Zein: The Prophecy Page 4

  Kabel walked cautiously through the village. The buildings were smaller and less grand than Livescale. Red picket fences separated each two storey house. It was late and the streets were empty apart from a solitary sentry making a cursory security sweep through the village. Kabel, keeping to the darkness of the building line, stole along the sidewalk until he found himself at a large building on the outskirts of the village. The building was relatively new and must have been added to the original design. The neon sign beckoned to him with the grand title, “House of Terror Museum”.

  He produced a skeleton key, chuckling to himself, ‘I knew this would come in handy.’

  He carefully inserted the homemade key fashioned from the horn of a weinder beast and heard the satisfying click as the lock engaged with the slippery contours of the precision tool.

  He entered the museum. Immediately he was knocked back by the sheer size of the room. It spread over one hundred agers, equivalent to a hundred square metres, larger than the Village Council hall. Looking at the exhibits he could see there was many examples of the terrifying barbed armour from the Great Intergalactic Wars, zinithium charged pikes, old and large blaster guns, even an ancient transport ship similar to the one used in the evacuation of the Southern Quadrant.

  The torture tools section was especially gruesome. They were from the days of the evil Zylar the Terrible who enslaved the Zeinonians and countless other races during his barbaric reign; the exact name taken by the man who had overrun the other quadrants. Kabel grimaced with distaste as he cast his eye over the devices and the description of what they did.

  There was the “Nail” which was a less than delightful cutting instrument that delivered a pinpoint of pure power which could drill a circular hole no greater than a pinprick into a waiting victim. When used on sensitive areas of the body the pain was unimaginable, the victim would not die just struggle in agony until the next pinprick would be administered. Everyone talked eventually.

  Then, not to be outdone, an evil looking device called the “Lace” was laid out on the museum floor. It consisted of a network of power cables linked across a frame that when power was distributed through the victim, who would be placed face down into the weave of cables, would incur great pain spread equally across their body. Kabel felt goosebumps on his arms at simply the thought.

  A noise outside made Kabel jerk his head away from the horror show and he quickly ran to the window to see who it was. It was a solitary guard sauntering past secure in the safety of the Outer Perimeter Wall. Kabel waited patiently until he had slowly walked down the street away from the museum.

  With the risk of detection removed, Kabel pulled away from the window and his eyes landed on a glass cabinet standing importantly in its own viewing gallery. He peered more closely at the exhibition. Enclosed in the cabinet were two weapons. Excitement coursed through him. They were matching seckles. Real seckles….not just a wooden imitation like the one which he used to train with the Teacher! This was a weapon so feared in hand to hand combat that soldiers, even if protected by pulse cannons and photon blasters, would cower in fear from it.

  It was not just because the weapon could be thrown with unerring accuracy to slice the throat of an opponent before returning like a boomerang to the hand of the deliverer, it was because it was the preferred weapon of the Ilsid, the fearsome special forces of Zylar. They used the weapon without any pity or remorse whether men, women or children were the target. They also sometimes took great pleasure in tipping the sharp ends in a loathsome poison that would ensure the victim would die a horrifying death from the smallest cut.

  Kabel was attracted by the beauty of the gold plated handles interwoven with historic Zein figures made from contrasting silver ore. Before he knew what he was doing he lifted a vase nearby and launched it at the cabinet. As the glass broke an ear splitting alarm broke out initially driving Kabel back away from the cabinet. The lure of the seckles drew him back. He heard shouts of alarm from the guard down the street. Undeterred he leaned into the cabinet and picked up the weapons.

  Too late, he remembered his studies and he immediately realised his mistake. All students were told that a seckle could only be wielded by someone in their own clan and he didn’t know whose these seckles were. If you were not in the clan the seckles were protected by booby traps which could maim or even kill. Even other clan members sometimes could not touch more senior clan members’ weapons.

  Nothing happened. The weapons fitted comfortably into his hands. All of a sudden they began to hum and glow a distinct blue. He nearly dropped them in alarm instead he quickly tightened his grip. Two curved sharp blades flicked out on both the seckles, one on each side of the handle. The blades bent wickedly creating, with the handle, a disc like appearance. The steel was the strongest that could be made. It was forged within a zinithium driven smelt that made the blades unbreakable and provided a smoky almost ethereal appearance on the shiny surface. He waved them in the air revelling in the power he felt.

  The alarm was deafening and he could hear shouts from outside. The guard and others were returning. He flicked the switches on the underside of the handles and the blades moved smoothly back into their sheaths. He then stuffed them deep into the internal pockets of his tunic.

  People were milling aimlessly outside. Thank goodness he had relocked the door after entering. He went to the back of the museum and slipped through a window into the cold night air. No one here, they must be entering from the front. Good. He made his way back to the transportation room. There was no guard on the portal, the villagers believing they were safe and putting the commotion down to a damaged alarm. Kabel input his own village coordinates and then erased the records so no one could follow him. Within seconds he was back in Livescale.

  He made his way home over the rooftops. In his bedroom he pulled the seckles out, his hand moving across the engraved carvings and a thrill of anticipation of the power that had coursed through his body rippled through him. His hands began to glow blue. The blue shimmer began to travel up his arms and alarmed he let go of the seckles and they dropped onto his bed.

  With a worried frown on his face he quickly undressed, keeping his hands away from the weapons. He then picked them up using his shirt as a barrier and lifted a loose board next to his bed and stashed the seckles. He was fast asleep minutes after his head hit the pillow.

  The Teacher had watched Kabel return from his escapade and couldn’t help but smile at the way he nimbly made his way over the roofline. He saw the glint of something in his tunic.

  Good, he found them.

  He hoped that he would use them wisely as his father did. Malkin walked back to his favourite chair in front of the roaring fire. He picked up his glass of Mee wine and took a sip.

  His memories were still raw from that fateful night when he was able to bring Kabel to safety, some twenty years ago, as if it only happened yesterday. As he nursed his drink his thoughts dwelled on what was going to happen to the Earth Colony.

  The four quadrants spanned vast areas above the Earth. They were protected from human eyes and any of their more primitive technology by the Ozone Shield and Outer Perimeter Walls. The only other Zein controlled area was the Core. The Core was managed by the Fathom Clan on the sea bed below what the humans called the Arctic.

  Malkin had grown up in the Southern Quadrant and served the Blackstones’ throughout his life. The Blackstones’ lived in the most strategic quadrant, which sat above the main zinithium deposits in the Underworld that had still not been exploited. The Malacca Clan based in the Eastern Quadrant had always been envious of the Blackstone Clan and actively disliked the Fathom Clan for enjoying the riches the Core settlement brought.

  When he was not in the Southern Quadrant, Malkin had spent most of his youth with the Southgate Clan in the Western Quadrant. They were the Blackstones’ biggest political supporters and relationships were strong. This left the North Quadrant in the hands of the hard working and highly talented Tyther Clan.

>   He reflected on the days leading to the fall of the Southern Quadrant, his homeland. The main army had been defeated when they went to the aid of the Northern Quadrant - the Southern Quadrant army was strong yet still the quadrant had fallen. The survivors of the fighting had fled to the Southern Quadrant, to the safety of their Chancellor and spiritual leader, Lord Logan Blackstone.

  Treachery!

  His anger had not dulled with time. He raised his hand to stroke his now greying beard. Someone had deactivated the Outer Perimeter Wall and only a select few of the Elders had the technical knowledge to disarm the field. That narrowed the culprits.

  Elder Lord Barkley Malacca had voiced his displeasure at each and every Southern Quadrant Inner Council meeting leading up to the invasion. His main disagreement was on the removal of his clan from the running of the Eastern Quadrant due to proven past corruption on the raw material inventory collation. In his place Egan Blackstone had been asked by his brother to take command which he reluctantly accepted. Malkin was one of the select few who knew that this was something of an olive branch to Egan from his brother. The Inner Council had not been informed of the reason for this executive council order.

  The Chancellor had previously removed the Vice Chancellor’s responsibility from his brother some twelve months previously, causing much bad blood between them. Egan had on the anniversary of this decision, travelled from the Eastern Quadrant with Lord Malacca and challenged the Inner Council and his brother to reinstate him. Logan had refused and pointed out that he had plenty to do managing the Eastern Quadrant. Egan Blackstone had stormed out of the Southern Quadrant Palace council chamber in disgust followed by a quarter of the other Elders. Without speaking to his brother he had returned home with his followers later that same day.

  Lord Malacca was not so lucky after his demands for the return of control to his clan angered Lord Blackstone. He was stopped from joining Egan, and placed under house arrest in the Southern Quadrant until he took an oath of allegiance to the Blackstone Clan. After much posturing Lord Malacca reluctantly agreed and was eventually released to return home. A move he was to regret later when Egan turned on him and his family.

  Nothing was heard from the Eastern Quadrant for a number of months, until rumours and whispers surfaced from travellers from this quadrant and the dangerous borderlands. It was said that large new army training sites were being built and that the cult of the famed Ilsid had been resurrected.

  This was strictly against Zein Law and against the express authority of the Inner Council. On hearing these rumours the remaining Inner Council sent a small expeditionary force led by an emissary of the Chancellor and two dozen hand-picked soldiers. The emissary was Lord Edgar Southgate, father to Lord Blackstone’s wife. The force used the transportation portal to teleport to a village situated near the worst of the atrocities. Within a few hours the battered and bloodied body of Lord Southgate was delivered back to the Palace transportation room. He was alive but could barely speak. He had been shot in the shoulder and also bore marks of cuts by the dreaded seckle, the vicious hand to hand weapon. His story, once his injuries had been treated, was not a good one.

  He had been attacked by one of the border gangs who preyed on the villages near the Eastern border. He had escaped by the sheer bravery of the soldiers sent to protect him and his own personal magics. He used the emergency recall protocol, which could track his body mass and pull him back to the transportation portal where he started his journey.

  The Chancellor had been furious. He had contacted his brother demanding an explanation. He found his brother concerned and promising to eradicate the border gangs but he would need weapons to create a local militia security force. His brother reluctantly agreed and shipments were sent immediately.

  No word of progress was forthcoming and days turned into weeks and then months. Rumours persisted and grew in frequency of underground experiments in the Eastern Quadrant. Other emissaries were sent and no one returned. Then, losing patience the Chancellor had sent a force of five hundred of his elite Royal Guard to prove or disprove the rumours.

  The old warrior smiled grimly as he took another sip of the strong wine. He himself had led them. On materialising in the main portal, situated near the Eastern Quadrant Palace, they found themselves ambushed and heavily outnumbered by a large force intent on taking control of the Palace. Few had survived. He and a handful of soldiers managed to escape. He shuddered at the memory. The force against them had been a mixture of the Malacca Clan and seemingly soulless warriors devoid of emotion, the fabled Ilsid. They had been men, he thought, but their eyes and nose were hidden by metal plates with gauze patches were the eyes should be. They were remorseless.

  Elder Lord Malacca was one of the surviving Eastern Quadrant Council members after the uprising and via an emergency portal effectively sought sanctuary within the Southern Quadrant with his only son. His wife was killed during the battle and Lord Blackstone had taken pity on him.

  Since that moment, war had commenced between the Eastern Quadrant and the other quadrants. The Malacca Clan was from that point under the complete control of Zylar.

  Malkin sighed. Zylar. That very name conjured terror in all Zeinonians. The name meant death and servitude. The last of the great dictators in Zein history before the clans were formed. Zylar was the allpowerful emperor who dominated life not just on Zein but across many planets.

  Within the Southern Quadrant, Lord Malacca had never stopped challenging the Chancellor, hoping to stir him into sending his army to retake the Eastern Quadrant. This was something the Chancellor would not do, knowing many lives would be lost and that the Earth Colony would risk complete annihilation. Diplomacy was the preferred approach.

  Malkin saw this constant challenge as abuse of Lord Blackstone’s mercy in providing a safe haven for one of his greatest adversaries. Yes…..if there was treachery on the day the Southern Quadrant fell then look no further than Malacca, the fierce old warrior thought.

  His eyes fought the tiredness at first and then, bathed by the heat from the fire, he fell into a restless sleep.

  Chapter 5

  The Federation Fair

  In the days after Kabel’s early morning adventure there was a noticeable tightening up of security around the village. There were significantly more of the Western Quadrant militia troops on the streets and walkways. Elders from the council could be found quietly talking with each other during the day. Kabel scoffed at his brother as he spoke of the disruption in one of the outer villages. It was said someone had stolen something very valuable. Drogan was worried, although he was a known worrier. Kabel laughed at Drogan’s concern and when he was not looking he gave a small satisfied smile.

  On the day of the Federation Fair no one could match the grin on Kabel’s face.

  ‘What are you smiling for?’ a familiar voice asked.

  ‘One guess?’ The Teacher smiled. He didn’t need to. He enjoyed seeing Kabel happy and carefree, knowing darker times were coming.

  ‘I think you would still be smiling even if I said Zylar was standing behind you with a dozen Ilsid,’ the Teacher joked. Zylar’s name was used to frighten children over many centuries to scare them into behaving. When the Pod nightmare began then the parents had two scare tactics to draw upon.

  ‘I know this is a stupid question but are you ready?’

  ‘Yes, I am,’ said Kabel with a wide grin. He had packed his invention and filled his backpack with his lunch which his mother had made for him as she fussed in the kitchen, proud that all the family was going to the Federation Fair. Delilah was a regular due to her help with the organisation of the event but to have Kabel there as well….brilliant.

  Maggia watched Kabel closely as she had noticed a change in him recently. Last night Maggia had argued with her husband on what to tell their son about his past. Hilah had said they needed to tell Kabel about his heritage, Maggia thought it too early, using the argument that he still had much to learn. Her husband had listened respectfully
but disagreed, he pointed out that the Teacher had noticed changes in Kabel’s strength, speed and reactions and it was near his time for the Awakening. This was a special time when the magics became outwardly noticeable. Maggia’s head knew this but her heart told her that he was her boy. In truth she feared that once he knew his true lineage that they wouldn’t be good enough and she would lose him.

  Kabel turned to her and flashed that devil may care look he had and her heart melted. She smiled back. Today was for enjoyment and she scolded herself for wallowing in self-pity. With that admonishment Maggia continued to pack.

  You idiot, Kabel thought as he remembered at the last minute that he had forgotten to pack his seckles. He rushed downstairs to his bedroom and removed the seckles from their hiding place and stuck them firmly into his tunic. Since the shock of that night he had grown used to the blue glow that turned into a full force-field covering his whole body and had practised secretly in a glade that was near the picturesque Falls, but sufficiently far away to provide privacy. He continued to practise just with the wooden seckle when he was with the Teacher, who was impressed with the progress he was making.

  The family and the Teacher were waiting impatiently at the front door when he came back up the stairs. He sheepishly gave his apologies for the delay and Hilah locked up and they made their way to the Transportation building. There were a number of other families with Achievers also making their way to the portal.

  Walking beside his family and the Teacher, Kabel reflected on what he knew of the man. It was clear that the Village Elders knew who he was as he was part of the Inner Council. Kabel had grown up, like all the other children, calling him Teacher because that was what he did. Everything and anything he could teach. He had a very good relationship with him but he was still intimidated by his sheer size and presence. Often Kabel caught him looking at him intently with his gaze seemingly burning through his very thoughts.