Chapter 8

A gift from a soldier

The war lasted so long there came a moment when Edain couldn't remember what peace felt like. Going to the city, exploring other places, asking questions without fearing the answers. It was all gone, lost in his memories, as if they were hidden in dark smoke.

He had stayed at home for hundreds of years. The four hundredth anniversary of the War Declaration was coming up, and it didn´t look like his family would be there with him.

The house was completely empty, except for him, but he couldn't remember what life was like when his parents and siblings were there. Mum had been the last to leave him, 174 years earlier. That had been the last call to arms for adults. Now, the only soldiers that engrossed Gallifrey's army were Academy graduates.

There were more of those than a foreigner would've imagined. Most of the weapons used in battle were time-consuming. They didn't hurt physically, but de-aged whoever set them off. Repeated exposure could turn someone into a child, and force them to grow up again. Because of this, Gallifrey was more full of children than ever, and the Academy flourished.

Ainur was one of the most affected by the time weapons. A bomb one of his comrades set off too soon had turned him back into an eight-year-old, ready for the Academy. Edain had visited him a couple of times, and played big brother for his big brother. That'd been almost three hundred years before, and Ainur had returned to the battlefield a long time ago.

Edie received a lot of messages from all his family, bringing news about the state of the war. Dad asked about him, what he was doing, if he had any new projects. Mum told stories of the war, but they were obviously sugarcoated, as if Edain wasn't going on his 500th birthday. He doubted anybody would be there for that, too.

He'd managed to keep himself busy over the years. He'd finished his spaceship before his two hundredth birthday, and had named her Ona. She'd turned out exactly like he'd imagined, and now he was busy furnishing her, which was way harder to do in war than in peace. Still, slowly but surely, Ona was becoming Edain's home much more than the old family home. Mik's new android buddies, a mini dragon called Yan and a chameleon called Dee, both crafted by Edie himself, spent countless hours roaming inside, helping Ed with the details. Mik was still very attached to Ed, and wouldn't leave his side unless it was absolutely necessary. Ed suspected the arrival of Dee and Yan had made him jealous, but didn't say anything.

They were so comfortable home Ed would've spent the whole war there, if it had depended on him. But food didn't last forever, no matter how well he rationed it, and he had to eat.

So that's how, one day the bombs weren't so frequent, Edie left the house on his hoverbike, with Mik on his shoulder and a bag strapped to his back.

Arcadia was in a much worse state than he remembered. The shield had been damaged on the east side, which was now full of troops in constant battle against the daleks. He would've loved to avoid them, but it was impossible. The quickest way of getting under the shield was entering the city through the north east, just a few blocks away from the fight.

He just happened to arrive while the soldiers repelled a group of daleks. They were so close the shootings and screams of "Exterminate!" deafened him. He stopped next to an abandoned building.

"Alright, buddy" he said, and placed Mik on his lap. "Stay here, and don't let go of me. Understand?"

Mik nodded very seriously.

"Great. Cause we're about to get super close to the daleks, and I'm going to drive this thing at maximum speed. And I really don't want you to fall off."

Said and done, he accelerated to maximum and set off, crossing the streets as fast as he could. He would've made it out of the fight zone in five minutes if a couple of soldiers hadn't stopped him.

"Hey, kid!" yelled one of them. "It's forbidden to go this way! Stop the bike!"

Edie stopped.

"What do you mean it's forbidden? I need to get to the center."

"You're not from here, are you?" said the soldier. "There's a barricade on that street, and we can't let you go through it."

Edain sighed exasperated.

"Then what do I do?"

"Uh…"

Then a familiar voice interrupted them.

"What's going on here?"

Ed's heart jumped with joy.

"Thais!"

His sister's face lit up. She sent away the two soldiers, showing off her colonel badge.

"I'll take care of this from now on" she said, and the two soldiers left immediately. Thais hugged Edie and took him behind another building, a bit sheltered form the fight.

"Okay, young man, explain yourself" she demanded, but she didn't look angry. Ed told her everything in a few words.

Thais tapped on her chin.

"I see. Well, there is a way for you to get past this, don't worry. But when you go back home, make sure you get out through another exit. This place is more dangerous than the road home, got it?"

Ed nodded. Thais climbed on the bike and Edie wrapped his arms against her waist.

"Ready?"

"Ehh… Fine, go for it."

The corner of her mouth twitched into a smile, and she started off the bike. They zoomed around the buildings, far from the fight, Mik inside Ed's shirt, scratching his chest with his metal nails. As for Edie, he was clinging to his sister for dear life, wishing they would stop. He was still a little boy, after all.

Finally Thais stopped the bike. Edain let go of her, cautiously. Mik's head popped out of Ed's collar, trembling. The sounds of the fight had almost faded, and the dalek ships were no longer visible.

Thais got off the bike and hugged Edain. Suddenly, she looked sad.

"Be safe, Edie, got it? I think you can go on your own from this point."

"I'll be fine, don't worry."

She didn't seem to believe him.

"Just keep yourself safe, okay? And take care of the house, I'll have a thousand stories to tell you when this war is over."

Edie managed a smile. For some reason, he had a knot in his stomach.

Thais kissed him on the forehead.

"See you in a couple of months, monkey."

Edain didn't answer. He stayed on the bike, watching his sister as she walked away, back into the fight, his vision blurry with tears.

It was the last time he ever saw her.

The streets seemed to go silent after Thais' departure. Edain would've probably stayed there longer, but another voice brought him back to reality.

"Help! Help, please!"

There was a soldier lying on the floor of a nearby street. He was clearly wounded, and fatally. Edie got off his bike and approached him. The soldier looked at him with utmost relief.

"Hey, boy" he said, coughing. "Please don't be afraid."

Edie knelt beside him. The soldier was tall, even for adult standards, with dark skin and really short hair. His red uniform was wet with blood.

"You shouldn't talk." Edie said. "It'll only be worse."

"Oh, I'm already dying" he answered, so peacefully Edie stared at him in surprise. "I just have something for you."

"For me? But you don't even…"

"Know you. Yes, I know. But it's for you."

The soldier raised his hand and took off the pendant he was wearing.

It was really simple: just a grey, black and white stone attached to a string of leather. The soldier placed it on Edain's hand, and the boy observed the stone was carved with symbols he'd never seen before.

"This is Emrys" the soldier said, his voice weak. "It will give you hope in times of fear and light in times of darkness." He held Edain's hand, his whole body shaking. "Don't lose it."

"But…"

"I didn't think it worked it either" the soldier said. He coughed again, and the floor was suddenly covered in blood drops. "And I haven't taken it off in hundreds of years. Just promise me one thing: that you will only give it away when you no longer fear anything, or when you die. Promise me."

"I…I promise" Edie said, his voice cracking.

The soldier smiled one last time.

"Thank you." The light in his eyes fades, and his hand went slack.

He was dead.

Edie stood up in silence. He put on the pendant mechanically.

Emrys, the soldier had said. It will give you hope in times of fear.

Given the state of things, he could definitely use some hope.

He left without a word, suddenly feeling very old.

It was only a few hours later when he realized he didn't know the soldier's name. He hadn't asked, and now he would never know.

He named him Olek, gallifreyan for hope.