Chapter 49 The Revelation

“I saw Leot.” The erahi blurts out. Then he frowns, pausing, and looks around to make sure no one had heard us.

Why am I so scared all of a sudden? I do not know why I’m afraid of this thing, this creature, my creator. He is too omnipotent, too unpredictable, I guess. When I lived on Earth he seemed desirable. I wanted him, I dreamt of him.

But now? Everywhere I turn it seems like Leot either created it, or directed it, or took part in it in some other way. He controls several galaxies at the same time, maybe even the whole Universe… I got involved in what I thought was my affair with a sheirer, but it turned out to be all Leot’s affairs. Then a lot happened. Too much to sort out and see how I feel about him now.

“Last night I was walking down the archway, and saw a sian, sprawled right here. As soon as I saw him, he was gone. Just like that. This is not good, Demi, not good!” Salix points to a small spot by his feet. It’s just the floor and the stone wall.

“Well, maybe that was not Leot, but some other sian.” I whisper, shivering.

“Domiarn, you still don’t get it. There is no “other” sian! “Sian” is not a species. It’s more like an event. Or, maybe, like “rain”, or ‘fire”, but with a mind of its own.”

“Can it take another form? Like, of a certain black rock?” I ask, feeling the fear crawling ever closer to my heart. An “aha” moment is happening to me.

“No. Leot is an aquatic invertebrate, but he is so evolved and advanced, that he can penetrate an object or a creature with his mind to make them do what he wants them to do without being present there physically. For example, if he wants you to do his bidding, all he needs to do is think about you, imagine you, and control you without you ever knowing.”

There is a sound of hurried footsteps in the hallway and I see Zumi. He approaches us quickly.

“What was that last bit?” I ask, astonished.

But Salix runs away, possibly afraid to be seen with the ederi I cheated on Kallitris with.

“I need you with me. Verba says we have to enter the planet’s atmosphere now. The ceremony was moved three days ahead of the schedule, and I was not notified, or your lovely Kallitris had intercepted the signal.

“Verba has some important information concerning me and possibly Yasen. I can feel it, but he is not letting me in. Can you ask him?” I tell Zumi, but he only shakes his head, with a worried look, never paying any attention to my words.

“You know, your boyfriend is terrible! He abuses his poor erahi servants, he insults me and Verba, and… How can you stand him?! Anyway. Everyone is already there. We must go!” He grabs me by my hand, and leads to the elevator. It takes us downstairs to a hangar of smaller ships. I hope to see my Arileot14, but it is not there. Where is my ship?

Okay, maybe I’m wrong. I need to be wrong about something, because if I’m right, then none of us can go to Crumbling Rose! Kallitris will get killed, I will be enslaved, and God only knows what Yasen will do to Zumi… Gotta stop thinking about this.

So I follow my lover quickly, enjoying the rush of neurotoxin from his hand. Not for long. As we walk up to a small destroyer, I feel being pushed away.

“Do not touch him anymore, or I will finish off you, your stupid kid, and your unworthy planet!” Kallitris hisses at my lover.

“You could not be more polite with our guests!” Iris’s head appears above the top opening of the destroyer. I can hear a child crying inside. Baron Leo makes a disdainful face at Kallitris and disappears to console the baby. I take it Izumrud trusts my husband a whole lot. That’s good.

The rude skirmish does not seem to dampen the ederi’s spirits. He is determined to ignore Kallitris. He is also preparing for something very important to him, and tells me, that Verba will take care of the defensive shield. I hope he will also take care of us, or am I being too self-centered?

We get into the destroyer, and Kallitris follows us and goes to the dashboard of the small craft. His wings catch on everything, including Zumi’s hair. But the ederi moves as far as he can, and keeps his cool.

The doors of the hangar open and we fly into the clouds, full of soft, streaming light. The inebriating feeling of flight briefly makes me forget all my troubles and worries. The sky looks whitish through the windshield of the destroyer. I only hope we’re not going there to destroy, but this is the only smaller craft aggressive Kallitris ever had!

The clouds rush by us. They are pink with apple-red streaks and folds and gilded at the edges - a beautiful sight not seen on Earth. A motley flock of what looks like birds with bluish wings crosses the sky and disappears into the bright horizons. There is light, but there is no sun. I don’t know if there is anything like that here. The ederi control the whole planet, including the weather with just their conscious effort.

Kallitris pushes buttons of the dashboard, and we descend to the field of black stones. I’ve seen that field before. But for one thing – now it is full of ederi. The ederi people are everywhere – they are standing, sitting on the ground, and some have climbed on top of the black rocks.

Some rocks glow with different colors, but no one pays attention to that. Everyone looks at the biggest stone around. Verba stands on it – sparkly and transparent. It seems like he is giving a speech. The people are transfixed with either the vision of him, or with what he is saying. Maybe both.

We land nearby. Some people turn their heads, but most barely notice us from the distance. We walk out of the craft and Iris Leo takes me by my hand. Izumrud goes ahead with the baby, and climbs what looks like a rough set of stairs to the stone Verba is on. We follow. Kallitris stays behind.

The crowd erupts with cheer, when they recognize Zumi. His face is bright with joy. He lifts his baby above his head for everyone to see. Verba stretches his hands, they go through the baby, but create a shiny glow around him.

“The Crumbling Rose is no longer crumbling! The prophecy has come true to make us whole again!!” Says Zumi. “This is the grandchild of Leozarit Gidealis. We now have the genes to rebuild our nation for Leot to come back to us!”

The crowd cheers “Izumrud the savior”, and other words I can’t understand. I can’t take it anymore. I have no idea what prophecy they are talking about, but all that lore is misleading at best. Their revival has nothing to do with my mother’s genes. They were after the wrong solution the whole time.

I don’t know if I should interrupt their glorious moment, and I feel that if I do not, they will not do what they were supposed to do from the very beginning. They will just worship Zumi and the kid, but a single offspring had never fixed any species. What they need is a shift of consciousness!! Nobody is going to like what I have to say, nobody…

“Please listen to me.” I begin, and notice a surprised face on Zumi’s face. People in the crowd quiet down, possibly shocked at my courage to get between them and their “savior”.

“An unfair law had to be broken for the civilization to be rebuilt. One of your kind had to mate with an alien to fulfill your destiny.” I say what Leot wanted me to say. It makes sense now. That’s pretty much all he wanted me to deliver. But I feel swept up by a feeling of powerful enlightenment.

I realize that I can’t let him push me around like he does everyone else. I have to do what I know is right, not what a big squid whispers in my ear. He told me the truth, but not the whole truth. It is almost fun going out of control of someone as almighty as Leot.

The tense silence hangs in the air like a string, stretched too far. It is about to break. Kallitris knows it, he can hear my every thought. So he jumps up to the stone, and approaches me in a menacing way. I choose not to notice his angry face, and let the things take their course.

The people start screaming at the sight of Kallitris, their enemy. His appearance adds to the pandemonium, but Verba motions for the crowd to calm down.

"Ok, let ‘er rip."