Chapter 4 – Zerah

Akima curled up next to the window. She was dressed in only a long sleeve shirt and some underwear. Evening light was coming and painted the sky a noisy orange. The day had been dull and lifeless; the same way her friend now was. Akima held in her hand a picture. It was very similar to the one that Stith had of Akima in the kitchens only this time Stith was in the shot. She held it close to her face, studying the every form that made Stith in it. The Mantrin's smile was so large as she hugged her petite, human friend. Akima almost couldn't look at it. Her face was still moist with tears. She watched her family outside. The children sat in a makeshift sandbox and were busy pushing little figures about. Cale was outside with them since no one felt safe alone anymore. He was chopping at some wood with an axe very similar to how his ancestors had millennia ago. Plasma saws weren't easy to come by yet so they had to resort to the old fashioned lifestyle. The wood was for a stove that he had built for Akima out of some spare vehicle parts. They had plenty of firewood, but Cale wanted to chop to keep his mind off of it all. Akima watched them like they were figures in a television; imagining what it would be like if they weren't really around. She wondered what it would be like to be all alone, the way Stith was. She exhaled and told herself to forget she'd ever thought about it.

Clop! Cale's axe dug into the chopping block. Two halves of wood were rolling around on either side of him. He was weary and wondered to himself why he was cutting wood. Joey turned around and saw him wipe his brow with his forearm. Ruth kept her focus in the sand. "Daddy," Joey began.

Cale collected the pieces of wood and tossed them aside, "Yeah?"

"Did Stith go to heaven?" Joey asked. Cale froze and looked at him.

"I'm sure she did," he replied.

"If I die, will I see Stith again?" Joey asked.

Cale's eyes darted about. What do I tell him? "What do you think?" Cale asked, picking up another block of wood.

"I don't know," Joey said, "do you think Stith is watching us right now?"

Cale stopped again. There was a comforting idea for a child: living under the watchful eye of an ethereal friend. "I'm sure she is," Cale responded, trying to sound as consoling as possible. He didn't want his children having their minds preoccupied with death, but what could he do? It had affected them in a way that was going to take a while before their lives could mend.

A woman dressed in a long, brown coat approached the Phoenix. Her face signified that she was in great pain, yet she stood straighter than a soldier fresh from boot camp. Cale hadn't seen her before, but the fact that she was able to get this close without anyone noticing was a little disconcerting. He clenched his axe and began to approach her. This signaled the woman whose hair was tightly pulled into a pony tail to begin speaking, "I heard about the Mantrin," she began. Cale's countenance widened. He wasn't expecting to hear this. First the woman was able to sneak up on them and now she knew that Stith was killed. Something did not add up. He tightened his grip on the axe, prepared to use it if necessary. "You have to listen to me; you're in grave danger," she continued.

"Who are you and how do you know about Stith?" Cale said as his eyes narrowed. She continued to approach in a steady and controlled manner.

"My name is Zerah and I'm here to warn you. Please, you must trust me, for your sake and the sake of your family," she replied, "I know who killed the Mantrin." Cale was still. Like a duck on a pond, he was pensively churning his mind beneath the surface. Who is this woman? How does she know me? There was a slamming sound coming from behind. He turned to find the source and saw that Akima came rushing out of the door to the Phoenix. She quickly told the children to go inside and hurried up beside Cale.

"What's going on?" she asked as she stopped next to Cale. Akima took a long look at Zerah and knew that something wasn't right.

"Why are we in danger?" Cale asked.

"The Mantrin was murdered by someone named Macabre," Zerah replied, "and I have reason to believe that he's going to come looking for you."

"Macabre?" Akima asked, "What does he want with us?"

"I don't know why, but he's out to kill you to. Do you have any guesses as to why?" Zerah responded.

"We don't know anybody by that name," Cale said.

"And the Mantrin didn't know anyone by that name either?" Zerah asked.

"I don't think so," Akima replied. At least, she didn't remember Stith ever mentioning that name.

"Hmm, well, you're lucky he hasn't come to you by now, but enough time has been wasted; you will die if you stay here any longer," Zerah told, "He was very interested in the crash site of the Valkyrie."

"What was he after?" Cale asked.

"I don't know, but he must have been looking for Korso," she replied, "I don't know if he intended to kill Stith and Gune from the start—"

"Gune? Gune's dead too!" Akima looked terrified and distressed.

"Yes, I'm sorry; I figured you knew," she replied, "Anyway, you understand how grave the situation is. We must leave immediately. Can your ship fly?"

"No, she can't" Cale said as he turned and glanced back at the Phoenix, "not without some work done, at least."

"We don't have time for that," Zerah returned as she winced with pain.

"Are you okay?" Cale asked, his eyebrows were raised with concern.

"I was—" she replied while taking her coat off. Blood trickled down her hip.

"Come inside and we'll take a look at that," Akima suggested.

"No, we should be leaving now," Zerah hesitated.

"You can't go on like that," Akima responded.

"Haven't you heard anything I've said? Macabre killed Stith and Gune and he intends to kill the both of you," Zerah warned, "Don't think that he won't target your children. For their sakes, we must go to the Valkyrie crash site and see if we can get any leads."

"Fine," Akima said, "but not until we get you bandaged. If this Macabre guy is as bad as you say he is, I'm certain we're seriously going to need your help." Zerah worriedly looked over her shoulder. Her eyes darted around the horizon, searching for a shadowy stalker. She found none.

"All right," she compromised, "but we must be quick. Take only what you need to survive."