Chapter 32 The Wall Unseen

“What do we do now? Where are the slabs with answers?” Iris is looking around, feeling lost without Eva’s strong support.

There is no sun, but the landscape is saturated by a soft light of unknown origin. The ocean from here looks hostile and icy cold. At least now I know it’s water. But the earthly environment is not going to help. Eva was right – we were followed. And we failed to shake off that tail. They are here. They know we arrived. And they have Kallitris.

I can feel him, but he’s just out of reach. My obstacles seem numberless, and the help is non-existent. Immaul and Eva brought me this far, but they are not going to help me any further. They both hate the sheirer, and wish him dead. Iris, on the other hand is not thinking about hatred anymore. He is thrilled about the adventure. He walks up the wide, but steep dune to where the forest starts, and beckons me.

Baron Leo truly loves me. The winds of Crumbling Rose blow from the ocean, and my husband’s hair flies wildly, making him look rugged and ever more beautiful.

“Come on!” He yells, and walks under the trees with weird looking branches.

I do not want to go into that forest. The dark foreboding envelops me with a thousand sticky tentacles, but I follow my sweet Iris, albeit with a heavy heart. I know he is trying to cheer me up, he just does not know what’s coming. I do not see us leaving this planet together.

We get into the forest. I know it’s gigantic, as I saw it from above. The air here is colder, I breathe it, and feel some tingling within. It could be nitrogen, but before I think about it, there is a black slab right in front of us in what looks like grass. I’m afraid to approach it.

Iris takes me by my hand, and urges to make a step. His touch is warm, desirable. I’m so responsive to his expressions of love.

“I understand your apprehension.” He whispers in my ear. “What did you see in the stone when we were on the base ship? You looked pale and scared when you woke up. Was it the atrocities of war? Was it the dreadful stuff your boyfriend caused to people here?”

“No.”

We come to the black slab, and the pressure on me is immense. These slabs of stone hold not only the history of this civilization, but so much more. I do not want to relive it. Neither do I want to be here. But I have to. I need to gather all my strength, all my defiance for what’s going to happen.

“It was the death of my mother.” I answer almost inaudibly.

Iris looks at me like I’ve lost my mind.

“How can this be here? You are officially the craziest husband of the year!”

“I can’t take that title, it belongs to another guy…” I smile, and we laugh. This joke shakes me out of the pit of fear I was falling into. It’s time to face the music. I look into the blackness of the slab and at first it’s just my reflection. Then I see his face. It is very human with olive skin and long black hair. I just know this first look is very deceptive.

“Yasen, please come out.” I say. His name gives me goose bumps as I pronounce it. This human-looking creature has the power over all of us now. If only I could talk him into using it wisely.

He appears among the trees, and then walks up slowly, followed by three more creatures like him, and Kallitris. He does not seem to be tied to them by anything, or constrained in any way, but I know if he hasn’t run away by now, there must be a reason for it.

“Wow, the inhabitants are people after all!” Iris exclaims as he watches the group approach us.

“Not really. Leot crossed humans with umm… weird stuff. So this batch is called “ederi”. They are actually over half a million years old.” I stop explaining as Yasen’s eyes widen up and his essence lashes out to squeeze my mind in a tight, painful embrace. There is no way to explain it any better than that.

Leot had put a lot of his own genes into these things in pursuit of his perfect “sian-human” model. The experiment turned up quite disturbing results.

“Why didn’t he keep them though?” Iris asks again, sizing up Yasen, who looks like a harmless tall man in flowery shapeless clothing.

“They had proven to be uncontrollable.” I can barely speak.

Yasen is inside of me, pulsating like a squishy sponge, sucking up all the information he can get. It hurts like hell.

I’m about to pass out when he releases me suddenly. His eyes are back to normal. I mean what would be normal in a human.

“Good afternoon, my brother” He says to me. “I hoped I could talk some sense into you as you were entering the atmosphere, but apparently it did not work. I can see that your mind is all set.”

“Forcing Kallitris to ask me to go away is not a good way to get to me, Yasen.”

“Demi, I was sincere, just leave! I’m sorry I got you in the middle of this. It’s not your fight, you have a life to live!” My lover says, and I can feel his mesmerizing, dazzling personality. Even now.

The wind picks up bringing with it the sweet smells of some herbs. It has a soothing effect on me. Or is it mysterious Yasen working his powers on me again? He wants to ease the tension, because he knows that I have something he does not. And I will not hesitate to use it, if the negotiations will not go my way.

“Just let go… It’s going to be allright…” The wind whispers. I know it’s not the wind. It is scary how these ancient people, ederi have penetrated the nature on this planet. They control it fully. Everything here is just they want it – the light, the ocean, the winds… It’s a shame Kallitris destroyed most of them….

What did I just think?! Oh, my mind is no longer mine! I sit down on the black slab, exhausted.

“You know… My friend is dying, and I don’t know if the medicine worked. There is a war I’m supposed to stop and I don’t know if I was right about how to stop it. And now you guys are holding my man, and you want me to let go?!” I say, feeling that I’m losing the battle.

“You can’t go against your programming, Domiarn. You are 19% sian. Leot is within you. If I give you Kallitris you will be forced to carry out Leot’s order yourself. With me – he will die peacefully. I’m doing you a favor…” Yasen comes up, sits down, and embraces me. His hands are like branches of a tree. They are long, flexible and strong.

He is right. Kallitris stands nearby, in his human form that I love so much. But he still has his transparent amethyst wings behind his back. He nods to Yasen’s words, wanting to relieve the tension between us. He sees no way out.

“Iris, please come hold my hand.” I say quietly.

“No!” Yasen exclaims and tries to block my husband’s way.

But Iris smiles, as he reads my thoughts. He makes a step, grabs my hand, and I run to the room in my mind where the Faith Star is. The wall disappears, melted by two loving hearts. I take the Star and look at Yasen for what I believe is the last time. His face has a distinct expression of despair.

It seems like the Star breaks out of the imaginary room it was held at, and appears in the air in a dramatic turn of events. I’ve never seen it like that, for real. Its edges are flaming with white and blue light as it is growing bigger and bigger. It is here to fulfill my any and every wish. I wish to be able to leave.

Kallitris sees the Star and flaps his wings, as if waking up. Then he grabs both me and Iris, and gets a running start.

I hear Yasen scream something as Kallitris breaks straight through the thicket, jumps off the high dune, and flies like a big, strong eagle. The ocean’s horizons are so much more vivid from this height, and I can’t be happier in my boyfriend’s embrace. We are together again. I saved him!

The sheirer is unstoppable in his escape. He flies to the ship, we land on it, get in and I order for it to take off immediately.

Kallitris puts us both carefully on the floor. He beams a victorious smile at me. Iris is breathing heavily, both amazed at this heroic act and surprised he is still alive after such a stunt.

Well, that ended on a lucky note. Maybe my premonitions were wrong after all. The ship is already so high, the strip of sandy beach looks small and insignificant. Not bad!

I run to the bridge of the ship, hoping to find Eva or Immaul. I see both. But they give me the reception I did not expect.

“You are a fool.” Eva says, giving me a heavy, unpleasant glance. “Such a fool…”