D'Mok Revival 1: Awakening (5 page)

Against another wall, bins of crystals of varying shapes and colors were entombed under a slab of quartz. Mencari couldn’t recall anything he’d ever seen quite like it, or as colorful.
Wow,
he thought,
Andus Wedor would love this place.

No one greeted him, so he called out a hesitant “Hello?”

When no answer came, he grunted and continued his exploration. Against another wall were scraps of paper with hand-written notes praising Lady Weun’s crystal creations and good works.

A gentle teal light caught his attention radiating from a large crystal ring fastened to the ceiling. Curiosity led him towards it. The color intensified, but as he approached, it inexplicably faded, replaced by a second ring farther away that brightened. He took another hesitant step toward it, and the action repeated, as the teal glow seemed to move to a third ring. The sequence appeared to be leading him towards the counter just ahead. A few more steps revealed a fourth, then a fifth ring.

Stepping up to the counter, the pattern changed above. All five rings began to randomly illuminate then fade away. Each cycle came faster than the one before until light was strobing. Beyond the circles, the ceiling erupted in a hellish red radiance. He stared, fixated on the spectacle. The intensity of the light grew. It felt like daggers to his eyes, forcing him to shield them with upraised arms.

Just as he considered running from the building, there was a flash across the entire ceiling. Then nothing. He eased his arms down, exposing his still-dazzled eyes. In the dark fuzziness before him appeared a blurred figure dotted with shimmering yellow and pink spots.

“What was
that
all about?” he said.

Laughter preceded the woman as she stepped into the light. She seemed to be about his age, perhaps a bit younger. Yellow gems sparkled from her ears, pink from a small pendant around her neck. “Welcome!”

“A light show?”

The woman nodded. “You might call it advertising. Most ask to see it again.” She looked him over. “I don’t recall your face. And you’re not wearing one of my charms. Where
are
you from?”

“I’m visiting your world.”

“A space traveler? Well, welcome to Aeun! We seem to be getting more of those lately.” She squinted, trying to see him better. “Come closer.”

He passed a display of crystals as he complied. At the far edge was an enormous milky-white crystal as large as his body. This one also glowed at his approach. He wondered where the crystals obtained this ability to produce energy. He could see no visible energy source connected to them.

He noticed her eyes were fixated on the large crystal. But this time, she seemed almost disturbed.

After moment, she returned her gaze to him. “I am Lady Weun, humble servant of Trader Town.” Her unease was gone, and only warmth radiated from her soft face.

“Nice to meet you, Lady Weun. I’m Rhysus Mencari.”

“Rhysus. What a strange, beautiful name. What brings you here?”

“A young woman I met . . . Lina. She said you might be able to help me. I’m looking for something called fire marbles.”

Her eyebrows raised, then she pursed her lips. “Fire marbles. Have you seen these before? Can you describe them?”

“Red. And they glow.” Mencari watched as she studied him intently, as if judging him on some sort of test. “And they make you feel warm and good inside,” he added.

“I see.” She paused, then turned and disappeared into the shadows.

Mencari waited. Five, maybe ten minutes passed. He started wondering whether he had been snubbed and should leave. Recalling the data provided by Andus Wedor, Mencari called out, “I have additional information that may help identify them too.”

She returned, holding five small spheres cradled in her hands. They shone with a soft red light. “Like these?”

They looked identical to those Andus Wedor showed him. As he gazed into her hands, he felt the same feeling of wonderment and positive energy as before. It was almost beyond belief. “Yes. Yes, just like those,” he stammered softly.

“Philopolis Ashendentrum.” She looked into his eyes, with a questioning expression. “Sometimes called fire marbles. They are . . . not well known, even to most gemologists. They are quite rare. To me, they are the stone of heart and valor.” She gave him a curious smile. “So . . . you’re in need of a charm to strengthen your heart? You don’t look the type.”

Images of his wife and child flashed through his mind. He reluctantly shook his head. “I’m in need of those stones, but not for a charm.”

Lady Weun’s expression cooled. “Oh? Is that so?” She looked away, then back at him with a gaze so intense, he felt uncomfortable again, despite the inner warmth spreading through him from the presence of the fire marbles. “Perhaps these aren’t for you, Rhysus Mencari, but . . . I can feel it from you. A need.”

She placed the fire marbles aside and retrieved a thin, bronze bracelet from behind the counter. After snapping a small green stone in place, she motioned for his wrist. “Come here.”

It was a perfect fit as she closed the clasp.

“That is not your ‘fire marbles,’ but rather a lesser wonder, a stone called chrysoprase, reinforcement of the soul.” Her eyebrow raised. “May it bring you divine truth, happiness… and healing.”

Mencari sighed. “About the fire marbles. Could I buy those from you?”

She laughed, then shook her head. She glanced at the five tiny red spheres now nestled in an intricately patterned dish on the counter top. “These are all I have, and I might need these myself.”

Mencari slumped with disappointment.

“But,” she added, “I know where more can be found.”

Her fingers tenderly caressed the top of the rare gems. “I can take you to the cavern where I harvested them. It’s not a very safe place lately, but . . . you’re young and strong. And well-armed, I see. If you help me secure any more of these, you can take a few as my thanks.”

He nodded, recalling Lina’s comment about injuries. And strange creatures. If they did encounter anything unusual, well, that could be profitable, too. “Sounds fair enough.”

“Give me a moment, then.” She retrieved a leather pouch from the wall behind the counter, then placed her hands through tiny slots in the back of the counter. He watched as she reached inside, selecting clusters of crystals. “I think smoky-quartz, green,pink, blue and yellow will do for our purposes today. Oh, and maybe just a few sanguine, my favorite.” As she pulled each handful out, she placed them into separate pockets of a pouch.

He expected her to explain, but when she finished, she merely looked up and said, “Are you ready to go now?”

“I . . . sure.”

She donned a cloak he would’ve sworn was made of crushed crystals, and they headed out of the town. At a fork in the road, he pointed to the left fork. “My ship is this way.”

She shook her head. “No ship. We walk. This way.”

The path on the right took them into the thick canopy. Here, the foliage created a low ceiling, blocking most of the sunlight. Recalling Lina’s story of creatures in the forest, he found himself glancing around, then checked to be sure Eyani’s recording device was on.

“It’s so much cooler than before,” he said.

Lady Weun nodded. “And dark.” Her eyes surveyed the area intently as they continued.

His own jitters urged him to make conversation. “So . . . Lina says you’re a legend here.”

She chuckled, but kept her eyes moving left and right. “It’s nice to be called that, I suppose.”

He caught a dull noise in the distance, but kept his attention on what she was saying.

“I used to help keep the peace,” she continued. “Help those in trouble. That was quite some time ago now.”

He nodded. “If you don’t mind, what did you do?”

The noise changed, became stronger, more of a mechanical thunking.

“What did I do? I shared my blessings for the masses. Now I help in other, more . . . individual ways.”

“Blessings? What you do with the crystals—?”

The world began to fade and spin. His head pounded, and he lost his balance and stumbled. Lady Weun was looking into the woods, unaware of his struggle. He reached out and caught the edge of her pearlescent cloak.

Startled, she whirled around, hand raised to strike. Her hand stopped in mid-swing when she noted his twisted expression and hunched posture. “Are you okay?”

Unable to answer, he stumbled and fell to one knee. His hands grabbed his temples, trying to quell a pain so intense, he felt sweat pouring from him. With every throb, two words whispered in his mind.

They’re close.

His head felt near exploding, and he grunted in pain.

They’re close.

He forced his eyes to open, and he could see Lady Weun trying to talk to him. Her lips moved, but he couldn’t hear her words. Then just as instantly as it came, the sensation vanished, leaving the two words echoing.

They’re close.

Lady Weun reached down and shook his arm. “Are you okay?”

Panting, he nodded his head in assent. His hands moved from his head to the ground, steadying him. “Yes, yes, I’m all right. Sorry.”

She knelt next to him, concern on her face. “What happened?”

“I . . . don’t know, I’ve never. . . I mean, I’ve had migraines before, but . . .” The mechanical noise drifted to his ears again. Could it be the noise?
That
noise?

His eyes scanned the forest ahead. She began to look around too, saying, “What? What is it?”

“That sound. Can’t you hear it?”

“The forest is full of—”

“Listen.”

She fell silent. Only everyday sounds of the forest could be heard. She opened her mouth, but he shook his head for her to remain quiet.

They’re close. . . 

Keeping low, he carefully moved in the direction of the sound. She followed him through the dim forest. When she stopped walking and ducked down, he knew she’d finally heard the noise. The ground foliage here was thick enough to provide cover if needed. Together, they edged forward again, toward the sounds.

Four red spheres hovered in the darkness ahead of them.

She whispered in awe, “They look like fire marbles dancing.”

The pair held their position, watching silently. Just behind the glowing-red spheres, Mencari saw some type of egg-shaped craft. Standing before it was what appeared to be a robot. But this one was nothing like the friendly Bob at the trading post. This one was his size, vaguely humanoid in shape, but with half a dozen, maybe more, spider-like legs that flanked its slim torso. Its chest section formed a bulky cylinder, with three arm-like tentacles evenly spaced around it. A neck guard fastened a silvery cap that resembled a head, where three red lights beamed like eyes.

Mencari whispered, “See those before?”

She shook her head.

He pointed to the egg-shaped craft, and received the same response.

He looked closer at the craft and saw a familiar symbol on the side, one he’d seen every night in his nightmares.

They’re close.

In disbelief, he whispered, “Nukari!” Instinctively, he felt for the presence of his hand-phaser.

“Nukari?” Lady Weun’s eyes questioned the strange word. His mind reeled with the thought:
What are the Nukari doing here?

Muttering, he said, “Violent, aggressive. Destroy everything. A small fleet of them took out an entire star base like it was nothing. Nearly died myself.”

He thought of telling her of Anaka and their son, but couldn’t bear to reveal the entire depth of his loss, nor what these entities were capable. He had more present, more urgent worries. Should he engage with them? Run? Should Lady Weun be exposed to this at all?

There was little concern for his own life. If he fought and was killed here, justice for his failings would be served, a deserving fate. But if he made the first move and initiated a firefight, Lady Weun could be injured, or worse.

He peered at the three red eyes in the robot’s head.
Maybe the sensors were a vulnerable spot? Three?

He thought there were four red eyes. As he turned to motion Lady Weun to leave the area, his weight shifted on the unstable ground. A dry tree branch snapped underfoot. In horror, he froze as the robot turned and scanned the area, then began to slowly trudge in their direction.

Wild thoughts raced through his mind. He was on this planet just to look for a few little red stones. He wasn’t prepared to fight them.
Not yet! Not until you’ve fine-tuned your abilities,
Osuto had warned him often.

He motioned Lady Weun to stay put. They couldn’t run. Too much risk. The robot hadn’t seen them yet; it was just following a sound. Running would draw its attention. If it carried a weapon, they’d be shot in the back.

His gaze shifted to Lady Weun, who had quietly placed her hand in her pocket. She seemed remarkable calm as she pulled out a handful of colored gems.

She’s going pelt it with pretty stones?

But as she gripped them, colored light began to radiate through her fist.