Little was said during the shuttle ride away from Captain Down. James noted how Evan’s grip on his sword was tight, and that he preferred to hold it close to his chest rather than sling it over his back. They stood near the end of the hot shuttle. Evan leaned against a glass divider facing the back wall, his tired face grimy and sweaty. James looked sidelong at Sam beside him, who made a slow attempt at turning away when he saw James watching.
Evan finally spoke. “I should not have struck him.”
“You did what you had to do,” James assured him. “You shouldn’t feel bad for hurting that man, Evan.” He saw the Voarn’s face harden into a faint grimace. “Is your head okay?”
Evan gingerly fingered the bruise and surrounding dried blood on his forehead, which was just above his previous cut. He stared at his dull reflection in the window, studying his dirty face. “It is painful. But I will be… okay.” He looked up at Sam opposite him. “You are a friend?”
“That’s right,” Sam told him.
“And you know Evan, right?” James quickly asked, and studied Sam’s face for any hidden answers.
“Afraid I don’t. Though I’ve heard of him.”
“From who?” James asked before Evan could.
“A mutual friend,” was all Sam said. He held no discernible expression that James could read.
“I must say, Sam,” James said, “this new cryptic you ain’t as fun as the man I thought I knew.”
“I hope, James, that one day you find that they are one and the same.” Sam attempted a smile, though his eyes were sorrowful.
James turned to the window, unable to look at his colleague.
The motion of the shuttle gently rocked Evan back and forth. “You will be leaving now,” he said to James. “Back to your life. Your home. That was our arrangement, was it not? My father’s sword is with me again; you have no further obligations to me. Even though it was I who retrieved it. I will no longer hold you to any debt.”
James cleared his dry throat. “Evan, I’m sorry for running out on you.” He spared a look at Sam, but his colleague’s attention appeared elsewhere. “I just couldn’t handle it. It weren’t my intention to leave you. I meant it when I said I would help you. I wanted to. I just… couldn’t handle being in that house any longer.” He paused, feeling defeated. “I snapped.”
“I do not think you are the one to help me, now,” Evan said. “Although you did not fulfil your promise, I release you from your obligations. You may have been correct, James Island. You are not the hero to help me.”
A tight pain gripped James’s stomach. The idea of letting the little Voarn down disturbed him more than he wanted to admit. More than he realised it would. Maybe Evan would have been better off without his help. James wondered what had happened at Den’s house after he’d left. Evan, new to the city, must have managed to navigate the streets and somehow found his way to the abandoned construction site. James knew how difficult a task that must have been for him. And yet, Evan had found his way in time to save his life. James would never let himself forget that. Evan once again reminded him of a lost child. Far away from home. With that came another thought; one he realised had been on his mind for a while now. “Evan. Your father… you’ve never spoken of your parents.”
Evan slowly faced him, his large eyes glistening pools. “They were killed.”
“I’m… I’m sorry,” James said, a shiver running through him. He was at a loss for what to say, though managed to add, “I understand why your sword is so important to you.” But he didn’t really. He could only imagine the importance of a family heirloom. Even if that grapple hook did belong to his father, he couldn’t feel any real sentiment about it.
“I was unable to gain many possessions of my old life, before I was brought to you,” Evan said. “My home was ransacked and pillaged, and we were driven from our homes. This sword is one of the few things I have left of my father.” It was clear that Evan had more to say but he fell silent instead. He eventually met James’s eyes. “I too know what it is like to have lived a life that was not your own for the past two years.”
That struck James hard. He realised how many similarities he shared with Evan. Both of them no longer had parents, and were both still haunted by that. Both were far away from wherever they’d came from. He envied Evan for having memories of his parents. For having spent time with them. For knowing their love. Though he wondered if he were the luckier one for not having those precious memories to haunt him.
Events seemed to be happening around James, pushing him in directions he wasn’t sure he wanted to go in, whether he liked it or not. He wondered if things would turn out for the better if he just let people tell him what to do and what to think.
“I wanna help you, Evan. I’m coming back with you to see Den. Who knows, maybe we can both find some kind of peace by helping each other.”
A thin smile grew into a large grin, and Evan gave James an energetic nod. James found a laugh escape him, enjoying the Voarn’s happy smile.
“This Den,” Sam said, turning to them. “I’d be interested in meeting him. If you two would have me join you.”
James studied his colleague. “Somehow, Sam, I didn’t doubt that you would.”
Sam gave no response, and kept his expression infuriatingly neutral.
***
Being back at the shuttle pod platform over the large main road reminded James of just how naïve he was to have followed Sam to the criminal’s hideout. But what else was he meant to have believed at the time?
What was he meant to believe now?
James wondered what Tam must be thinking about his absence. Maybe Sam had given Tam a story as to why James wouldn’t be back on site so soon. For all James knew, Tam was waiting for him at Den’s house. And why not? It felt like anything was possible, and nothing could surprise him anymore.
The large sun overhead had now passed its apex as they neared the old house of Den Keenosh. James felt the knot in his stomach tighten as they approached.
Pausing at the screen door, this time James opened it and knocked on the wooden front door. The strange engravings within the wood once again reminded him of his own front door, and a part of him yearned to be outside his own house right then; to enter the sanctity of the familiar.
When the door opened, James noted that Den appeared older and somehow more dishevelled than their first meeting. The old man surveyed the three visitors for a brief moment, with the slightest nod and a somewhat grumpy expression.
“Welcome back,” Den said, stepping back and adjusting his stance to ease off his braced leg. “If you will…”
The same warm, flowery smells enveloped them as they entered.
Plates of fruit and pastries, and a jug of some drink, were on the wooden table between Den’s armchair and the sofa. Seeing the food, James realised he hadn’t eaten since the stew in Mount Volton. Although he was far from hungry at that moment.
“You didn’t doubt we’d be back, did you?” James watched the old man hobble to his seat. He realised his anger toward Den had grown upon seeing him again.
Den grunted what sounded like a laugh in response. He eased himself into his chair, his braced leg stretched out, and smiled through a grimace. “I’m glad you decided to join us, James.” Turning to Evan, he added, “I am also pleased to see you reunited with your father’s sword, young one. It is well suited.”
With the sword held across his front with both hands, Evan gave a slow, respectful nod that could have been a small bow. “You have my thanks, Den Keenosh, for all that you have done for us today.”
“And just what is that, exactly?” James asked with a hint of frustration. He paced while Evan sat on the far end of the sofa.
“I sense an unease with you, James,” Den said.
“Maybe that’s because I’m uneasy,” James retorted with more bite than he’d expected.
Den gave him a hard look. “I wonder if I may have a hand in enlightening the situation.”
Sam stepped forward. “I figure that would be my cue?”
“You ain’t a construction worker, are you?” James said.
“Oh no, I am. And a good one at that. I assure you James that I’m every bit an employee of Rimas Complete as you are. I’ve even been working there longer than you, remember?”
“Okay, so maybe you are. That don’t explain why you’re here now, does it?”
“Den told me that you came to him, earlier today,” Sam said, his voice giving away nothing more than his words. “That he told you of your Oneron heritage. We’re here to help you figure things out.”
“So go on,” James said, “help me figure things out. How’s about you start with how you and Den know each other.”
“We are old acquaintances,” Den said, clasping his hands over his belly. “From another time. I served as General to the Iron Guard Regulars of the Oneron Galactic Legion, where Sam was under my command.”
“You’re both Oneron? Like… me?”
Den nodded. “That’s right. We are the same warrior race of men. While Sam and I parted ways a long time ago, but were re-joined in the task of watching over you.”
“And that’s what you did, did you? Watch me.” James felt his face burning as his anger flared. “And where were you when I was living in a cave, sleeping in filth? Or hiding on the city border? Were you watching me when I went around the streets at night looking for a place to stay? Shunned by disgusted looks, while I didn’t even know where I was? Why would you come here to watch me and not help me?”
Sam took a measured step toward him, his hands up soothingly. “We were and still are trying to help you. I’m sorry, James. Really. For everything that’s happened to you.”
“You’re sorry?”
“There was only so much we could do,” Sam explained. “There were… restrictions. Someone was sent to help you.”
“Why couldn’t you help me yourselves? You knew who I was and yet you watched me stumble around not knowing anything?” All the anger stored within James, all the questions, everything that had built up over his two-year life, came flooding out. “Who the hell are you people to do this to me? What did you bastards do to me?!” he screamed to the room, shaking with rage.
His shout lingered in the silence that followed.
“Not us,” Den said softly. “We did what we could in the aftermath. I can only apologise for those terrible days you faced when you first awoke in this land. I won’t tell you it was right that we remained hidden. We did what we felt was best for you.”
“What was best for me was to just tell me what was going on. Which you still haven’t.”
“You are right,” Den said with a calmness that frustrated James. “Please, James, if you’ll sit. I feel terribly self-conscious when those around me stand while I’m bound to a chair.”
James held back a strong sigh and sat next to Evan, while Sam took one of the high-backed chairs from the long table and sat himself to the side.
“Am I right in assuming you didn’t check your messages last night when you arrived home?” Den asked.
James was taken aback at the question. When he’d returned home after having killing the beggar, he was horrified to see the flashing light on his personal terminal, and of what the message could have been. His troubled mind didn’t even think to check the message the morning after—this morning—but had forgotten it entirely.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
“It was from Tam,” Den continued. “Telling you to come straight to work in the morning, without making any stops. Where he could give you the package to bring to me. Although we hadn’t intended on you visiting your mountaintop before going to work, which is where Evan found you, of course. Nonetheless, today was chosen to reveal the truth to you for a specific reason. Yesterday your true identity and location was discovered. Yesterday, after that beggar lost his life, you saw a vision; a searing pain, no doubt, and a vision of a powerful entity.”
James had frozen; hardly able to breathe. So Den knew… it was just as he feared. They all knew everything.
“I… I didn’t mean to…” he couldn’t say the truth out loud.
“I understand, James. We know it was an accident.”
James shuddered at the word we.
“What is of more importance, however, is what you saw. Or more specifically, what saw you. There are very powerful, very dark entities in this galaxy and beyond it. Some you would’ve heard documented, such as the Dark King Callest Zell, whose reign of terror spanned decades and almost crushed the Centrepoint of the galaxy, as little as forty years ago. Countless others have existed in this mortal plane; many terrifying and malevolent souls. Most of which have thankfully been vanquished one way or another.”
Adjusting his seated position, Den rubbed a palm over his left thigh between the metal straps of the brace, before settling with a low sigh, appearing out of breath. “Although there remains one. One whose power and hold of many dark magics exceeds all others. Known by some as Valdragannon, but better known as the Dark Sorcerer. He is a darkness that has lingered in the shadows of history for as long as can be told, having gone by many names and appearances. He is mostly seen shrouded in heavy black robes as dark as the emptiness of space, his face ever hidden within his large hood.”
A numbing shiver ran through James’s core. He realised who Den was describing. What he was describing.
Den must have sensed his thoughts. “Yes, James. The same hooded being who you saw in the Dark Realm. That world of fire. It was a glimpse of the world the Dark Sorcerer resides. Somehow, when that homeless man recognised you, it allowed the Dark Sorcerer to finally find you. Which means you’re no longer safe in Tyken Town. Once we knew he’d detected you, we knew it was time that you finally learn your truth.”
“Detect me?” James’s pulse throbbed in his ears at the idea of a dangerous sorcerer searching for him. His stomach tightened, feeling an urge to vomit. “I don’t understand. What does this… this Dark Sorcerer want with me?”
“That leads us to the reason you’re here now. To a matter Sam and I have to share with you.” Den turned to regard Evan. “With you both, it seems. But before we do so, if you’ll indulge us, I would like to hear from our friend here. Evan Goodheart.”
Evan’s head rose, surprised at being addressed.
Den lifted a palm soothingly. “I feel it would be best if you could tell us how you came to find James. It will help shed some light on things, if we were to understand your part in this. If you would tell us your tale.”
James shook his head. “What would Evan have to do with this sorcerer looking for me?” He shied back at hearing the insolence in his voice, and at Den’s piercing look.
“Your story is not done, James, I assure you. However, if we are to tell you where your place is in this, then we must first determine why Evan was chosen to find you.”
James kept his mouth shut, wilting under the intense stare, though the old man made no discernible expression. He somehow knew Den was right. If he were meant to be hidden in town, then how was it that a disturbed beggar, a dangerous sorcerer, and a strange lost Voarn were able to find him in two days?
Evan’s eyes darted between James and Den. When he finally spoke, he was lost at the start. “I… well, yes. I can do.”
“It’s all right,” Den assured him. “You see, we went to great pains to make sure James remain hidden here, and as much as we know his story, we don’t quite know how it was that you were chosen to accompany him. It appears a greater power has brought you here. Am I correct?”
“You are indeed correct, Den Keenosh,” Evan said, sitting straight backed with his hands between his knees, over his sword resting across his lap. “I would be pleased to share my tale with you. I come from Daedalos; a planet unlike this one. How far away from here, I cannot say. I lived in a beautiful land, where my father and mother ruled as King and Queen. I grew up with the finest teachings, and was learnt with a blade as well as a pen. For a while, it was good. Then an outsider arrived seeking my father’s kingdom. A man known as the Arbiter. Eventually this Arbiter grew wearisome of exchanged words and threats, and we were attacked. It was an old enemy, the War King Nam Anaam that came with his forces and invaded our kingdom, strengthened and influenced by the Arbiter. My father and mother were abducted during the invasion, while our land was desecrated and burned around us. “I journeyed across the land to the Arbiter’s stronghold, where I found my father and mother, hanging in a cage like animals. When I—” Evan’s voice faltered, and he took a moment to compose himself.
“My father was gravely wounded when I found him. Before he passed, he told me of a golden coin hidden under our castle, and spoke of great deeds I was destined for. He referred to me as the saviour of our people, although at the time I could not fathom his words. I retrieved the gold coin hidden in the depths of our once-home, and though I did my best to restore our land, we became outlaws, fleeing our homeland and hunted like animals by the War King’s men. My people continued to move, ever hunted. Though we persevered. We found refuge in a far-off village, where we remained in hiding. For two years we waited, assimilating with the other tribe members and looking for ways to reclaim our land.
“My mother was eventually taken by a growing sickness. Before she passed, she told me she had feared me running off to challenge the War King and the Arbiter, and so held back the true purpose of the golden coin. It was an ancient godly possession, which would pay for the service of the smith-lord Thaenos, who could aid me in saving our kingdom from the Arbiter. The night she passed, a tribe elder held a ritual which sent me on a spiritual journey to guide my path. On this journey I saw many things. A city with two floors. I felt a connection to a man I did not know, nor could I see clearly, who lived in this city. The elder told me I would need the help of this man.
“After I buried my mother, I took my father’s sword, the golden coin, and a scroll given to me by the elder, which would call the smith-god. I journeyed to our land’s end, and spoke the words on the scroll, calling forth Thaenos. The smith-god acquiesced to my pleas and summoned one of his mechanical constructions. I stepped into the device and was sent away; believing he would take me to the city with two floors.”
“When I came to, I found myself in a room made of light, where I saw I was before three giant men clothed in white light, sitting high on thrones. They called themselves the Light Council. They spoke of many people who were no longer; of a man named James Island, who could help me find these lost people, and in doing so I would find the way to end the Arbiter’s tyranny. I knew immediately that this James Island was the same man I had seen in my spiritual journey. I was once more surrounded by light, and the next moment I was in a cave, not knowing how far I had just travelled. I followed the light to find myself on a mountain top, where I discovered a man. I knew at once the gods had placed me in front of whom they had spoken. The man named James Island.”
Evan lowered his head. “Unfortunately, the gods play a cruel jest, as James appears to be ill-suited to aid me.” There was no bitterness in his voice, just a slight sadness. He eyed the sheath of his father’s sword and said no more.
“That is quite a tale,” Den said. “And for someone so young. As I suspected, your path does cross with our own. It is a puzzle that the Light Gods chose you to find James at this time. Although it cannot be denied that you were meant to be a part of this.”
James still struggled to understand how he could be connected to any of this. Why would some gods call him a saviour? Was that what they’d said? Why did everyone keep telling him he was some kind of hero?
Den remained deep in thought for a moment before saying, “Tell me, Evan, what do you know of this man the Arbiter?”
“Only what I have told. He is the most monstrous man I have ever known. Pure evil. Though I only ever saw him on two occasions, and from afar at that. My parents saw fit to shield me from him as best they could.”
“Why do you ask?” James asked, sensing something in Den’s tone. “Do you know the Arbiter?”
Den said, “There is little to be known of him, wherever you look. If he even is who we suspect him to be. He is a known arms dealer in several territories, and goes by many names, though little can be said of the man himself, as he speaks and acts through associates and is rarely seen in person. The Arbiter could have been this man we suspect, or was working under his orders.”
Sam had fallen into his own thoughts, but came out of them now. “What was it that the Light Council said to you, Evan? People who were lost?”
“People that were no longer, aye. My people, I believe. The restoration of my people and our homeland. That is my mission.”
“We may have another possible answer to that.” Sam stood and looked over them. “While I have no doubt that the gods seek to help you, Evan, there is another matter this could relate to. One that ties you to all this, James.” His eyes fell on James, who held his gaze, not wanting to back down. “Stay with me. For some time now, people have been going missing across the galaxy. This may have been going back for decades, we can’t be sure, but what we do know is that thousands of people—businessmen, families, scientists, soldiers—have disappeared.”
“Disappeared?” James said.
“Aye.” Sam paced now. “Hundreds of armies, factions, military groups… whole technologies, notable scientists and doctors in many advanced fields. All missing.”
“They’re just disappearing?” James asked sceptically, the knot in his stomach tightening.
“They have gone missing,” Sam corrected. “More precisely, they are being abducted.”
“And no one is aware of this?” James looked to Den; whose stone stare gave no answers. “How do so many people go missing and no one notice?”
Sam said, “The abductors have taken great pains to hide their actions. Some were seen killed in public accidents, to give the impression of them dying. Some were given orders of relocation, promotions, or personal travels explained to their loved ones in letters left behind, never to be seen or heard from again. Numerous methods so as not to arouse suspicion. Over several years and so widespread, people are less likely to see a connection.”
James had to ask, “You don’t think these people did die, or left their homes willingly?”
Shaking his head, Sam said, “When these events were looked into, some High Sorcery lingered at a few of the sites. Supposed faulty equipment, incoherent stories, and mixed perceptions from locals and authorities all suggest a greater element involved. Someone is taking these people for a reason.”
“Someone is building an army,” Evan said with certainty.
“That is our assumption.” Sam regarded Evan for a moment. “A great force, larger than any singular army. It is our belief that someone, or a group of someone’s, is abducting these people and forming their own colony, their own people, for a purpose we cannot yet determine.”
“The Dark Sorcerer,” Evan said. James was surprised at how well he was following all of this.
Sam nodded gravely and slowed his pacing. “He certainly has the power to mastermind such events.”
“And if not the Dark Sorcerer,” Evan said, “you believe the Arbiter to be the cause of these disappearances?”
When Den spoke again, James noticed how his eyes kept falling on Evan. “The Arbiter is someone with the resources to accomplish such a feat, yes. Though we cannot rule out other players. The Dark Sorcerer in particular. There are a few entities in this galaxy that have the capabilities for widespread abduction. They would need many weapons and provisions, to maintain such a force. Being a covert operation also, the building and gathering of these supplies would have to go unnoticed.”
“They would need to have them somewhere though, right?” James said, trying to keep up.
“Perhaps in a realm of sorcery,” Evan offered.
Sam said, “It’s a possibility. Though searching the magical realms is not an ideal solution.”
“Or how about underground somewhere?” James suggested. “They would have to show themselves at some point, to gather all these resources and take these people, before going back to wherever they’re hiding.”
Sam came to a stop by James and Evan. “This leads us to matters closer to hand. There’s an iron forge in a nearby town, Riondon, which has recently been bought by an off-world company. The head of this company is a notorious arms dealer who goes by the name of Higero Jaxx. Now Jaxx’s interest in the Riondon forge was a surprise to many, but the extra income to the town’s economy was welcomed by the locals. Interestingly, Jaxx has his own guards stationed around the forge, and I was able to meet some of them during a reconnaissance as a Rimas employee.”
James thought back to the amount of times Sam had been absent from work, and remembered hearing of him travelling out of town.
Sam went on. “To my surprise, I recognised one of the guards. A corporal I once knew. His eyes were glazed with a lack of focus, and he appeared to not recognise me. I managed to contact a family member on his home world and discovered he’d been missing for several years, having not returned from a land dispute on one of their moons and presumed dead. What was also of interest to me was the armour that the missing corporal wore. The armour of a Sacre guardsman. Very peculiar to be seen on Carnan.”
“A Sacre guardsman?” James asked.
“A high-level guard for Sacre.” Noticing James’s confused look, Sam went on. “An immense conglomerate. While their reach extends to most of the galaxy, they’ve rarely had an interest in the meagre affairs and resources of our local planets. They’re likely unfamiliar to most here, which would give them reason to choose this planet for their covert actions.”
Den was resting his chin on a fist as he sat there pensively. “What their presence on-world could mean is beyond us right now. Their interest in the Riondon forge only causes further intrigue.”
“You think this Sacre could be behind the disappearances?” James asked.
Sam said, “They’re one of our most likely suspects. Though why they would abduct these people only to dress them up in their own armour is beyond us.”
“I was going to point that out,” James said with a shrug.
Evan appeared confused. “If these abducted individuals are being moved across the galaxy, will they not be recognised by other people that may know them? Like you yourself did?”
“An interesting point,” Sam said. “Many wear visored helmets, although that doesn’t guarantee anonymity. I sense that some other forces are at work to avoid that circumstance.” James noticed Sam pause on him with a troubled look in his eyes, before he looked away and began pacing again.
James’s shoulders had tensed when he gathered what they were getting at. “And you want me and Evan to find out what’s going on at the Riondon iron forge? Is that it? I mean, why are we here? What can we do about any of this?”
Den grinned, an amused look on his face, while Sam remained silent. Den said, “You have to understand; if Sacre is orchestrating something on this level, its purpose will be a serious threat to all. Even more so if the Dark Sorcerer is involved. Sacre have sought the dominant control of several systems on more than one occasion before. We must discover what they are planning, before it’s too late.”
That uneasy feeling continued to twist James’s stomach. “And what do you think we can do?”
Den said, “There is a warehouse in Tyken Town, owned by an affiliate of Sacre. Sam has seen one of Jaxx’s bodyguards enter the warehouse on several occasions, and we’d like to know why. The next course of action is to search the warehouse and find what you can regarding Sacre and Jaxx’s company, Dyna Core. Sam will be leading you. We need to find as many of these abducted people as we can. Sacre’s plans must be stopped.”
James tried not to sound like a difficult child. “But how could we—how could you, any of us, possibly stop something on this scale? And how does any of this relate to me? You said you would tell me why this dark being was after me.” He began to say more but then held back. A terrible thought had struck him. “Was… was I abducted also? Am I… one of these people taken by Sacre? Is that why this sorcerer is after me? To take me back?”
“No,” Den said with surprising gravity. “Yours was a different fate.”
“What does that—”
“Understand this, James. It is of the utmost importance to you that you discover what Sacre is planning. Their path has intercepted with your own once before.”
“What do you mean?”
Den looked firmly at him. “Your father is one of the missing soldiers.”