Road To Shandara (Book One of The Safanarion Order) (40 page)

The search for another home became a cycle of destruction for us. Those in power used the impending crisis as a way to justify reckless decisions that eventually put the stability of Hytharia in jeopardy. Super volcanos killed millions and a war for survival reduced our numbers further. Amidst all the death and destruction, we found Safanar. Our beacon of hope. A short distance relatively speaking, but it still took our probe thirty years to find this place. We could never build ships with enough resources to take a significant number of our people here, so we had to find a different solution, but at least we had a target to reach for. This gave us hope and brought the factions of our society back into harmony for a time.
 

The probe continued to send us information and landed on the surface not far from where we are sitting right now. With all the hope that a new home brings, war all but ceased as efforts were focused on viable solutions to get us here.
 

The most brilliant scientists of the age were brought together along with a specialized branch of Hytharia’s military. They acquired the resources we needed and gave us a place to work.”

“Us?” Aaron asked. “You mean you were one of the scientists?”

“Yes,” Iranus answered, “Many of us here, were part of the original group. It wasn’t just scientists though, but our families as well. We focused on opening a portal between our two worlds. At least that was our end goal. All great things have small beginnings, but we were eventually successful. The calculations involved just to open a portal on the same planet were astonishing. Now imagine trying hit a moving target across an enormous expanse of space. What we were able to achieve was startling to say the least, but it came with its fair share of failure and risk. After our first few successful trips to Safanar, we were happy to report that this world was beyond our wildest expectations.” Iranus paused sparing a glance at Colind, Vaughn, and Verona before returning it to Aaron. “We started to observe the people here and came in contact with one of your ancestors Aaron, and you carry his staff with you here in this very room.”

“Daverim,” Aaron gasped, his mind flashing back to the abandoned temple he had been when he first arrived on Safanar. He traced his hands along the Rune Carved staff, “But that’s…”

“Eighty years ago, yes,” Iranus continued and smirked to himself, which became apparent to Aaron that Iranus was remembering his first meeting with Daverim. “Full of life to say the least. He was a good man. We allied with Shandara, because the ideals of that kingdom closely matched our own, before the harshness of survival sapped our humanity from us. In exchange for their help we agreed to share in our technological advances and knowledge. There was actually quite a bit we learned from one another and we started bringing our people to this world. Shandara was a buffer for us from the rest of the world, but it was always our intent to work with all of the kingdoms here.
 

When we brought our proposal to our leaders a new General was appointed to oversee the whole effort. His name was General Morag Halcylon.”

Aaron looked around the room and regarded the cold expressionless looks of the other Hythariam as confirmation of the sinking feeling he felt.

“We proposed what was in our mandate, which was to find a way to bring survivors from our dying world to Safanar. To live and interact with the people of this world. But others had a different plan,” Iranus said bitterly, “They wanted to conquer and rule what they perceived as lesser people. We didn’t realize the extent of the ruthlessness of our leadership and the measures taken to provide the resources we needed. They simply took what was needed from others of our home world. Leaving them exposed and in some cases out right murdering whole cities. The most ruthless from our military thrived under the guise of survival at the cost of the soul of our people. People like General Morag Halcylon.”

Aaron felt the bile rise to the top of his throat, as he tried to imagine what the collapse of a proud civilization liked the Hythariam looked like. He realized that like Shandara nothing in his wildest imaginings would come close to the shadowed horror that lived within the gazes of people who had actually witnessed these events. “What did you do?”

“I didn’t want to believe it,” Iranus began, “We were supposed to be better than this. All of our accomplishments as a people pointed to us being more enlightened than the barbarism being committed. But as great as we were in the good things we did, they were outweighed by the evil done that was born in the name of desperation under the guise of for the good for the many. We began to alert others to what was happening and formulating a plan to get people through the portal to Safanar. People who just wanted to live and not bring war to this world.”

“Civil war?” Aaron said.

“Yes,” Iranus said his golden eyes becoming steel. “All war is evil, but a war amongst brothers and sisters is a different kind of evil entirely. We began to resist where we could and sneaking people through the portal as best we could. There were no factions of our society immune from this conflict. At the same time we also didn’t want to alert the Shandarians to what was happening for fear that the doors to Safanar would be closed. Daverim, however, began to suspect that things were deteriorating on Hytharia, but it was after meeting General Halcylon that he discovered the true intent of the General. He said that one didn’t need to travel so far to know a tyrant when he saw one. After that meeting, Daverim confronted me about the state of Hytharia and I told him everything. I left nothing out and he simply listened. Together we worked on a plan to get as many people as we could off of Hytharia before the portal was to be blocked. General Halcylon underestimated the people of Safanar, dismissing them as undeveloped, which couldn’t be further from the truth. Where we were strong in science to enhance ourselves, they were strong in their connections to the world and its undercurrents of energy. It’s something we’ve never seen. We used inventions like the Nanites to enhance our bodies, while the Shandarians could do similar things by drawing energy into themselves. The plan was to organize a single wave of our people through the portal and block the passage for those who would ravage this world. We had been bringing people through in small groups and were setting up living space with the help of the Shandarians. Daverim came up with a way to block the portal while keeping it open. My job was to see to it that the likes of General Halcylon couldn’t open another portal when this one became blocked. We compiled a list of targets so that our work couldn’t be followed after we were gone.”

“Did it work?” Aaron asked.

“Yes and no,” Iranus replied. “There were many sacrifices and a lot of good people died so that we few could survive. We got as many as we could out, but once those in power finally got wind of what we were doing, they moved quickly to thwart us. We had help on the council. People who denied the madness born of desperation. Daverim kept the portal under constant watch along with the the Guardians.” Iranus said looking to Colind. “When the fighting started to appear on this side he closed the portal.”

“How?” Vaughn asked.

“He used the bladesong evoked from the Falcons,” Aaron answered. He couldn’t help but sympathize with Iranus who was clearly pained to bring up so many tragic memories, but he needed answers.

“Yes that is correct,” Iranus said. “Daverim used the bladesong to align the energy from the earth into a barrier that essentially locked the portal open, but no one could get through.”

“Earth energy?” Verona asked.

“He was able to connect to the energy below the surface of the earth. But the connection is maintained by a living member of the house Alenzar’seth. A secret known only to a few. There is a life energy to this land that is tied to the portal forcing it to stay open.” Said Iranus.

“How was it maintained when my grandfather left Safanar?” Aaron asked.

“I’m not sure to be honest,” Iranus answered. “Do you know Colind?”

Colind pursed his lips together in thought, “His soul was able to return to Safanar when he died, so I think its safe to say that part of him remained connected.”

Aaron thought he knew answer, but he wanted to keep the knowledge to himself given all he had learned and Roselyn’s warning. “How does the Drake fit into all this?”

“The being you know of as the Drake is not of Safanar, but of Hytharia.” Iranus said. “We believe that some of Halcylon’s people made it through the portal prior to it being locked and were able to send him information.”

“How?” Aaron asked.

Iranus looked up to the ceiling, “They couldn’t use the portal, but there was nothing stopping them from sending a signal through space. It would take years to reach Hytharia, but it is possible. We didn’t find evidence of the Drake until Shandara had fallen. It appears that those left on Hytharia were able to develop a new weapon to open the portal to this world.”

“You were hoping to wait them out,” Aaron said the pieces fitting into place in his mind. “That was the plan. Block the portal and wait for them to be destroyed with the death of your sun. Except they were able to reach across the stars to get to you.”

Iranus nodded, “We later figured out that the Drake is a construct of Nanites with a prime directive to open the portal to Hytharia. These Nanites were different than any we encountered. Normally Nanites can be turned off with a kill command, or have their programming rewritten, but not these. They are the perfect sentinel, because they contain all the benefits of normal Nanites, but are able to manipulate the brain on a molecular level, rewriting certain parts. Memories for instance, turning love to hate.”
 

Aaron felt his stomach drop out from under him. If what Iranus said was true Sarah was in more danger than he originally thought. “How long does she have?”

“Its hard to say, but we’ve seen the process take as little as a few weeks depending upon how much the subject resists,” Iranus answered solemnly. “So you see she may already be gone.”

“I don’t believe that,” Aaron said standing up.

“Wait, what do you mean? How is Sarah already gone?” Verona asked.

“The Drake can rewrite your brain so that you are no longer you anymore,” Roselyn answered him.

“She’ll fight,” Aaron said.

“I’m sorry Aaron, but it is a fight she cannot win,” Iranus answered. “Even if you go to her, which is exactly what the Drake wants, what will you do? We’ve tried to remove the Drake’s Nanites, but it always resulted in the death of the person we were trying to save. We’ve tried augmenting our own to seek and remove them, but the results are the same.”

“I won’t abandon her,” Aaron said.

“I know you won’t Aaron, but you must see reason. What if they’re right? What if she’s gone?” Verona said gently.

“No!” Aaron slammed his fist onto the table. “I refuse to believe that. I know I can reach her. The Drake doesn’t control her fully.”

“She left you Aaron,” Colind chimed in, “This is what the Drake does. He turns those that you love against you. It’s how he hunted down all the of Alenzar’seth. The ones he wasn’t strong enough to stand against he used cunning and strife to weave a perfect web of destruction, using their greatest strength against themselves.”

Aaron’s body was rigid and his muscles rippled with the clenching of his teeth. “I’m not them.”

“You think to defy what has been proven over and over by sheer will alone? Its not going to be enough,” Iranus said. “I say this not to be cruel, but because I want you to live and playing the Drake’s game is the surest path to meet your demise. Even for you.”

Aaron regarded the Hytharim cooly, “Haven’t you been hiding long enough? Convinced it was the best course of action? Tell me, did you stand idly by while the Alenzar’seth were hunted down. Slaves to a terrible fate because they refused to yield, even in the face of death they fought. They didn’t hide in the shadows, nor abandon the ones they love and neither will I.”

Iranus’s golden eyes were ablaze with anger. “Do you know how to make war, Aaron?”

“No,” Aaron replied, “But I can fight and it will have to be enough. I will fight for the parts of Sarah that will never submit to the Drake no matter what technology your people have created. Those are the things worth fighting for.”

Colind sighed, “Will you at least consider that Sarah may be beyond your reach and that the person you love is gone?”

Aaron shook his head feeling the stirrings of the bladesong within him. Sarah’s beautiful blue eyes looked back at him when he closed his. I will always come for you. He looked up, his gaze sweeping across the men in the room. Verona looked back waiting for his answer. Colind returned his gaze evenly and Iranus’s golden eyes narrowed.
 

“Colind,” Aaron said evenly, “I have considered it ever since Shandara and know this…I will never abandon Sarah, not for anything. Not for your war,” he said dividing his gaze between Colind and Iranus, “And not for this world.”

“She wouldn’t want you to sacrifice the world for her,” Vaughn said.

“I know, Vaughn and I won’t need to,” Aaron said. “That army on the other side of the portal is coming no matter what we do. Whether I live or die, that is one thing that you can count on. The barrier between worlds will fall. If you don’t believe me, return to Shandara and study it. Things are wildly out of balance there and I suspect the closer one is to the barrier the worse it will be. Now instead of focusing ourselves on keeping things as they’ve always been, we should be focusing on moving forward.”
 

 
Aaron felt his energy draining and leaned on his staff beginning to hunch over. “You can’t run from the wind,” Aaron muttered to himself.

“What?” Colind asked.

Aaron swallowed and looked up, “My father used to take us sailing when we younger and sometimes we’d be caught out on the water when a storm came. As a child I was so afraid. All the big waves and wind tossing our boat mercilessly. ‘You can’t run from wind, son’. He would tell me, ‘Trim your sails and face what’s ahead,’ and he was right. A storm is coming gentleman, whether you want to believe it or not.” Aaron said and left the room with the dull thumps of the Rune Carved staff trailing in his wake.