Chapter 21:
Rath made his way over to his chamber and locked the door behind him. He was exhausted. It had been hours and he had been searching for Vilandra with no luck. He could feel the frustration building at his temples, where a small throb was beginning to pulse violently. This was getting to be a real headache. He couldn't just leave her out there alone. There was too much at risk, too much that affected them. He remembered the first time she'd gotten involved with Kivar. It had been the worst event of their lives. It wasn't until after her father's death that he promised himself he would never let her get to that again. He would never allow for Kivar to take advantage of her until she lost herself.
Because if there was anyone who knew Kivar, it was Rath. He knew about Kivar's sneaky ways, his way with words, his greed for power. He had lived with him for only five young years, and even so, Kivar had bullied him relentlessly. It wasn't until Rath found himself in the castle that he met his family. His true family. The minute he and Zan met, it had been instant friendship. There had been this incredible trust, one that even he couldn't understand, considering he trusted no one. Then Zan became like the brother he never had. Kivar's jealousy held no limits and his hatred for his brother grew with the days. It wasn't until their teenage years that Rath understood how dangerous his brother was. When Vilandra got involved with Kivar, it was heartbreaking. Rath had always loved Vilandra and she had in a sense, betrayed him for his brother. But time came to show, it wasn't really Vilandra that Kivar wanted. It was the kingdom. Months went by, Vilandra began a rebellious streak, and suddenly, her father was dead at the hands of Kivar. Kivar had committed the ultimate crime. He'd killed the king. The whole house broke apart for a while, Vilandra was extremely troubled and his love for her blossomed into a friendship, and eventually into a more brotherly love. She was his sister, and she had been used and abused by a man he knew well. His very own brother.
Rath allowed his thoughts to overtake him and then threw himself on his bed in exhaustion. He looked over at his nightstand and saw a note. He slowly stood up, to get a better look at it and then reached out to read it. The writing was familiar, as was the shorthand used. It was the code he and Zan had used as children. He felt his back tense. If Zan was using that, then it meant he had something to hide. Which probably meant that he was successful in finding them.
Mayala... the word made his head spin. He felt like it had been weeks since he'd seen her. He missed her infectious laugh, her ridiculous comments on equality and democracy. He even missed simply looking ahead and making contact with her eyes in a crowded room. It had felt so... dangerous to do something as intimate as undress her with his eyes all in a crowded room where no one even noticed she was there. His heart tugged. Of course they wouldn't... she was not royalty. She was not even upper class. She was a servant and everytime he reminded himself of it, it made him sick to his stomach. He loved her. He couldn't say it out loud, but in his heart he knew it, and it was painful. She was a part of his life now, and with the mess happening with Kivar, if he didn't make it out of it, or if something happened to her... well, he couldn't even bring himself to think about it.
He read over the note, trying to slow his thoughts. He was getting too hyped up again.
Mtng. R.E.N. Tnt. E.M.A. Cm lon. Wtch ot.
He'd found them. Rath could feel his pulse quickening. Zan had found them! He looked over the note again. Meeting at planet Aerian tonight. Elena, Mayala and Alakiah. Come alone, watch out. He suddenly felt his headache fleeing and jumped up and out of bed. He was going to Aerian tonight. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~
He reached the familiar door and knocked softly, keeping his hood on loosely over his head to cover him. The door swung open and he looked into the comforting familiar face.
"Rath... glad you could make it. Come on in." He walked past the beautiful blonde and into the main room.
"Serena... I cannot thank you enough...."
"You don't have to. Zan has already done so, about fifty million times." She smiled and led him towards the back. He followed her in past the comfortable waiting room and into the dining hall. She opened up two glass doors and led him out. In the dim candle light and the moonlight he saw them. Alakiah was reading over a small book, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration. Elena was in Zan's arms inside of the pool, his smirk revealing that the secrets she was whispering in his ear were quite personal. And then he spotted her. She sat at the edge of the pool, her feet dangling as they touched the water, then came up for air, then touched the water again. He walked silently, although none of them had shown a hint of recognition. They were all in their own world. He came up behind her and picked her up from the ground.
"I know that you are not having fun without me." The mockery in his voice was unmistakable. Mayala whipped her head around and her eyes were sparkling with excitement.
"Rath!" She hugged him tightly and then kissed him even harder. She pulled away to see his face, as if to make sure it was real. He simply smiled, his crooked grin making her heart melt. He pulled the hair on her face behind her ear and simply stared at her face. Her creamy white skin was glowing in the moonlight. Her shimmering blonde hair was sparkling at the pool side. Her deep blue eyes held all the promise in the world. Promises he never knew he wanted made. He couldn't help himself when he slowly moved toward her and kissed her. The touch was soft at first, he was trying to remain in complete control. But the fire and desire in her kiss just made it too hard. He found himself wanting to kiss her all over. She kissed back with the same passion and before they knew it, they were wrapped up in each other, their longing evident in the way they touched each other's faces, each other's hair. Alakiah rolled his eyes sarcastically and walked over to push them into the pool.
Zan could not contain his laughter as Rath cursed under his breath. The water was cold. Mayala laughed it off good-naturedly and threw herself on his back. When they all settled down, Alakiah grabbed their attention. There was something important that needed to be discussed. He looked over at Rath first, his eyes slightly troubled.
"Vilandra?"
"I have not been able to find her." His voice choked mid-sentence and he closed his eyes to keep himself from losing it. He would find her, he just needed time. Alakiah nodded sadly and closed his eyes as well. Then he pulled out the small book and motioned for Serena to join him.
"We have a plan." Zan stood up a little straighter at the words, his King position suddenly taking over.
"And? What is going to happen? What do you need us to do?"
"We need blood samples from all of you. Including myself. Then from Vilandra. This plan is drastic and is only intended if there is no other way. I am hoping it won't come to it, but if it does, we have to be prepared."
"Blood samples?" Mayala looked at Alakiah confused and slightly uncomfortable.
"Yes. See, what we intend to do is complicated. We intend to take our DNA, and send it off somewhere else."
"Wait... what good would that do? We would need new bodies, might even have different personalities."
"Actually, no." Serena stepped in this time, her scientific expertise making her professional. "See... we would take your... 'essence', the thing that makes you uniquely who you are and we would join that with your Antarian DNA and the DNA of another species in order to keep you all alive. The plan is that eventually, you would return home and undo the wrong."
"Where would you send us?"
"Earth." Alakiah jumped in and the look on everyone's faces almost made him want to laugh.
"Earth? They're not even an advanced civilization! We would be too advanced for them." Rath held pride in his statement, the cocky words that made him who he was.
"Well, you wouldn't know that you are too advanced. You wouldn't even remember this place, or each other. It's something you will eventually figure out, in time."
"No." Zan's sudden stern comment had everyone looking back. "No, Serena that's impossible. If you are to send us it will be all of us together. I refuse to let anyone get seperated. The only reason that things work out for us is because we trust each other enough to work them out together. We could make a new life for ourselves, just the six of us. But you have to connect us, you have to." The pleading in his voice and the tightened way in which he held Elena was showcasing his tension. He was afraid to lose her, and all of his friends and family. Serena nodded and then looked back at Alakiah.
"Ok... this is what we are going to do...."
Rath made his way over to his chamber and locked the door behind him. He was exhausted. It had been hours and he had been searching for Vilandra with no luck. He could feel the frustration building at his temples, where a small throb was beginning to pulse violently. This was getting to be a real headache. He couldn't just leave her out there alone. There was too much at risk, too much that affected them. He remembered the first time she'd gotten involved with Kivar. It had been the worst event of their lives. It wasn't until after her father's death that he promised himself he would never let her get to that again. He would never allow for Kivar to take advantage of her until she lost herself.
Because if there was anyone who knew Kivar, it was Rath. He knew about Kivar's sneaky ways, his way with words, his greed for power. He had lived with him for only five young years, and even so, Kivar had bullied him relentlessly. It wasn't until Rath found himself in the castle that he met his family. His true family. The minute he and Zan met, it had been instant friendship. There had been this incredible trust, one that even he couldn't understand, considering he trusted no one. Then Zan became like the brother he never had. Kivar's jealousy held no limits and his hatred for his brother grew with the days. It wasn't until their teenage years that Rath understood how dangerous his brother was. When Vilandra got involved with Kivar, it was heartbreaking. Rath had always loved Vilandra and she had in a sense, betrayed him for his brother. But time came to show, it wasn't really Vilandra that Kivar wanted. It was the kingdom. Months went by, Vilandra began a rebellious streak, and suddenly, her father was dead at the hands of Kivar. Kivar had committed the ultimate crime. He'd killed the king. The whole house broke apart for a while, Vilandra was extremely troubled and his love for her blossomed into a friendship, and eventually into a more brotherly love. She was his sister, and she had been used and abused by a man he knew well. His very own brother.
Rath allowed his thoughts to overtake him and then threw himself on his bed in exhaustion. He looked over at his nightstand and saw a note. He slowly stood up, to get a better look at it and then reached out to read it. The writing was familiar, as was the shorthand used. It was the code he and Zan had used as children. He felt his back tense. If Zan was using that, then it meant he had something to hide. Which probably meant that he was successful in finding them.
Mayala... the word made his head spin. He felt like it had been weeks since he'd seen her. He missed her infectious laugh, her ridiculous comments on equality and democracy. He even missed simply looking ahead and making contact with her eyes in a crowded room. It had felt so... dangerous to do something as intimate as undress her with his eyes all in a crowded room where no one even noticed she was there. His heart tugged. Of course they wouldn't... she was not royalty. She was not even upper class. She was a servant and everytime he reminded himself of it, it made him sick to his stomach. He loved her. He couldn't say it out loud, but in his heart he knew it, and it was painful. She was a part of his life now, and with the mess happening with Kivar, if he didn't make it out of it, or if something happened to her... well, he couldn't even bring himself to think about it.
He read over the note, trying to slow his thoughts. He was getting too hyped up again.
Mtng. R.E.N. Tnt. E.M.A. Cm lon. Wtch ot.
He'd found them. Rath could feel his pulse quickening. Zan had found them! He looked over the note again. Meeting at planet Aerian tonight. Elena, Mayala and Alakiah. Come alone, watch out. He suddenly felt his headache fleeing and jumped up and out of bed. He was going to Aerian tonight. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~
He reached the familiar door and knocked softly, keeping his hood on loosely over his head to cover him. The door swung open and he looked into the comforting familiar face.
"Rath... glad you could make it. Come on in." He walked past the beautiful blonde and into the main room.
"Serena... I cannot thank you enough...."
"You don't have to. Zan has already done so, about fifty million times." She smiled and led him towards the back. He followed her in past the comfortable waiting room and into the dining hall. She opened up two glass doors and led him out. In the dim candle light and the moonlight he saw them. Alakiah was reading over a small book, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration. Elena was in Zan's arms inside of the pool, his smirk revealing that the secrets she was whispering in his ear were quite personal. And then he spotted her. She sat at the edge of the pool, her feet dangling as they touched the water, then came up for air, then touched the water again. He walked silently, although none of them had shown a hint of recognition. They were all in their own world. He came up behind her and picked her up from the ground.
"I know that you are not having fun without me." The mockery in his voice was unmistakable. Mayala whipped her head around and her eyes were sparkling with excitement.
"Rath!" She hugged him tightly and then kissed him even harder. She pulled away to see his face, as if to make sure it was real. He simply smiled, his crooked grin making her heart melt. He pulled the hair on her face behind her ear and simply stared at her face. Her creamy white skin was glowing in the moonlight. Her shimmering blonde hair was sparkling at the pool side. Her deep blue eyes held all the promise in the world. Promises he never knew he wanted made. He couldn't help himself when he slowly moved toward her and kissed her. The touch was soft at first, he was trying to remain in complete control. But the fire and desire in her kiss just made it too hard. He found himself wanting to kiss her all over. She kissed back with the same passion and before they knew it, they were wrapped up in each other, their longing evident in the way they touched each other's faces, each other's hair. Alakiah rolled his eyes sarcastically and walked over to push them into the pool.
Zan could not contain his laughter as Rath cursed under his breath. The water was cold. Mayala laughed it off good-naturedly and threw herself on his back. When they all settled down, Alakiah grabbed their attention. There was something important that needed to be discussed. He looked over at Rath first, his eyes slightly troubled.
"Vilandra?"
"I have not been able to find her." His voice choked mid-sentence and he closed his eyes to keep himself from losing it. He would find her, he just needed time. Alakiah nodded sadly and closed his eyes as well. Then he pulled out the small book and motioned for Serena to join him.
"We have a plan." Zan stood up a little straighter at the words, his King position suddenly taking over.
"And? What is going to happen? What do you need us to do?"
"We need blood samples from all of you. Including myself. Then from Vilandra. This plan is drastic and is only intended if there is no other way. I am hoping it won't come to it, but if it does, we have to be prepared."
"Blood samples?" Mayala looked at Alakiah confused and slightly uncomfortable.
"Yes. See, what we intend to do is complicated. We intend to take our DNA, and send it off somewhere else."
"Wait... what good would that do? We would need new bodies, might even have different personalities."
"Actually, no." Serena stepped in this time, her scientific expertise making her professional. "See... we would take your... 'essence', the thing that makes you uniquely who you are and we would join that with your Antarian DNA and the DNA of another species in order to keep you all alive. The plan is that eventually, you would return home and undo the wrong."
"Where would you send us?"
"Earth." Alakiah jumped in and the look on everyone's faces almost made him want to laugh.
"Earth? They're not even an advanced civilization! We would be too advanced for them." Rath held pride in his statement, the cocky words that made him who he was.
"Well, you wouldn't know that you are too advanced. You wouldn't even remember this place, or each other. It's something you will eventually figure out, in time."
"No." Zan's sudden stern comment had everyone looking back. "No, Serena that's impossible. If you are to send us it will be all of us together. I refuse to let anyone get seperated. The only reason that things work out for us is because we trust each other enough to work them out together. We could make a new life for ourselves, just the six of us. But you have to connect us, you have to." The pleading in his voice and the tightened way in which he held Elena was showcasing his tension. He was afraid to lose her, and all of his friends and family. Serena nodded and then looked back at Alakiah.
"Ok... this is what we are going to do...."
