After my mother passed away when I was child, I thought that I'd never feel that same pain again. The pain of losing someone close. But that pain was nothing compared to this; the pain of losing my entire life. The father that I had just moved in with, the academy that I had been dreaming of training for my entire life, and the best friend that I had never gotten the chance to confess my full affection for, although I always suspected that she had felt the same. It felt wrong to tell her here, kneeling in her blood.
Everything stolen in only a few hours. As I stood over Cimorene's lifeless body, I felt like my entire world had just crashed, frozen in time while everything was being destroyed. Makai's crying snapped me out of my frozen trance. I forced my feet forward and dashed to where he stood on his front lawn. There was no hiding what was going on from him; Makai could clearly see the destruction that was happening, even if he didn't understand it completely. He looked around frantically, his neighborhood on fire.
"Sukan," Makai cried, reaching out to me.
"It's going to be okay, little buddy," I told him, desperately wanting to believe my own words. "We're going to go find someone now, okay?" I picked him up in my arms and started running, he was a lot lighter than I had expected him to be. When we reached the home of Thalia, I didn't bother to knock before I burst through the door.
"Who are you?" An old woman growled. She pushed her hand forward and me and Makai were forced back against the wall by her telekinesis. I could see the flashing red glow of Thalia's identity band on the little girl hiding behind her.
"Sukan," I coughed. "My name is Sukan. And I've come for Thalia," The grandmother released me, and I lifted my sleeve to reveal the identity band that glowed red.
"Where is Cimorene?" An old man behind her narrowed his eyes. "She was supposed to come for our granddaughter."
"Cimorene didn't make it," I shook my head sadly, forcing myself to hold back my tears. I took a deep breath before continuing. "Thalia needs to get to the airstrip. I promised Cimorene I would get her there safely."
"Is he one of them too?" The old woman nodded towards Makai.
"No, he is my Garde." I shook my head. "But his brother is. My father, Rey, was chosen as his cepan. He should already be there. He will make sure Thalia is well taken care of."
"Okay," They nodded, each turning to the little girl. "You're going to go with the nice cepan, okay? We told you this day would come." The shy little girl nodded, when she stepped into the light I saw that she was around the same age as Makai.
"Goodbye," She hugged her grandmother and grandfather tightly before coming over to me, smiling. "This is Echo, can she come too?" A tiny chimaera poked its head out of her shirt collar.
"Take her beast," The grandfather insisted. "You will need protection on your way to the airtrip."
"Hi," Makai sniffled, holding his shaking hand out to greet her.
"Hi," she smiled weakly, hugging her pet close.
"Do you want to leave the boy with me?" Thalia's grandmother asked. "It may be difficult traveling with two," she trailed off.
"No Sukan!" Makai cried before I could answer, his tiny nails digging into my skin as he clutched me tightly.
"No," I shook my head. "He is my Garde, and I will stay with him till the end." I told her. I couldn't bring myself to think about what "The End" would be. Rey doesn't expect us to survive this assault. Whatever comes for us will have to go through me before they can get Makai.
"I understand," she nodded. "You must get on your way. I have the teleportation legacy; my strength isn't what it used to be, but I can get the three of you close to the airstrip."
"Alright," I nodded, taking Thalia's small hand. I closed my eyes as Thalia's grandmother touched my shoulder, only opening them when Makai let out a little shriek. Thalia's grip on my hand tightened, her nails digging into my skin like claws. These kids need to trim their tiny claws.
I almost couldn't believe it when I opened my eyes and we weren't in Thalia's house anymore. It took a few seconds to settle in before I remembered what I had to do. The airstrip was about a block or two away from where we stood.
I picked Thalia up; she was even lighter than Makai. It wasn't too much of a struggle to run with the two children balanced in my arms, but I had to be careful not to trip or run into anything. I started to run out of breath but I wouldn't dare to let myself stop running, not while there was screaming and gunfire and howling and explosions somewhere behind us.
I could see the space ship in the distance, the group of small children and cepans while they were ushering themselves into the shuttle. We were so close. The doors to the shuttle closed and the thrusters turned on immediately as it rushed to take off.
"No!" I screamed as loud as I could, trying to force my tired feet to go faster but it was no use. "Stop! You're missing one! Thalia is right here!" The ship lifted off the ground just as we reached the area. A man stood on his own, watching the ship as it took off. He looked over at me with sadness in eyes as we approached. Only when we were directly in front of him did I allow my feet to stop.
"Come back!" I screamed hoarsely at the ship. My throat felt torn from shouting but I didn't care. This couldn't be how it ended. "She's right here! Thalia is here!"
"I see Number Ten has finally arrived," he sighed. "I'm afraid the other Nine have already been ritualized, and the ship won't be returning to Lorien."
"No." I was out of breath so the word escaped as barely a whisper.
"I'm afraid so," he nodded, I could sense the sadness in his voice. He seemed familiar, but I was too distraught to think about his identity. How could I have failed Cimorene? We were so close!
"Did my father make it?" I asked after I recovered my voice. "Did Rey arrive on time?"
"Yes," He nodded. "Rey was the fifth to arrive."
"Good," I sighed in relief. At least my Father and Nikio are safe. "So what now?"
"Now, I must say farewell. As one of the last Elders, I must stay with Lorien and suffer whatever fate becomes of it." He told me. Loridas. Now I remember who this guy is. One of our great Elders that was supposed to stop all this from ever happening.
"What am I supposed to do?" I asked. "What about Thalia? She has to die here with everyone else? She just fails whatever prophecy she was destined for?"
"Well," he said thoughtfully, looking at me and the two Garde children carefully. "Who is this?" he frowned, nodding to Makai.
"He's my Garde, I promised his grandmother that I would take care of him." I told him. "And Thalia is my best friend's Garde, but she didn't make it. I promised that I would get her here to that ship,"
"I see, well that ship is gone so that won't be happening." he nodded. "But, there is one other thing," he trailed off.
"Anything." I insisted. "I'll do anything."
"It was foreseen that a second ship would be leaving Lorien's orbit tonight," he told me slowly.
"A second ship?" I frowned. "From our fleet?"
"No, those were destroyed in the first attack. All of our elite ships were destroyed in the first attack wave." Loridas shook his head. "But there is currently an old ship sitting in a museum. The man who owns it, Raylan, will be sending it to Earth. If it is your wish, I can help you so you are on that ship."
"Me?" I frowned. "What do you mean?"
"You didn't think the child would be sent on her own, did you?" Loridas raised an eyebrow. "No, she will need someone to raise her, to help train her legacies once they begin to develop. She needs a mentor cepan, and now that cepan will be you."
"What about my Garde?" I asked, looking down at Makai. His face was still buried into my chest, sniffling quietly into my shirt. Thalia was looking at the Elder curiously.
"You can leave him with me," he told me. "Or you may bring him with you. The Nine will need all the assistance they can get if the Mogadorians should follow them to Earth." Mogadorians? Is that who is attacking us?
"I want him to come with me," I decided without hesitation at all. "He's my garde, and I'm with him till the end."
"You'll be a wonderful mentor cepan," he smiled. "Though I should warn you, it will be difficult with two,"
"I will manage." I squeaked, my heart racing. I can't leave Makai behind, no matter what, I will make this work. I will be a mentor cepan for them both. It's what Cimorene would have wanted.
"Very well," Loridas nodded. "This stone allows one to transfer a legacy onto another," he pulled out a red stone from his pocket. "It has been charged with the teleportation legacy. I was to escape with it, but I shall use it to help you three make it to that ship. Before you go, there are some things that you will need to know about the others,"
"What is it?" I asked.
"You mustn't seek them out; not until the time is right." he insisted. "The others have all been placed under a charm that protects them; they can only be killed in order of the number they arrived in,"
"So Nikio is Number Five?" I asked. That will be a start to finding my father again, someday.
"Yes," he nodded. "If they come together, the charm will break so they must stay apart once they arrive on Earth. Another thing," he bent down to pick up a chest at his feet. "This belongs to the girl. I need you to place your hand and her hand on the lock," Thalia and I did as he said while he started to speak strange words, Makai watched with wide eyes, finally letting his face out of my shirt.
"What's happening?" I asked him.
"I've placed a charm on this chest. Inside is her inheritance, items from Lorien that will be of great use and gems that can be sold for money once you land. And for the boy," he smiled, pulling out a pendant from his pocket. "He can wear this pendant, a piece of loralite as a reminder of where they came from." Thalia clutched the chest closely, and Makai fiddled with the glowing blue pendant around his neck.
"Thank you," I told him.
"Now it is time for you to go," he handed me the stone. "Picture the museum in your mind, and the stone will take you there. You have a big responsibility now, take care on Earth." I closed my eyes and imagined the museum that I had visited countless times in school. I remembered the space shuttle that was kept there, one that was used in the old war. When I opened them, I was standing directly in front of it. There were three loric adults staring at me wildly in confusion.
"Who are you?" A tall, dark skinned woman demanded. There was another woman, and a man, who was carrying a sleeping infant wrapped in a bundle. The door to the ship was open, several chimaera were wandering around on the inside and boxes of supplies were stored in the far back.
"My name is Sukan," I told them. "And I have to get these two young Garde to Earth,"
"How did you know we were going to Earth?" The other woman narrowed her eyes on me.
"Loridas sent me. These Garde children need to get to Earth." I repeated, worried they wouldn't let us board.
"Loridas knows about this ship?" The man with the baby muttered. "How? Raylan only told us about it an hour ago."
"We shouldn't question it," said the second woman again. "We need to be in the air, now. Lexa, come on. We can't miss our shot or we will be dead with the rest of the planet."
"Raylan gave us enough supplies for six adults; with four and three children, there should be plenty to get us to earth." The man nods towards the kids.
"My name is Lexa," the dark skinned woman offered her hand before taking it back, laughing once she realized that my arms were full with the toddlers. "This is Zophie, and Crayton," she nodded to the man with the baby. "And that's baby Ella. Welcome to our Crew, Sukan."