Chapter 22: Furya

They settled into a high orbit over Furya as Shirah was pouring over a schematic of the planets surface, trying to pinpoint the best place to land the ship: They wanted to be close enough to civilization so they could walk there easily, but far enough away so that they would not be seen. As she searched, Riddick and Kyra sat in the pilots' seats watching the planet's surface float by below them.

It was a beautiful planet with emerald oceans and huge, dark green continents. White clouds were floating slowly across the lower atmosphere. Two moons were circling the planet; one setting, the other rising. The single sun was shining from behind the ship, throwing the entire surface of the planet into sharp relief.

"There." Shirah pointed on the schematic to a small valley just west of a low mountain range. "The main city is located on the other side of those mountains. At least, it was thirty years ago. If we land here we probably won't be spotted and we could hike to the city in several hours."

Riddick nodded and entered the data Shirah gave him into the Nav computer as Kyra prepared the ship for entering the atmosphere.

Shirah walked to the back of the command center and strapped herself in as they began their descent.

Riddick brought them down quickly but quietly realizing that if the Furyans saw a Necromonger warship there would be trouble.

Finally, he lowered them through the thick canopy of trees, landing softly on the forest floor. The tension and excitement in the room became palpable as Kyra and Riddick shut down the engines. Shirah stood quickly and walked towards them. "Are we ready? Can we go?" She asked, as excited as a little kid on their birthday.

"Yeah." Riddick answered. He looked over at Kyra as they stood; she returned his look. He would finally be able to learn about himself and she knew how much that meant to him, even if he never showed it. He had always felt as though a large part of himself was missing and here was his chance to find it. "Let's go." She said, reaching out and taking his hand. Shirah was practically dancing on her toes as they headed toward the hatch.

They stood outside the hatch staring around them. Huge, ancient trees spread for as far as the eye could see, creating woodland archways filled with golden light. A soft, warm breeze was blowing, bringing with it the fresh clean smell of grass and leaves. A nearby brook gurgled as it rushed down the foothills of the mountains. "It has been so long!" Shirah whispered; tears were pooling in her eyes, threatening to spill down her cheeks. "So long."

They stood there looking around for almost a minute before Riddick broke the spell. "Come on." He said, beginning to walk east toward the city Shirah had shown them on the schematic.

After a couple hours they had finally reached the top of the low mountain range. They stopped to rest for a bit since Shirah was not quite as able as she used to be. As they rested, Riddick walked to the edge of a small cliff surveying the vast panoramic view. Kyra walked up to him and quietly slipped her hand into his; together they stood, both lost in their own thoughts. Several minutes had passed when Riddick turned to Kyra and tucked a curly strand of hair that had become loosened from her braid by the wind behind her ear. Bending down he kissed her, holding her chin with his thumb and forefinger. His back was towards the sun so he pulled up his goggles. "I love you Kyra." He said softly, looking her straight into the eyes, "I want you to know. I love you."

Happiness filled Kyra's eyes. She threw her arms around his neck pulling him down to her. She realized at that moment how much had changed. For both of them. They had both been alone for so long, building strong defenses against the world; against anyone who would try to hurt them…everyone. But now they had each other. She smiled and lightly kissed his neck, "I love you too, Riddick." Pulling back slightly she smiled into his face and pulled him down again for one more kiss.

Riddick grinned back at her, and lost himself for a moment in her kiss. After they broke apart he maintained his hold on her hand and, making sure Shirah was ready, they began heading once more towards the east.

They finally arrived in the outskirts of a large city. It looked like a once beautiful city that had been rebuilt after being nearly destroyed. There were still deep indents scarring the ground were explosions had created craters; homes and buildings had carefully patched cracks and rebuilt roofs; the brick streets had permanent scorch marks and evidence of some newer bricks being laid next to the old to fill in the holes.

Shirah stopped them before they left the forest to enter the city. "We must be careful; I am not sure how we will be received. It looks as though there have not been many new faces here in a long time, probably not since the Necromonger attack. I do not expect anyone to recognize me, and if they do, they may not greet me with open arms. I chose to convert rather than fight - though I did fight in my way; and not many will understand that. Please, let's keep a low profile until we reach the capitol building and speak to the Elders." She said this last looking at Riddick. She knew he would be hard to miss, he was not only naturally striking and drew the attention of people around him, but he also let of the aura of power and threat which the Furyans may not like… "At least, not yet." She thought.

Riddick just looked at her, and remained still. He would do what he would do. Nothing she said would change it in the slightest so there was no reason to argue or agree. Shirah became uncomfortable under his intense gaze and stood, turning towards the city. Taking a deep breath, she stepped onto the unfamiliar streets that she knew so well.

As they walked down street after street, winding their way toward the capitol building located at the center of the city, many people came out of their homes and businesses to watch them. Riddick noticed that almost everyone was elderly; at least in their sixties or older. Then there was a huge gap in age to the next generation; the oldest one he saw could not have been older than twenty.

They had quickly picked up several 'escorts', a strange mixture of men old enough to be Riddick's father and men who still had long arms and legs that they had not yet grown into. The escorts, though they maintained their distance, all had guns drawn. Shirah walked humbly through the streets with her head lowered, hoping that if they did not present a threat they would be left unharmed; Riddick and Kyra also remained silent and apparently calm, but they were both tensed; walking side by side, alert and ready for a fight.

Finally they saw the capitol building looming up ahead of them. They walked up the stairs and entered a huge, round room. Set against the far wall were seven imposing chairs set up on a marble slab, raising the chairs off the ground so the seven people sitting would be slightly above eye level for those standing in front of them. The four men and three women who were now sitting in the chairs all wore judicial robes of matching blood red and they were all looking sharply at Shirah, Kyra, and Riddick. Shirah pulled open the neck of her outer robe, exposing her upper chest. She then placed her hand against the mark on her chest that had begun to glow softly in the room and bowed her head. They were in the presence of the Elders.