{Near Three Million Years Ago}

“Xelan? Xelan, are you crying?” Mother reached out a trembling hand to his shoulder.

Like every night, Xelan abandoned any hope of seeing a single star beyond Li’s burning haze. He turned to his mother with his head ducked and his eyes low.

Savis’ long dark hair draped to her thighs like a cape. Xelan liked the contrast of it against her cream pants. Should he say so? No. Umbra might be nearby, and Xelan grimaced at the thought of another berating.

Their mother knelt down until they met eye to eye. Her eyes glowed iridescent, like a seashell Xelan had discovered on a hike. He’d given it to her for that exact reason, and she wore it now around her neck. Reaching out with her wavering hands, she brushed down his arms. “What bothers you?”

Sniffing, Xelan tried to stand as straight as possible to offset his salt-washed face. “Nox hates me.”

Shaking her head and running her hands soothingly on his arms, Savis promised, “No. He loves you. He has trouble showing it.” She fluffed a strand of his long hair from his shoulder. “What happened this time?”

Xelan looked away and counted the ruts in a nearby column. Twenty. “I do not care for betraying him by telling you, but the walk home from the Ignis Desert left me dried out and starved.”

Savis said, “You are not old enough to play there even with him. Were you alone for this walk?” She took his hand, smaller in hers but more steady.

“Yes.”

“In his way, Nox tried to teach you to wait and explore there in later years when you can sustain yourself better.”

Xelan followed the tremor from Savis’ fingers to her wrists to her elbows. Mother always shook. Determined, he said, “But I want to go with him.”

“You are not old enough nor strong enough.”

Xelan winced at their mother’s words. Nox had lived a long time before his little brother had come into the world. Catching up proved difficult.

Savis said, “Taxing your brother to come along will only hurt you, and he will not discourage your efforts if only to test your will.” Mother stood and stepped over to the bed. She patted it with her hand.

Xelan let out a noisy sigh, groaning. It was an interminable day, and now it would end with the same story Savis always told him in the aftermath of Nox’s cruelty. He sat on the bed beside her and made a show of fluffing the pillows.

Truth was, Xelan liked this story. In mother’s gentle voice with her Coalition daughter’s cadence, she’d told him many stories of Elden and the stars. But this was Xelan’s favorite story in secret. “I’m ready,” he pretended to grumble.

A slight smile formed on Savis’ lips, which confirmed she knew of his pretense but allowed it nevertheless. She said, “When your brother came into this world, your father gifted him with a magnificent treasure. He draped around Nox’s neck a cord bearing a tiny sliver of Elden’s nacre. An important relic bestowed by our great parent. Your brother cherished it as he grew older and never parted with it. That was until the day you were born. He took one look at you as an infant, removed the cord from his neck, and tied it around yours. Do you remember what he said?”

Not ‘remember’ as in retaining complete and utter awareness as a newborn, but remembered from her many retellings. Xelan repeated, “‘Both Elden and I will protect you.’” He peered down at the necklace he never removed. The small shard resembled the same amber glass as Elden’s Sphere. While Nox wasn’t always kind, he tried to educate Xelan on life in his own way.

Savis said, “Then he kissed you.” She pressed her lips to Xelan’s head before continuing, “And held you. Proof your brother loves you.”

His mother loved the story more than Xelan did. It was evidence of Nox’s kindness while it grew increasingly rare as he spent more time with father. Savis relished any opportunity to brag on her eldest son’s compassion.

That was the last time.

{Cinder | July 2006}

“Xelan, are you crying?”

Rayne’s voice arrested Xelan from his memories as Tameka’s nails scratched soothing circles along his back.

The girl with hair dark as his mother’s knelt before him and scanned his face. In the reflection of her eyes, Xelan glimpsed that his had shifted into Atramentous. Beyond the salted scent of his own tears, he smelled another’s.

Xelan peered at Tameka, who stood by his side. Considering the Primary’s revelation, she’d kept her gaze from him. He wouldn’t have it. Crooking a finger under her cheek, he lifted her eyes to meet his.

Rayne gasped and stepped a pace or two away, granting them the illusion of privacy. The others stood off near the conduit.

Tameka returned the teary Atramentous sight. Xelan marveled at the precious green stone poured between her lashes with her pupil stretched to a single black stripe. Xelan made it a point to tell her so. The words thick with emotion, he croaked, “Seeing your ethereal eyes gives me hope something good will come out of all this ugliness if only that something is waking up to you every day for as long as you’ll have me.”

Tameka pressed her forehead to his. On a broken sob, she vowed, “Until eternity takes me.”

After a brief moment of soaking up the strength Tameka offered, Xelan spared another look at the aforementioned ugliness. Ten thousand years away from Cinder. How could he reconcile this?

Enki’s conduit was perched on a great ridge overlooking a valley. Carved into the basalt mountainside, Umbra’s twisting, towering spire warded the Tritan conduit. In the valley, the fertile soil nourished the last field of Vittle crops which supplied the entire planet with sustenance. A tiny village of about one million farmers and fishermen supported the fields and tended the lonely castle. That was ten thousand years ago.

A migration of Icarean servants and warriors cut a swath through the blighted field.

Billions.

Billions of Icari marched toward Nox’s castle. Umbra’s black stone estate had crumpled and eroded into the lake which served as its moat. Abandoned, it no longer stood sentinel to Tritan threats. Xelan had cautioned against such avarice not long before the Progeny rebellion.

Staring at the war machines traveling alongside the distant parade, Xelan wondered if Cinder had finally established itself as a galactic threat. Hellkites, red-winged drakes, and scissor-handed sabers. All at the ready to devour humans on command and all from his genetic design. Xelan worried more about the unfamiliar units. Tank-like crawlers with treads roved over the rust-colored landscape. Nacre glass similar to Elden’s sphere encased the hull, displaying the operator. There was no obvious gun nuzzle or cannon in sight, making it even more curious and worrisome. Maybe it produced some kind of blast. Several Icari stomped around in mobile suits twice his height, of which Xelan could only guess their purpose. Flight without blood in exchange for wings? Armor against the blasts?

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

The final work of engineering amongst the throng chilled Xelan to the bone. It was the size of a quarry dump truck, and just as slow—The mobile production line embodied his worst nightmares. Xelan remembered Nox’s blueprints, the pride on his face at the completion of his designs. Xelan also remembered the fight which had followed and the final knife in his back leading to his emancipation from his only remaining family.

Cruor Villam, the Blood Farm, was comprised of a hopper and a bail to collect humans into the interior. The nano-sieve within the machine separated the blood from the body, barreled it, and ejected the exsanguinated corpse through the bottom. It left a trail of bodies in its wake. Every layer and element, constructed from nacre glass, allowed for surrounding humans to witness the carnage. The glass, a composite of ground nacres as found in living bearers, easily cost one million Icari their lives for the Villam.

Xelan muttered, “I need to warn Karter and Lucas, immediately.” They were woefully unprepared for this level of technology from Cinder. And their technologically-advanced allies, who refused to provide said technological aid, were partially responsible for the state of Xelan’s world. It was enough to make him scream.

Tameka’s small hand squeezed his long fingers. Xelan glanced down at her, and she leaned into his side, saying, “We’ll make it right.” The certainty in her voice comforted him, stilled his wrath and apprehension.

Rayne returned and awarded him with a gentle smile. “We’ll save Cinder.”

Xelan shocked them by pulling both girls into a tight hug. He needed it right then.

“Are we done, dude? You’ve been crying for like fifteen minutes, and we’re kinda on display here!” Kyle thrust both hands, indicating the crowd in the valley.

Tameka said, “Nobody said you had to wait for us. The castle’s right there. You get to walking!”

“Watch me!”

Kyle took one step into the field between the conduit and Umbra’s spire before Xelan shouted, “Stop! Don’t move!” He rushed past both girls and stepped around Sagan to Kyle’s side, repeating, “Do. Not. Move.”

With his eyes wide in terror, the male Progeny stared at his foot. In a quiet voice, Kyle said, “Help me.”

The girls followed behind Xelan until he waved them back. “Stay out of the field. There are mines.”

Rayne asked, “Did you step on one?”

Kyle spared her a horrified look.

“Oh, shit,” Sagan cried, softly.

Tameka covered her mouth and muttered, “It’s all my fault. I’m so sorry, Kyle.”

“Shh…” Xelan needed quiet. He knelt down and stared at the unit. The spring worked, but the actual mine couldn’t arm. “I think someone disarmed it.”

“Think?!” Kyle shouted.

Xelan said, “Don’t move. Let me check out this next one.” He stepped a few yards away and knelt down. “I’ll trip it and we’ll see, but this one looks disarmed, too.” He stepped back and threw a good-sized rock on the mine. Nothing.

Sagan asked, “Does that mean he can move?”

Xelan said, “Yeah, back away from him, though. Just in case.”

The girls stepped a few yards away.

Xelan walked right up to Kyle, asking, “How you doing?”

“Man, fuck you. How do you think I’m doing?”

The older man nodded. “I think you’ll be all right. But just in case, I’ll shield you.”

Kyle snapped his gaze up to Xelan’s. “Will I live?”

Xelan nodded. “I won’t let you die, you colossal pain in my ass.” For the first time since stepping through the conduit, he felt like smiling. He broke into a reassuring grin at this irritating member of his Shadow family. “Ready?”

Kyle said, “I mean, yeah. If I die, tell Rayne—”

Xelan threw himself onto the younger man, knocking them both to the dirt. When nothing happened, Xelan rolled off him and let out a heavy sigh of relief.

Kyle shouted, “Hey! You weren’t sure it wouldn’t kill me!”

“Nope.”

Sagan asked, “Is it safe to come over?” She stood poised on the edge of the field. Rayne looked on beside her, and Tameka kept glancing back at the valley.

“The entire conduit is surrounded by mines.” Xelan stood and reached out a hand to Kyle. “I’ll check them on the way to the Spire.”

Kyle took his hand and groaned as Xelan lifted him to his feet. “Please do.”

“You know how to say ‘please’?” Rayne snickered. The two other girls giggled along as Kyle shot Rayne the finger.

Xelan shook his head and headed across the field to the gloomy castle. Now and then he spared another glance to the migration. As this castle stood sentinel to Enki’s conduit, Nox’s castle guarded the one to Earth.

Xelan didn’t like it. Why migrate the entire population of the planet there if the conduit couldn’t open without Celindria’s blood? Did Nox find another way?

During the walk, Tameka took Xelan’s hand again. Her presence was a reassuring light, soothing some of the darkness in his mind. If Tumu decided to formally press charges, he might not see her for a very long time after the war ended. He owed her an explanation before that happened. But—

Dizzy. So very dizzy.

Xelan stopped walking. His head swam, and a sharp pain needled his temples. The pain intensified, and he cried out as his knees buckled.

Tameka jerked her hand away and knelt to check him as the others gathered around them. The moment Tameka’s hand left his, the dizziness subsided, and the nausea stopped. This was an entirely foreign sensation to Xelan. The nacre stabilized the bearer’s equilibrium at all times.

Sagan pointed. “Your nose is bleeding.”

In this very long life of his, Xelan’s nose had never bled once without a catalyst such as a blow or a fall.

“I’ll get it,” Tameka soothed. She used her shirt sleeve to wipe away the blood. Her skin momentarily grazed his face, and the nausea returned.

A pattern formed then. The eighteen hours without sustenance on the train, Sagan’s earlier episode, and now this. How could Xelan break this to her? “Tameka.” He tried for calm, reassuring.

She froze and stared up at him. So much for reassuring.

Rayne came to their side while Sagan and Kyle stayed at his back. Everyone grew alert at the tone of his voice.

Xelan said, “I think we discovered your ability.”

Rayne’s eyes grew wide. Sagan whispered something to Kyle. Tameka frowned in confusion. “But Merit didn’t have any abilities.”

Xelan nodded. “You’re absolutely right. But can I ask, how do you feel right now?”

Tameka thought about it and answered, “Great. A little sad, but really good.”

“Energized?”

“Well, yeah, now that you mention it.”

Xelan peered at Tameka. Even with her brow furrowed, her eyes sparkled. Her exposed amber skin glowed, looking hydrated and well-slept. Not at all like she’d nourished him the night before and had survived a plane crash. But some of that Xelan credited to Tameka magic. The rest…

With the nausea abated, Xelan said, “Give me your hand.”

Tameka didn’t hesitate and placed her hand in his.

Xelan collapsed to the ground. Rayne, Sagan, and Tameka cried out and rushed to his side. Kyle mumbled and stayed put, staring out at the herd. Xelan dropped Tameka’s hand and recovered.

Sagan asked, “What exactly is happening?” She reached out to Tameka and placed a hand on her shoulder. As Xelan pushed himself back to his knees, he watched, intently. Rayne caught on and peered at both girls. In thirty seconds, Sagan’s nose trickled blood.

Kyle shouted this time, “Tameka, you’re a vampire!”

Sagan snapped her hand away and cradled her head. “I feel sick.”

Tameka panicked. “Xelan, what do I do? How do I turn it off?!”

Already mostly recovered, he answered, “It’s the same as Sagan’s ability. You will it off.” He stood, hoping to reassure her.

Sagan followed, although a little unsteadily.

Tameka peered up at Xelan with her eyes too wide and her breathing too shallow.

“It’s all right, Tameka. It’s an incredible ability. You’re so strong.” Xelan grinned. “You brought this grown Icarus to his knees.” When Tameka gave him a shy smile, he continued, “Stand up.” As she did, he turned back, “Can you give us a little privacy, guys?”

Sagan and Rayne turned their backs automatically. Kyle stared at him, incredulous. “Are you kidding me? We’re in the middle of a minefield.”

Tameka glared. “Turn around, Kyle.”

He obeyed with open disgust.

Tameka peered back up at Xelan, sweetly, and he barked out a laugh. “That’s my girl.”

A light harrumph broke from behind them.

Xelan ignored it, speaking only for Tameka now. “Close your eyes. Now, sense the systems within you. Your blood rushing, your heart pumping, your brain thinking—all of it.” She concentrated. He smiled and leaned in close to her ear. At the proximity of his voice, she jumped. “Do you feel alive, Tameka? On fire?”

Tameka swallowed hard and nodded. The faint scent of bergamot drifted in the air.

Xelan said, “You’re a battery of nacre life, and you were born this way. That night, you drained all that energy around the hospital. Our first night together, you kept up with little sips from me. Tameka, you’re made of power.”

She whimpered, “Xelan, I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Shh… You know how to control it.” Xelan kissed the side of Tameka’s neck under her ear.

No dizziness.

Xelan glanced behind him to see the waiting three staring off into the ridge. Rayne had shoved her hand over one ear, and Sagan covered the other.

Xelan turned back to Tameka, saying, “Think of your own energy, of how very much of it you already have. You don’t require anymore at this time.”

With her eyes closed, Tameka concentrated hard and her breathing came and went as if in meditation.

This was the test of a lifetime. Xelan breathed against her lips, “Take of me what you need. Give to me what you want.”

Xelan took Tameka’s lips with his, and she melted into him. No drain. Just intoxicating, comforting sensation. She purred against him and tried to climb him. He broke away with a laugh. Time and place aside, he could use the release himself, but alas. Xelan peered up at the spire.

Duty called.

Tameka beamed up at him with flushed, freckled cheeks, and he almost decided he didn’t give a damn about duty.

Then Rayne cleared her throat behind Xelan. He spun around. She stared at the spire with determination. All the while her friends adjusted and dealt with their gifts, she remained silent over the lack of hers. They’d come here to find the Pretiosum Cruor so the Tritans would activate her nacre. Rayne had held back her frustration, patient, until at the steps of the spire, her friends started making out.

Rayne looked at Xelan then and flashed a knowing smile. “Ready?”

Ready.