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ELIXA CHAPTER 77
“My brother?” Carlos repeated. The words were resonating in his ears and caused the hair on his skin to stand. What does she mean? Was this some kind of joke? Was Tina trying to play with his intelligence? His brother was dead. He had been dead for over twenty years now. There had been no news. And he was sure his brother had died since he had searched for him for ten years. What kind of trick was Tina trying to pull?“We found him,” She added, and slowly slouched on the seat. There was sadness on the edges of her skin as if she had said something she was not meant to say. “I was sent to find you as well. That’s why I had taken the position of the waitress in the pub, knowing that you would be there at the right time.”“That’s absurd, Tina. I rarely go to that pub.” Carlos’ eyebrow
ELIXA CHAPTER 78
It was the evening of the tenth day, three weeks after they had left the arena back in Terah. The party continued to match through the world of dust and heat, hoping to get to the other side of the desert before nightfall. There was no forest as far as the eyes could see, just the dune of dust, stretching towards the horizon until they were almost touching the gray clouds. The sun kept sitting over their heads, but its heat had become soft in their touch, posing no threat to their travels. There has been a time when there were about two moons and one sun, all appearing at the same time. It had come as a surprise to Damian, even though the founders happened to be unfazed by the change at that time. According to Catherine, she had claimed that they were not on earth, and were on an undisclosed planet, whose activity affected the universe at large. Damian was finding it hard to believe, especially since they had told him his brother was he
ELIXA CHAPTER 79
Home to the founders was carved inside the body of a tree trunk, large that it could contain three aeroplanes if placed side by side. There were at least sixty-two such trees and counting. Green and vitality canopy the roof, creating shadows on the streets below. Somehow, it had been miraculously arranged to fit as a wall on the entrance, while forming a circle inside what they had called a city. Well, it was indeed a city. Aside from the house of trees and their trunk, the Founders seem to have a taste of civilization. There were traffic lights, music, tiled magnetic road and advanced electric billboards. Hover cars and Bostrich roamed the streets as they transport the citizens to their various destinations. There were hovering skateboards as well, each circulating the sky and from this distance, they looked like flies on metal cars. The cars were unique and were different from those back in Bel Haven. Its body was a circle ring, stream
ELIXA CHAPTER 80
The noise from the founders had quieted down, replaced now with a silence that could only be found in a ghost town. Even the courtroom looked empty and gloomy, from the tongue of light that created circular shadows. One look and one would think the room is empty; there were at least sixty-five thousand Founders who had gathered here, to witness this once-in-a-lifetime event. According to Catherine, the founders had a legend and prophecy in their land. It was a lost legend that would shape their lives and restore the balance to their nation. But after so many years, some of them were beginning to lose hope in the prophecy. Some have called it a joke and would laugh it away whenever it was mentioned. That was the reason why so many believers were enthusiastic. The unbelievers, well, they still held that doubt in their faces. Nothing about them has changed much.Kristen sat among the audience, b
ELIXA CHAPTER 81
Numerous hoverbikes and air shuttles covered the air as the parade continued through the streets. It was almost impossible to see the rays of the morning sun which sat in the sky like a yellow lens. The palace guards had taken the front and the rear, leaving the side and the middle to the able hands of the garrison. They were heavily armed, and their watchful eyes were attentive to pick out any possible threat. They kept watching the tall buildings, the streets and the crowd. It was the best they could do, they were the best in their jobs, and times like this call for their attention and professionalism. This was one of its kind. It was the golden jubilee of the Emperor, 50 years since he sat on the throne and ruled the nine rings with power and a rod of fire. Compared to his predecessors, he was an angel, but none of them had lived up to his age. None had sat on the throne this long and none had conquered more kingdoms or held so much p
ELIXA CHAPTER 82
CHAPTER 82Hope watched with satisfaction at the disarray in the people’s square. She was pleased with the ingenuity of her shadow man. Left to her, she would have sneaked behind and killed the emperor without the eyes of his guards. But the shadow man had done the perfect job. It had not only killed the Emperor but had played the Nina part well. It also used the people to create a diversion so it could get to the emperor. Causing a riot? Hope hadn’t seen that one coming. It was a great idea, one which Hope doubt she would have thought up herself. That riot had kept the garrison busy, leaving her Shadow to fight off the palace guards and the Firstborn. This was the best day of her life, one which she would celebrate for all eternity. Everything was falling in place. All her plans, it was just a matter of seconds.Her smile broadened when she heard the approaching footfal
ELIXA CHAPTER 83
Perfection was the best word to describe the event. From the procession to the people’s square, down to her very room. It was perfect. The last time she had seen so many people gathered together to celebrate her father was on his fiftieth birthday. She was so young then, but she could recall how everything had played out. It was a replica of today’s event, a cloned version of this one. The only missing piece was the presence of the Empress, her mother.Nina sighed and took the photograph sitting on the table. A smile appeared on her face without permission as her eyes studied the three people in the photo. Her father stood on the right and towered over them, and his younger version had a smile that Nina had never seen on him, ever since her mother passed on. The empress, a dark-haired woman, stood on the left and was laughing as well. Her bright eyes were wide and seemed to portra
ELIXA CHAPTER 84
St. Vincent’s streets were the last place Carlos wanted to be. Coming here was a mistake, it has always been a misfit for him. The people and the air and the noise, all seemed off. He had never fit into society, not before and certainly not now. Everything about the street brought back old memories. On the shores of this very street, he had been abducted by the Garrison and sentenced to jail to rot there. It was a long time ago, about ten or so years before he formed the Red Heron crew. Yet, the memory and the need to breathe through an air pipe, instead of the normal, natural air, added more salt to his injuries. He hated the streets. The city itself was magnificent, with its silver tower almost touching the blue sky. Emron was the capital city of Bel Haven and the second most prosperous state in the entire Nine Rings. It was the seat of the Emperor, the home of wealth and power. A drawback to it, however, was the structure and la