Chapter 34 The Sign of the Rose “I have the information that will stop the war on Ashtarma. Don’t you have any mercy?” I turn to Yasen. His eyes grow big and he enters my mind, hurting me in the process again. No, they don’t care about the bloodbath on Astharma! They think if Kallitris did it to them, the least they can do is let his people suffer. Nice going. “This woman is over 35% sian. She is the first successful cros...

Chapter 33 A Message To Decode “Why?” I ask, perplexed. “We’re almost out of the planet. It will be allright!” This is where I hear a loud thud, and we all fall on the floor. I hit my head on a wall, and get up slowly. Immaul is the only one who did not fall, as he was hanging in the air. He is looking at the screen. I get up and look at it to. We’re no longer moving. We hit something in the sky, and it stopped us dead. W...

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 th...

Chapter 31 Crumbling Rose We go downstairs and I open the entrance door. My ship, Arileot 14, if at all possible to call it that without Ari in it, is right below us. Its surface looks strange in the pale light of the purple moon. But I don’t have time to admire it. I jump down and the side door slides open. The hall is lit up with soft bluish light. Eva transpires through the wall and greets me with a smile. “You realize...

Chapter 30 The Elusive Truth “He is not a hostage. I’m talking about the Koms that were taken by the Blisps. This is why the war started again. You knew it. But instead of attempting to free them, you just bombed the whole country. Why? We’re going to Komkaran now to tell everything to Kallitris. See how he will like you destroying his motherland when the situation could have been resolved peacefully!” “I don’t think it m...

Chapter 29 The Night of Decisions I don’t believe him. I don’t want to believe him. There is no figure in the mist. I received another explanation. But before I can think about it, the flyer enters my mind and tells me of the alarming wind speed. It’s dashboard gets hot under the palm of my hand. “Let’s go” Says Asmadis. We lift off and we’re immediately picked up by a gust of wind that nearly slams us into one of the hil...

Chapter 28 The Secrets of the Abandoned House “It’s a cursed place, I warn you. Plus the weather is going to get worse. My flyer is not meant to be operated during high winds.” Asmadis lands his craft among the hills that look just like the ones we left behind, except these are much, much smaller. Some are barely twice my height. We get out to an eerie silence. The hills at the city were alive with sounds and motion, thes...

Chapter 27 Against All Odds “Why do you keep coming back to save us?” Asmadis releases me from the grasp of his not-so-strong hands but stays on top of me, just the way we fell on the ground. “I don’t know.” I shake my head. If I could get a coin for every time they said “you’ve come back”. Well, forget the coin. So many questions. I need at least one answer. “Frankly,” Asmadis runs his hand on my cheek. “I’ve always love...

Chapter 26 In the Light of Lilac-Purple Moon Now, granted the circumstances, you need to stay where you were lost, so your party can come get you when they get a chance. But that does not apply to Domiarn Gidealis, flustered by a shadow, claiming to know the future fate of his dear friend! So I follow that shadow into the hole. Does it look like I’m delirious after inhaling too much hydrogen? Or is it a cunning trap? What...

Chapter 25 Flaming Fear “Ah, our sweet Tensartis! Every time it’s the same, my lord, you keep on forgetting to mention the high percentage of hydrogen in the air! Poor boy! Hurry, the shooting will start again any minute!” Pieris drags me into the hole, with Kallitris helping with a remorseful expression on his face. He sure is lovely even when he is upset! I pass out briefly, knocked out by the winds of Ashtarma, but I c...

Chapter 24 The Winds of Ashtarma “Tell me more.” I ask, rubbing the thin but strong skin of his wings between my fingers. “I was running away from the intergalactic search, when I smelled Leot. At that point I was in so much pain of his rejection, and his desire to hunt me down, that I felt like turning myself in. So I put my spaceship over that city, Deikeren, and I went there. The strangest places, these human cities......

Chapter 23 Never to let go “Here.” Kallitris points to the bin nearby. I throw the carrot into the bin and the guard, finding nothing suspicious, looks away. We’re almost to the middle of the field now. The tired and overworked people around pay no attention to us. But I still can’t see Relemill. Suddenly a man, bending to pick a carrot right by me falls to the ground. “It’s him!” Sheirer runs to the man, who looks very o...

Chapter 22 Searching for Relemill We’re coming down between the two mountain tops, abundant with life and beauty. The stunted trees hide the paths that mountain rams and deer made with their nimble hoofs. Small patches of grass get saturated with moisture, left by big wooly clouds that rub their massive sides as they squeeze through the rocky ridges to get to the plains of Tirra… “This is, like, the most dangerous passage...

Chapter 21 The Shadow of Ari Taken aback by the prophet’s reaction I glance at Eva, standing there very calmly. “I told you to kill them, Demi, not send them running!” Sada is distraught, and she leans on the counter, shaking. “I did that. But this turned out to be even better – it’s shamefully hilarious! They ran with their tails between their legs… hehehe!” “Wait, these are not your species? They had tails?” Eva is visi...

Chapter 20 Star Enchanted The supportive power of love never ceases to fascinate me. This time it is Henessada’s love for her country. What wouldn’t you do for your country? “Get in, Demi, before it’s too late.” I hear Sada’s voice in my head. “Where are you?” I say aloud, as I’m worried and upset at her absence. A familiar ramp stretches from out of the cloud and onto the city wall. It’s Eva. What a relief. Iris and I ru...