the T.R.E.E. may be two different systems of communication but they speak to one another. I know they have picked you.”

“Do you have any knowledge of Artemis’s disappearance?”

Calliope stares at me confused.

“What’s wrong?”, I ask.

“Artemis is dead.”

* * *

I wake up to golden Fairy Dust surrounding my bed. Marina sits up wanting to touch it but I shake my head. Marina backs up and shrugs twice pointing at the Fairy Dust. “What is it?”

Or at least that’s what I assume she’s asking. I funnel the Fairy Dust back into my body until it is all gone. Marina nods in understanding.

Marina floats in the air then settles back down. She points at me.

“Your power?”

I nod.

Marina smiles and goes back to bed.

“Ashley.”

A voice echoes through the room. Marina doesn’t seem to hear it. Her body still as a board.

“Ashley…”

Green, red, and black Threads unravel opening up to the Fourth Dimension. Unlike Limbo which is in between the universe, the Fourth Dimension is all around us carrying hidden pockets of the universe. Time Keepers navigate Limbo for their abilities. And Fairies navigate the Fourth Dimension. It is a green, black, and red land of unravelling Thread Beasts and Thread Souls with unresolved issues from this dimension. They are trapped there until they work through their trauma.

I reach my hand through the Fourth Dimension. Threads unravel at my finger tips. Green, black, and red strands fall everywhere around my hands. I pass through the unraveling hole and into darkness. Screeches and bellows erupt from all over. I use my Fairy Dust to heal the Threads in our room closing the hole. I light the darkness with my Fairy Dust. Static everywhere. Small windows of light showing veiled glimpses to the real world. These windows are the weak points in the fabric of reality.

Creatures with sharp teeth breathe down my neck. A triangular face with diamond eyes observes me. Bodies muscular and orangutan-like. Their elongated claws click around me. Their eyes and bellies showing no signs that I’ll be there next meal. More so, confusion as to why I’m here. These creatures don’t have any allegiance to anyone, or so fairies are taught. They attack when souls command them to.

A neon red pair of eyes stares at me then cocks its head. Their presence changes the body chemistry of all the other creatures.

The green, red, and black creatures surround me. They start to growl and block me from leaving.

“What’s going on?” I ask the red eyes.

A deep female voice cuts through the darkness, “I’ve come to make a deal.”

“Who are you?”

“I died years ago. Killed by men so unworthy of power they decided they wanted to steal mine. Fools the lot of them.” The entity doesn’t reveal itself. “If you have to put a name to a face, you can call me Beelzebub. I’ve been known by many aliases in my past life.”

“Is that your real name?”

“Maybe.”

“You’re Artemis.”

The woman laughs, “So clever my darling.”

“Why are you here?”

“A woman of many questions. Just how I like them. I’ve come to strike a deal.”

“No, I meant how did you die?”

“Avi and Pan decided to team up and kill me. They found me hunting in the woods and ambushed me. I’m sorry I wasn’t there to grant you your powers. You would have been my Successor if I was still alive.” She smiles, “Now, for the deal.”

“Which is?”

“Find me a vessel to enter and I will grant you your wishes.”

“What wishes?”

“Your heart desires a change. All I want to do is get revenge and move on. I promise you that I will not overstay my welcome.”

“A vessel? Like a dead body.”

“Preferably.”

“That sounds tempting but I’d rather die than put my friends in danger.”

“Oh, my silly little child. I’m not just talking to you.”

“Then who are you talking to.”

“Someone with the same need for revenge as me. A lost boy roaming through the universe. He will see this soon. You are merely a messenger.”

“So, it doesn’t matter what I say.”

“Not unless you agree to offer a vessel.” The eyes move around me bringing the creatures back to their resting places. She continues, “You may continue on your way. But Ash, this will not be the last time we will meet.”

“My name is Ashley.”

“Oh, is it?” The woman taunts. “Thank you for visiting me so often. Me and my creatures get so lonely.”

“What made you finally talk to me?”

“He will access his Seer abilities again soon. You will teach him how to fly through the Fourth Dimension. You two are cut from the same Threads. Not siblings. But distant relatives. You could bring the message to him that I could not. Farewell.”

The hole to my bedroom opens up again. Beelzebub disappears.

I cross into the bedroom and seal the Threads.

What the fuck was that about? Can’t I just have one normal day of fucking sleep in peace?

Chapter 18: UNKNOWN

Numitor’s hands tremble as he hands me everything he told to Kairos. Fifteen pages worth of schematics of the castle, soldier weaknesses, and terrain advantages.

I laugh. Angry tears fall down my cheeks pissed the fuck off that I can’t kill this man anytime soon. He will run back to Kairos soon. I need him to strike the fear of Barretta’s force in to Kairos. I want Numitor and Kairos to be so worried their plan will fail that they both trip and stumble.

“What’s so funny?”

“You. A commonality in all living beings is death. But to play the mastermind of their souls. The mastermind that decides when innocent lives get to be cut short is diabolical. What makes you and Vesta different?”

“My son.”

“Oh Numitor. You had your chance to stop her.”

I cover his mouth with my hand and carve his chest with my katana. Numitor screams, bites, and cries. When I’m done, COWARD is written on him from breast to breast.

I stand above him smiling.

“You’re not going to kill me?” He asks with tears and snot pouring down his face.

“Not yet. I already told you. Anything he tells you. You tell me. Deal?”

“Or what? You can’t take much else from me.”

“You’re right. But there is a sadist satisfaction to seeing your awful work coming to fruition. You act brave but if I were to kill you now, you’d be disappointed you didn’t see her and her people suffer. People like you make plans just to watch those plans destroy lives. Every. Last. Word. Oh, and, I get to kill her.”

Numitor’s beak trembles in anger. “Deal.”

* * *

I use the hot air to fly through the air vents. It takes me about thirty minutes to travel from Numitor’s Turret, down underground, and below the main castle to where the war commanders sleep when they’re home. They take turns flying off in to space. They have a rotation of twenty-four in space and twenty-four on the ground. Every few months the ones in space are grounded to recover from any injuries and to detox from space radiation.

I look for Germanium’s quarters. He is the Head War Commander of his twenty-four. He moves all his soldiers across the galaxy like chess pieces. Ruby red feathers and green highlights make him pop through the air vents.

I drop down and sit in an arm chair by his bed. Germanium jumps out of bed with a knife in my direction.

“You.”

“Me.”

“I’m going to kill you. You killed some of my trainers.” His voice and hands quake.

“You can. Or you can let me kill you for being ready to defend murderers. Or…” I sigh and hold up the papers, “I could just give you these.”

“What are they?”

“You have a mole in your midst.”

“Are you working with Kairos?”

“Don’t be so daft, Germ.”

“We’re not on a nickname basis.”

“Germanium. We both have a lot to lose if you allow this to happen. I’m leaving here unscathed whether you like it or not.” I hold out the papers to him.

Germanium stands watching me. I send my katana flying away from my side and in to the air vents.

“Frankly, I don’t need weapons to kill any of you.”

He puts the knife down slowly. His fingers hesitate reaching for the papers. His eyes rush through the contents.

Our eyes meet when he is done reading the papers.

“Intel for an attack.”

“Who?”

“Would you do anything to them if I told you?”

“Of course.”

“I made a deal. He tells me everything. I keep him alive.”

Germanium hums in frustration, “Who?”

“Numitor. Keep him alive. And I will give you everything Kairos gives him.”

* * *

“You couldn’t just give me this last win?” Numitor asks as he hands me more information.

It’s been years since I first caught him. Apparently, Kairos is dealing with Opaques and Vakander’s armies destroying his Ships before they could make their way to Barretta. It has bought Barretta and Vesta enough time to prepare the castle for battle.

“There is no winning in the killing of innocents. You could’ve stopped her from making her decision. I already told you this.”

“How could I?”

“Are you not a leader of Barretta yourself?”

“We both know she is the true leader. She pulled all the strings then and now. I lost someone too. We lost someone.” Numitor stares at me intently. He knows who I am.

I don’t say anything.

“I knew it was you this whole time. Vesta and I have been waiting for years now. Since the first generals and soldiers started dying and disappearing we knew it was only a matter of time. We knew you’d come for us. I am on your side.”

In a fit of rage, I shove Numitor against the wall and slam him multiple times. At the first sign of blood, I dig my fingers in to the opening while keeping him down, “Don’t you ever compare me to you. I don’t want any of this.”

“But you’re a killer just the same seeking vengeance.” Numitor laughs through the pain.

“For a crime that deserves to be avenged. You will not bring me shame for what I have done to all those loyal to Vesta for her and their crimes. I am not to blame that there were no repercussions for those involved.”

“What about your people? They came for us first. They destroyed our lives. There are still people who live today who lost loved ones because of your people. Do their lives mean nothing?”

“If you cared about your people so much, you wouldn’t be plotting the same attack on Barretta as my people did to yours. You’re asking a question that paints you as a sympathetic bystander. I’m removing the poison. I’m putting a stop to it all. My people were in the wrong and so were yours. I’m trying to burn all loose ends. I already took care of my own people. I killed every last general involved with killing innocent Barrettans. I came here to finish off the poison in your leadership.”

Chapter 19: SPIKE

A tugging sensation pulls me from my deep slumber. What the fuck is this motherfucker doing? Is he performing open heart surgery? Why does my chest look like that?

Cassius is standing ominously over me with his eyes closed. I’m looking at him with one eye opened and steady breaths as to not startle him. I’m a bit fucking creeped out though. Thousands of rope strands leave my body. Seventy-five percent of them frayed or cut. The other twenty-five percent are left unscathed. I wouldn’t know who they were going to unless I saw the person.

He hasn’t stabbed me yet so that’s a good thing.

From the looks of it, Cassius has gone through every rope. There are four specific ropes his focus stays on. He traces them back to their origins with his teal translucent threads. They span from old home planets to Tempus. I don’t want to startle him because I’m interested by what he sees too. Yet, he continues to stare at one particular Thread that follows his Thea-Thread going to the unknown territory. Except, my Thread goes beyond the unknown territory and reveals a whole map of where the siblings are being kept. There’s a mountain range with a mansion on a lake at the center of the map.

I pretend to wake up.

“You suck at pretending. You’re a terrible actor.”

I’m taken aback. I’m known for being very over dramatic. How am I a terrible actor?

“It’s weird to look at someone’s heart strings.”

“Call them what you may but they’re Ropes.”

“So, what exactly do they show?” I ask.

He pauses double checking the Ropes.

“They are versatile.”

“I am too.”

“Not like that. I can read family histories to tell the history of the universe. They tell me all the connections a soul has made in their life time. They can unravel and repair the Threads of the universe much like a Fairy can to enter the Fourth Dimension. Or they can be used to tie people up.” That probably comes in handy when Thea is here. Well. The nerd is a freak. Cassius squints his eyes, “This doesn’t make sense.”

“What?”

“Mansion on a Lake. It’s a well-known area on Exile. Anyone could tell you this map is wrong.”

“What’s changed?”

“Everything is in ruins. Exile was a well thriving planet full of refugees and wildlife. This isn’t the Exile many of us have known.”

“What are you talking about?”

“There are way more Siren Cannibals than we expected. You can call it an infestation. Wildlife has become extinct, and refugees seem to have fled. This makes more sense.”

He highlights thousands of red dots on the map, “These are how many Siren Cannibals surround the Mansion on the Lake. They’re all over the place. In the water, in the woods, in abandoned building and temples. It’s as if they’re guarding something or someone. We have to go to the Barretta Committee with this information.”

The green maps are beautifully made from a smoke-like material. Detailed landscapes of Exile. Eeriness escapes off the images in front of me. But I’m confused, “How were you able to find this place? Isn’t it blocked with your Ropes?”

“Yes. But this Rope,” he highlights a strand that goes directly to the misty second underground level of the basement, “is connected to you and one of the other siblings.”

Jimmy. His musky scent of pine and cardamon. Moments in the woods of Lykos spent making love. Galloping through the forest at nighttime side by side past the hundreds of moons. He was my home. He was where I felt like I belonged. Kairos never let me return to him either.

“I haven’t seen these people in eighty years.”

“Either way, your powers are far beyond mine or anyone else’s around here. It makes sense why they had the military birds fill the castle before your arrival. They’re afraid of you.” He says turning the map examining it, “How did you bypass the Pulse Blockers?”

“This feels like a grand invasion of privacy.” I blurt out turning the subject back to him. He doesn’t need to know about my daddy and mommy issues.

“Because it is.” He scrunches his face and pauses as he remains focused on the map, “I wanted to know who I’m working with. These Ropes have helped me make initial decisions on who I want to be friends with. They’ve helped me stay alive many times in the past. I trust them more than anything. That’s why I know that even though you contain all this power, you’re harmless. The Ropes have different colors for different people and how willing they are to cause harm. Your energy was teal like the normal color of Ropes, so I know you’re a good person. I was surprised to see it be that color. Since I’ve arrived on Barretta, I’ve checked the colors for everyone I’ve encountered and not everyone has been a friendly color. Numitor being the most frightening.”

“I already told you. Vesta is hiding something. She’s barring you from seeing the Siren Cannibals location for a reason.” But there’s another reason too. I can sense it. There’s another reason I can bypass the Pulse Blockers. It’s just not coming to me right now. It has to be stuck in a memory I removed.

“But why let you bypass it?” He asks.

“I don’t personally think they’re letting me bypass it. It might be something they didn’t account for. If I had an explanation, I would tell you. It’s probably one of the powers and memories I don’t remember right now. Can’t explain Vesta’s line of reasoning for keeping it from you. But what I do know is that there has to be a mole in the castle.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Withholding information. Blurring the facts. Spewing propaganda to comfort the masses. Tell me, how would Barretta act if they knew a mole was among them? They’d be paranoid. They wouldn’t trust each other. Paranoia creates community in-fighting. And when soldiers can’t all work together, then it makes the community weak. There is no unity in paranoia and distrust. All you really need is for an enemy that was once a friend to topple that trust and the society collapses. So, here I am, a common enemy, and stranger, for everyone and guess what? It unifies Barretta. It distracts from the real enemy still at large.”

“So, you’re saying Vesta is spreading propaganda?”

“Yes.”

“But why would she do that? Vesta isn’t like that.”

“She’s a leader. She has to control the masses. Even seemingly good rulers can spread misinformation and lies if it means we prevent societal collapse.”

Cassius stays silent. He wants to ask a million questions. His mouth opens and then closes. None of them come out.

“Can you see people’s Ropes without projecting?” I ask.

“Yes. But maps like these give me headaches if I do not project them out of my body.” He looks at me concerned as if trying to figure out a dilemma.

“What’s wrong?” I ask trying to fish it out of him.

“As you slept, I checked all your Ropes. For a person who has met many people in his lifetime, you have very few remaining connections in this universe. But the few that you do have are rather strange, that’s why I was wondering why your color was teal.”

“What are you getting at?”

“Do you know who your parents are?”

“Yes.” As Time Absorbers you never meet your parents. It wasn’t always like this. Or at least, not with my grandpa, Titus Kronos. Kairos never wanted the parents to get too attached to their children because if they did, they wouldn’t want to get separated from them at such a young age. The earliest they take children away from parents is seven. Getting too attached also meant feeling pain when they would alter your child and send them out for who knows how many years. Kairos had the technology to de-age Time Absorbers for however long he needed them. There was no cap to how long they could live. There was no cap to how long Kairos could keep them. So, Time Absorbers just have children and release them to the Templite government. Most Kairos Loyalists are okay with it since they are firm believers in Kairos’s Cleansing Ideology – the idea to eliminate all mixed-race children from the galaxy. But those who weren’t okay with it were usually arrested for trying to break their kids out of the Revival Unit Building.

I know my parents are May and Vakander. Though my grandfather, Titus, focused on raising me.

Cassius sighs, “Well, what about this one?” He focused on a bright crimson red twine strand and drags his finger to the far end of it. It takes him awhile to get to the end of it. At the end of it lies Tempus. He unlocks his jaw, “This is the Rope I’m most concerned about.”

I’m not surprised.

Cassius zooming in on a throne room at the very top of an hourglass castle. A damaged Kairos sits staring blankly as he gives a command to his men in a spiraling tower with vast open windows overlooking Tempus.

“You are Kairos’s nephew. You are the heir apparent to the Templite Throne. The future Time Lord.”

Chapter 20: THEA

A gold altar in front of the throne temporarily holds the newest wolf of the kingdom born in autumn.

My mother presents him in the candlelit ceremony, “We welcome our newest wolf, Tamashii. A wolf born half in life and half in death.”

“We welcome you, Tamashii. Strengthen our pack with your soul. Grow into a rooted tree. Build a life of pure beauty.” The citizens chant.

* * *

Five-year-old Tamashii changes in to his small wolf form and pretends to tackle me. I pretend to be overtaken and shout, “Oh no, my enemies have captured me.”

“You make fun of my abilities. You let me tackles you.”

“Did I?” I tickle him as I taunt him.

* * *

“What if he’s a Time Absorber?” My father asks my mother in a royal meeting.

“What makes you suspect Tamashii is a Time Absorber?” I ask them both.

“He asked us when he gets to shadow travel.”

Only Opaques can do that.

“Your first task as a newly appointed queen will be to train Tamashii.” My mother informs me.

“Why would we train the Time Absorber?” Jimmy asks, “So that he can know how we fight and beat us when the time is right?”

“We have intel that he is the heir of the Templite Throne.”

Trash Panda Leon

Trash Panda’s Universe

Dec 4

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