Hi everyone!

Thank you so much for the feedback!!!

I was planning on posting two chapters today, but I started to read through chapter 2 and there were so many errors… And I don't have the energy to correct it right now. So… I'll just post this one and I'll be back with chapter 2 in about a week.

Take care!

Hugs,

Josephin

BOOK 2



The little girl clasped her hands over her small ears, trying to block out the horrifying cries surrounding her. But the sounds were too strong, too high and deafening. They reached into her soul, urging it apart. Shredding her tiny essence into sore pieces. There was a loud crack and she heard her mother scream.

'No no no no no no no,' she repeatedly chanted in her head. Her body was frozen in fear, her closed eyelids trying to stop the shocking images from entering her pure and innocent mind. She could still feel her mother's hands on her as she urged her daughter under the bed to hide as the hard pounding on the door was thundering around them. She brought her hands up to her mouth to stop the sound of her sobbing from leaving her, and thus make her mother's captor aware of her presence. Next there was a deafening silence as the massive wooden door slam shut. Tears were trickling down her cheeks, her breath catching in her throat as she lay completely still for some time anticipating foreign hands to grab her and drag her out of her hiding-place. But the moment never came, and she soon realized that she was alone. It was only she and the eerie silence.




Chapter 1


He spread his wings and started to gracefully flap them up and down. The air became trapped beneath his feathers, causing him to lift off the surface. His speed increased, and he silently broke through the air. The murky green of the sky was reflected on the back of his body, making it more dull red, almost brown, than otherwise. Beneath him floated a river, its water brown and sluggish. His journey took him over hills and woods, mountains and marshes. As he neared his destination, he relaxed the pace of his wings and let the wind softly carry him towards the ground. He glided down and positioned himself on the bulky branch of an old tree. The tree was old but strong. It had endured changes during its growth. It had lived through uncountable battles, as it several times had eluded the hand of death, which had paid it a visit on so many occasions. Its bark was wrinkled with age. Its leaves reeked with the misery that had been absorbed into its very existence. He clasped his claws into the bark and his eyes darted around his surroundings. Surroundings that were familiar to him, as if the old tree was an old friend that could be trusted to stand there every time he decided to leave and return.

But there was something different in the air. He felt it with his every sense. He lived through the air. He breathed it, used it as transportation, but mostly he listened to it. The air spoke of many things that were yet untold to the world. It crept into every corner of every house. It crept into every cavern of every old tree. It crept into the most hidden cave at the bottom of a forgotten mountain. It crept into every living creature. It knew things. The air was full of whispers and if you learned to listen to it, it could either strengthen your trust to the world and its inhabitants or shatter it. He crooked his head to the side and listened to the humming carried by the wind. Humming that was not heard by anyone who wasn't paying attention. Something was about to happen. He blinked with his eyes several times. Then his peak opened and he let out a hoarse cry.  An attempt at warning the world of the impending changes.

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She bolted upwards, having been awaken from her sleep by the drilling cry of a bird. She immediately noticed his absence to her side. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and rose from the hard position on the ground. She felt the tickling in her legs as the blood was given the permission to flow back through the veins and arteries of her stiff limbs. She moved the cloth that covered the exit aside and stepped out. The ground was shimmering in the color of green. Would she ever get used to the sky being green instead of blue? She missed the light blue color of the sky. It was calming. The green sky was menacing. It was alien in more ways than one. It wasn't home, and she knew in her heart that it would never be. Her eyes sought him out, sitting down by the riverside. The ground was hard under her bare feet as she made her way over to him. She paused a little, standing right behind him.

"I couldn't sleep," he said, as he sensed her presence.
"I can't sleep without you," she said softly. Even though she could normally sleep, she often wished that she had his insomnia. That meant no dreams. That meant no endless searching and pain. But she also knew that his way was just as damaging. That meant too much time to think, too many opportunities for self-blame. Slowly, she sat down beside him, leaning into him. He gave her a weak smile before his eyes drifted to her feet.
"Honey, why aren't you wearing any shoes?" he asked, his voice bearing the slight hint of scolding.
"Oh, I forgot," she said absent-mindedly.
He nodded. He knew just how difficult it was to go on living, to do all the everyday stuff, even though they had lost its mundane quality a long time ago.

"C'mere," he said and pulled her into his lap. She cuddled up close to him, pulling her feet under her body. He could feel the cold from her feet penetrating through the fabric of his pants, radiating through his skin. He held her close to keep her warm.
"Tell me something," she said. She felt the drowsiness of sleep starting to claim her as his warmth was starting to envelope her.
He smiled. He knew what she wanted to hear. They had made an unspoken ritual out of telling stories of the world they had left behind them and of the people they missed.
"You remember when Emma saw snow for the first time?" he asked and felt her nod against his chest. He had never experienced it personally, but she had caught it on camera and he had been able to see it later on that day when she had given him one of the best gifts she could ever give him. A part of his child's childhood.

"She was so amazed. She was standing by the window looking out, and she couldn't grasp what those fluffy white things were."
"She thought it was cotton, that someone had ripped into small parts," she said, and he could hear the smile in her voice.
"And she kept looking upwards to see if there was someone sitting in the tree outside the window, throwing all the cotton down on the ground," he continued.
"She loved it. I will never forget how she looked when she got outside and touched the snow and it vanished in her warm hand. She has always loved the snow...."
The silence spread around them.
"It doesn't snow here, does it?" she asked sadly.
"No," he answered.
They fell silent again, both deep in thought. Both trying to push away the feelings of guilt and grief.

Soon he could hear her breathing even out and he realized that she had fallen asleep. He sat there for a while, letting the silence whirl around him. He had never experienced a silence so intense as the one inhibiting this place. It was as if there were no living creatures around them. It was as if they were all alone. He could hear the wind murmur. A language that could neither be interpreted nor understood by him. He closed his eyes and listened to her breathing. It had a calming effect on him. But he couldn't find the peace he so desperately sought for. The peace that would enable him to close his eyes and sleep. He inhaled deeply and carefully entangled her arms from around him, moving her to the ground. He didn't want her to sleep outside. It wasn't really cold. Not freezing. But he could literally feel her body temperature decreasing in the wind that chilled her skin.

With her fists still stubbornly clutching his shirt, he rose and gathered her in his arms again. She was exhausted. She was sleeping a lot. But her sleep was troubled by horrific dreams, and her sleep didn't give her much relief or relaxation. It didn't offer her the rest she so desperately longed for. He carried her to the small tent. Concentrating slightly on the fabric of the opening of the tent, the cloth was pulled to the side and he was able to step inside. In the middle of the tent, a blanket was spread out on the ground. Under the blanket a material resembling hay was spread out, in order to provide some sort of softness to the sleeper. He gently positioned her body on the bed and she whimpered in her sleep as he pulled away. He needed to sleep but he was unable to. He also needed her and he happily lay down next to her and cradled her close to his body. His mind, as on countless times before, started to drift to that place in his mind where he had tucked all of his memories.

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"Liz, I'm going to Antar, and Michael and Isabel are coming with me."
"Of course you're going to Antar," she answered. "And I'm coming with you."
He silently looked at her for a second, and then he shook his head.
"No, Liz. You're safer here."
"Are you kidding me? Don't pull that crap on me, Max! She's my daughter too. I raised her. I have a connection to her. You can't expect me to just sit back here on Earth and wait for you to come back. What if you don't come back, and I never get to see her again...or you. No Max. I'm coming with you. You are not leaving me behind!"

"Liz." His voice was careful, as if talking to a hysterical person. "Listen to me. We don't know if you are able to survive there. What if the atmosphere is hostile to your body?"
"In that case Max, it should be hostile to you too. You're body is completely human. The only thing alien is your blood, and some parts of your DNA structure. All of which are interior differences. And if you were destined to return to Antar and free your people – then they wouldn't have given you a body that couldn't survive on Antar. That doesn't make sense."
"But they had to make a body that would fit in with the population on Earth."
"Max, have you ever thought about why they chose Earth? Probably because Earth is similar in appearance, atmosphere and people to your home planet."
He nodded. She was right. But he still didn't feel comfortable with her coming with him.

"Liz. Don't get me wrong. I want you to come with me. I can't even imagine what it would be like to be apart from you again."
"Then let me come with you," she said simply.
"You will be safer here. Even if the atmosphere isn't harmful to you – the inhabitants certainly are. I have enemies there, Liz. And they will do anything to get to me."
"They've taken our daughter, Max. I have to come with you. I will go crazy if I have to wait here on Earth – doing nothing. I need you, Max, and I need her. Don't leave me here."
It wasn't really a plea. It was more of a warning. Liz had made up her mind, and Max realized that he couldn't stop her. He was actually relieved that she was coming with him. He didn't know what decisions he would make if she wasn't with him. Without her, he was a bleak replica of himself.

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She could sense the presence of someone else in the room. She slowly opened her eyes. It was the man. The man who had been here before. The only man she had met.
"Hi there, Emma," the man said.
She didn't answer.
"Are you going to talk to me today?"
She looked down at her hands, which she had folded neatly in her lap.
"You know, you are going to be here for a long time and it's always good to have friends when you're at a new place. Otherwise it will get so lonely. Will you be my friend?"
"I want mommy," she said.
He smiled, and she shrank back in the bed. That wasn't a smile. That wasn't what she knew to be a smile.

"Your mommy isn't here. This is your home now. Do you want to play?"
"I want mommy," she repeated.
She didn't want to look at him any longer. He frightened her.
"If you play with me...than maybe your mommy will come by later."
She looked up at him, hope filling her heart. Would mommy come here?
"And daddy?" she asked. If she could get mommy here, she wanted daddy too. Daddy was strong. He could take her home.
"And daddy too."
She had to think about this. She didn't like the fact that she had to play with that man, but she did want to see her parents. Her small heart won over her thoughts of unease and she nodded.

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"What's the plan, Maxwell?" Michael asked.
Max looked over the table, searching Liz's eyes. She gave him a weak smile. He sighed and rubbed his forehead.
"I'm not sure, Michael," he said. "I'm not familiar with the environment. Nor am I familiar with the palace."
"You think she's being held in the palace?" Isabel asked.
Max nodded.
"Khivar wants her close," Kira said.
Liz shivered.
"We have to carefully study all the blueprints we can find of the palace. We have to try to infiltrate some of your men, Kira, in the palace," Max said.
"It will be difficult. The security is high. We need to find someone with great mind powers. Someone who is able to withstand the check up and convince them of his loyalty."
"What are you talking about?" Michael asked.

"They are doing a mind check on everyone who's about to work at the palace. They go through all your memories and makes sure that there isn't any traitorous thoughts. That there isn't any loyalty to Zan. We need someone who has strong mind powers – who can fight the inspection and hide the memories that can betray him of his true intentions of being there. You, Max...or Zan, had great mind powers in your former life. However, even if you were able to develop them the inspectors know you..."
"Can't we change our appearances?" Michael asked, thinking that molecular manipulation should be able to be done to a face.

"Theoretically, it's possible," Kira answered. "But I wouldn't recommend it. It's a rather painful state. You can say that the body can't recognize its new cells....their new positions, and it gradually shuts down. Brief manipulations have been conducted, but if it goes on for too long...you can die. Even if it was possible, and Max was to change appearance – I doubt it would work. Max...or Zan... has a powerful essence – they would recognize that something was different with him. He has the royal seal, and it can be dangerous to have when you have enemies."
"Do you have anyone with great mind powers?" Max asked Kira.
Kira nodded.
"I can think of a few candidates. But they probably have to train some before. This has to be done correctly. It's a hazardously thin line we're threading, Max."

"I want to start train my powers as well – we all need to do that," Max said. "And I need those blueprints."
"There's something you should know about the blueprints," Kira said. "They may not be completely accurate. The palace is constantly rebuilt. That's one of the ways to heighten the security. They haven't been able to stop blueprints from being spread – so they started to change the palace instead. The older the blueprint, the more inaccurate."
"They're changing the palace the whole time? How do they do that?" Isabel asked, confusion written over her face. It was not that easy to rebuild. That would mean that the palace was a constant construction area.
"They have their ways," Kira said.

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"Emma, listen to me," the man said. "If you want to meet your mommy and daddy again, you have to fix this. It hurts..."
Emma looked at the wound on the man's hand. He had frightened her when he had took a knife and had pressed it against his skin – slicing it like a piece of bread. She couldn't understand why he would do that to himself, and then ask her if she could fix it again. If he didn't want to be hurt, why had he done it? She didn't feel like helping him. She didn't like him. But even if she had wanted to help him – she didn't know how to. She understood what he wanted her to do. He wanted her to heal his wound, like she had done with her mommy when she had burnt her hand. But Emma had never stopped to wonder why or how she had been able to do that. She just had. She had felt her mommy's pain and she had wanted to make her feel better again.

Then there was that feeling of caution that was an almost natural part of her personality. Her mother had told her that she had to be careful. Her mother had not been afraid with what she could do, Emma knew that. But her mommy had understood that it wasn't something that other people should see. She had told Emma that she was special. That was what made her able to do that. And then her daddy and mommy had told her that she had...special talents. But they had also told her that bad people wanted to do bad things to her if she told. The talents were a secret. Her daddy also had special talents...and mommy, and it was their secret. She didn't feel comfortable with revealing that secret. She might be only four years old – soon five – but she wasn't stupid. Their secret was something she held close to her heart, something that she shared together with her parents, and she wasn't about to let some scary man find out about her secret.

She firmly shook her head, announcing that she wasn't going to heal him.
"I can't," she answered, a stubborn look on her face.
The man eyed the determined little girl. She was a clever girl, but she wasn't so good at lying – which she was. Lying. But unfortunately he needed proof. He could right now say that Emma probably had inherited healing powers, but he would never be completely certain. He needed to assess just how powerful she was. He needed to know how big the threat was. Knowledge was power, and he just had to be a little more persuasive in his actions.
"Emma, I'll give you one last chance to think about this. I would be very happy if you could heal my hand. You know, make me feel better."
Emma remained silent, looking down at her hands again. He waited patiently, then he nodded.
"Okay, let's get you to another room."
She looked up at him – the fear sharply displayed in her eyes. His voice was cold, and it made her shiver. Suddenly she wanted very much to reveal the secret, to heal him, but she didn't know how.


TBC…