Descendants of the Ida Dynasty - 2. Chapter 2: Life in Orion

9 days earlier...

The sun’s rose-red glow peered into our home. My body was heavy with heat and sweat, half covered by a heavy, russet brown cloth. Diego lied beside me with his arm over my chest, his tattoo of black flames traveling up to his shoulder. He slept, a low cooing leaving his moist lips every time he exhaled. He had a rather large flat nose, pointed ears pierced with small silver loops. His chest and black hair that always seemed to stand erect were damp with sweat. He was beautiful. My hands caressed his back while he slept, then I discreetly removed myself from under him. I don’t normally wake before him, giving me ample chance to wander the town without his watchful eye on me.

My eyes got acquainted with the shine of the sun. Our home, a small, beige dome browned by years of dirt and rust, no longer reflected off its rays. My feet walked along a paved walkway of cobalt blue bricks, feeling the crevices beneath my feet. Other domes with varying hues, homes created by scrap metals, and others kept together by manipulation of the Earth’s elements, were all across town. My path led me through our empty marketplace. The lingering smell of beast lingered in the air, searched and found by our hunters. I envisioned taking the first bite of a plum or apricot provided by our gatherers. At the end of it, ruins of military bases and old homes, their charred and decayed remains, stood on each side of me, remnants of a past and lost war. This meager enclave that we live in, we call Orion.

Orion is a Deko occupied territory consisting entirely of descendants of Ida. We descendants are humanoid offspring of the goddess Ida, distinguished for our ancient powers that we’ve honed and carried from generation to generation.

“Barken, my brother!”

Ahead of me was Sapphire, waving from her home. She wore a forest green dress like a kalasiris that flowed like waves down to her feet, her umber skin glistening underneath. Black dreadlocks fell over her shoulder straps.

“We have wonderful magic to create today! Come come!”

One always knew Sapphire’s mood depending on the state of her cottage. Today, her home was illuminated by a fiery globe imitating the sun that orbited around the space. I was concerned with accidentally bumping into it and being scorched, but Sapphire paid it no mind. Unique, four-legged creatures occupied the space. A lemon-colored, indigo bellied lizard climbed up the wall near the door. It stopped to stare at me with its many eyes I couldn’t begin to count. It stuck its tongue at me and slithered away. In the middle of Sapphire’s home was a small, glowing turquoise pond that appeared endless in its depth. Droplets of water twirled out the pond and danced in the air. All of this orchestrated, moment to moment, by Sapphire’s subtle hand gestures.

Sapphire is an elementalist, one of the three ancient powers we descendants hone. Fire, water, earth, air, elementalists influence the nature around them, allowing them to procure vegetation, food, water, and other resources.

Two branches, wrapping themselves like a braid, came towards me. The dancing water immersed itself into the branches, making it grow. At the end of the braid, a sparkling flower that looked like aquamarine gems bloomed in my face. Then two, then three. They reflected off the fiery globe that circled around the room.

“For you,” Sapphire giggled.

“Thank you,” I said, pulling the flowers off the braided branch, sticking them at the side of my loincloth.

The braid retreated and attached itself to the wall. The dancing water fed itself into the roots, and the branch began spreading across the wall. Aquamarine flowers bloomed along it.

She held out her palms for me to grab. Like a fortune teller, my two hands were placed on top of hers. My eyes closed and my palms glowed marigold, the light caressing Sapphire and my skin. Euphoria took over me. Images of her son and herself dancing on an open plain was the strongest image that came up. Then, I was immersed in water, swimming through a cave. Traveling through it, a light was in the distance. A potential exit. Its pull was alluring, you wanted to reach it at any costs. When the exit was reached, I was brought back to Sapphire’s cottage. Our two hands separated.

“Those were beautiful images,” I said, “I’m afraid I’m unfamiliar with any places where you can swim through a cave.”

I hone the ancient power of clairsentience, giving me intimate knowledge of whomever I touch for healing and understanding.

“Oh, that,” she said, waving her hand. She pulled herself close to me as though she was revealing a secret. “That place is secret. Maybe one day, I’ll show you.”

“Mother...”

A young voice came from the other side of the room. He wiped away at his eyes, his rope bracelets with dangling ruby jewels reflecting off the fiery globe. He wore a brown loincloth over his mauve skin. This brunette haired youngster was the offspring of Sapphire, Cosmo.

He said, “You have to be careful! If one of Deko’s Royal Forces sees into our home, you can get in great trouble!”

He huffed and walked himself through his mother’s nature-filled living room, ignoring the illuminating fireball that orbited around him.

Sapphire sighed and rolled her eyes. “These warriors, always so overprotective. You’d think he’s the man of the house!” Sapphire put her hand on my shoulder. “I’m sure you have your hands full with brother Diego.”

Diego and Cosmo were born with the last of the three ancient powers: heightened awareness and instinct. From an early age, descendants of Ida with this ability were physically stronger than their peers and were chosen as our designated protectors, the warriors of our tribe if you will.

“Cosmo asked for you to accompany him to school today. Apparently about business he can’t speak to his mum about.”

She eyed Cosmo knowingly.

Cosmo shrugged. “It’s private business. Let’s go, Barken.”

We said our goodbyes and exited the cottage. Cosmo looked up at me. I put my hand on his shoulder and we continued down the road. There was no need to speak.

My palm glowed as it held Cosmo’s shoulder. He had great anxiety wanting to keep his mom safe. He was also frustrated with his schooling. Cosmo questioned the goals of his teachers, our own kind, encouraging his peers as well as himself to subdue their powers.

“Do you speak with others about these issues?” I asked.

“Not too many,” he said, “I rant to my brethren, but they’re afraid. They don’t want to be associated with a troublemaker. How can they be complacent?! What we need to be taught is how to survive!”

Cosmo’s tenseness rose. My hand caressed his shoulder to calm his nerves. Worry engulfed me; his way of thinking might put him in danger.

“Now listen, you have to take that same advice you give to your mother about keeping yourself hidden. Don’t let yourself be heard by the wrong person. Speaking out against Deko’s rule puts you at risk of punishment. Our day of salvation will come, you must believe.”

Cosmo’s labored breath begin to calm. He walked more steadily.

“I’ll try, Barken.”

We approached his school. A Deko royal guard stood by the entrance. It wore metallic, purple armor that fitted tight over its blue skin. These beings stood a foot taller than most adult descendants. Some, like this guard, carried large scepters that looked like gold. This particular guard gripped her scepter tight as though she needed something to strike. I pulled Cosmo close to me.

As we approached, the guard kept the scepter clutched in her left hand and watched us. Her yellow eyes were narrow, lips pursed. Titans have very few if any facial cues, making them hard to read. I rushed us through the entrance and passed the guard who hopefully wasn’t watching us as we leave.

“She’s an intimidating one,” I said. Cosmo glared at the guard as we walked through.

We reached the front doors. The school was a shabby, warehouse type structure that Diego and I had our teaching in back when we were around Cosmo’s age. The building stood after all this time.

“Be careful, Cosmo.”

We embraced and he ran off to his classmates. He is a quick youngster, a sign that he’s becoming an adult.

I walked myself out the school and through the gate. The guard stood by her post, staring down the students. Once back on the walkway, I found Diego wandering around.

“Barken,” he said, but didn’t say anything else before coming over to sniff me.

“What brought you here?” I asked before realizing how silly that question was.

“I followed your scent. I didn’t see you when I woke up in the morning.” His nose traveled all over my body, the tip of it grazing over my skin. He pulled away, his face serious. “I have to leave for my post. I need to bathe you.”

And without waiting for an answer, he lifted me up off my feet, carried me in his arms, and returned us home.

Once we were done, Diego left for the mines. I wandered along our home, letting the air dry the droplets of water that fell on my skin. Putting on my loincloth, a knock came to the door. The voice spoke in urgent whispers.

“Brother Barken, we need your assistance!”

My trance was broken. Dressing quickly, I opened my door to one of the other villagers.

“It’s Elder Miles!” he exclaimed. “Something is happening to him!

He grabbed me by my hand and pulled me along. We took a zig-zagged direction to our destination.

“The Deko royal guards are looking for any laborers who haven’t shown up at their posts. They’ll stop anyone who looks up to no good...”

He took us to a mud hut shaped like a cone. Another villager stood outside the door, peering around. When she saw us, she made glances to her left and right and gave us the signal to come forward. She eyed me suspiciously.

“We’re all inside,” the villager whispered, her eyes constantly scanning the area as she spoke. “We can’t get control of him... Had to pull him inside when he started howling. You can see his handiwork here...”

She pointed to the stump of a tree near the hut. It appeared to be struck by lightning. There were cracks in the Earth near the impact zone, and the ground had been charred around it.

“Some of the royal guards were wandering around here, putting their noses in our business... Convinced them we had nothing to do with it… I can’t keep lying and turning em’ away for long. I’m entrusting you to help my brother, Barken. Help Miles.”

Miles… The name was becoming familiar to me now.

“You can trust me, sister,” I said. “Lead me in.”

Entering inside, two fellow villagers were standing by the door with their backs toward us. They seem to be bracing themselves for an attack. One turned to me. It was Bebe.

“Barken,” she said.

Standing beside her was Elder Ramon who also turned to me. His face was grim. Ahead of us was Jean, facing the other way with a gash on his forehead.

Miles was in the center of the room. The ground beneath him was being ripped asunder. Rocks that were pulled up from the ground floated in the air and spun around him like a whirlpool. His head was leaning back, facing the ceiling, his hair fluctuating with the updraft. Above us on the ceiling were storm clouds roaring, ready to strike down.

“Ramon and myself have been trying to make contact,” she continued, “but Miles seems possessed. He won’t let us come near!”

I saw Jean inching forward towards Miles. “Miles, please. You must control yourself!”

Miles didn’t seem to react. Instead, a storm cloud above Jean began to illuminate. Ramon rushed ahead, pulled Jean towards us, and a lightning bolt struck the floor where he was standing.

“If the royal guards see him,” Jean said, “he could be killed!”

I nodded. My feet moved cautiously toward Miles. The whirlwind of rocks began spinning more violently.

“Miles,” I said. “I know you’re in pain. I know what ails you, brother. Let me heal you.”

Miles began to moan, then stopped suddenly. His head lifted, his eyes pointing at us now. His irises and pupils were gone, replaced by blank whiteness. His wrinkled, lime green skin fluttered with the wind. Bebe was correct, he did look as though he were possessed.

“Can I hold your hands, Miles?”

Miles responded by laughing. He put his hand to his mouth as though he wanted to blow a kiss. He whistled, then flames blew out of his mouth. Backing away, I fell to the floor. The heat grazed my scalp.

“Barken!” Ramon yelled, joining me on the floor.

Miles laughed some more, blowing flames towards the roof.

“Jean and I can take care of this if it’s too dangerous.”

I lifted myself up. Bebe and Jean joined us. It was dangerous, but not impossible.

“Jean, trying gathering water to try and drench Miles,” I said. “ Ramon, use your reflective charm whenever a lightning bolt strikes. If you can deflect them, Bebe and I can treat Miles of his ailment. Bebe, stand beside me.”

Jean began collecting water from the ground underneath Miles feet and from the storm clouds above. Water pulled out of the crevices in the ground, pooling towards Jean. Ramon eyed the ceiling for any stray bolts that may strike, in deep concentration with his hands folded like a triangle. Bebe and I drew close to Miles, weary of his flame-throwing mouth. He turned to us with his blank eyes and moaned again.

The door of his home opened.

“Hurry,” the villager from outside warned us. “The commotion is attracting attention.”

“Then provide a distraction!” Jean ordered. “Restoring to one’s original state is no easy task.”

The villager looked concerningly, “Please, as quick as you can,” and the door shut again.

“Ready, Jean?” I asked.

“Indeed.”

His collection of water swirled like an orb before him, his hands moving around it to keep its shape. Jean lifted the orb of swirling water in the air, lifting it gradually towards Miles and up to the ceiling. Some of the water within the orb fell to the ground, splashing and creating puddles. Miles seemed unconscious of its presence. Thunder sounded, and a storm cloud began to lighten up with energy above Bebe and I. A lightning bolt came down, Bebe and I bracing to get struck, but the bolt was collected by Ramon, who deflected it to the floor. The water orb floated above Miles, who was whistling and blowing more flames in the air.

“Now!” I screamed.

Jean released his orb of water, falling on top of Miles' head. Miles was stunned, his flames devoured. The rocks around him began to fall back to the floor. Bebe and I minded the rocks as we grabbed his hands, pulling him away from the chasm underneath his feet. He struggled out of our hold, the flames in his throat extinguished by the water. My two hands held his and glowed. Bebe held his other hand, hers the color of lilac. Our auras interlaced, engulfing Miles as well as each other.

My prediction was correct, it was the anniversary of his wife’s death torturing his soul. I was weighted down by memories of this woman I hardly knew. Miles remembered the day like it was yesterday.

“He’s calming down,” Bebe said with closed eyes.

An image of the couple sharing their last days together came up, huddled together in warmth. She was sick, but she was happy. They were happy. No longer did she have to suffer in the living realm. They smiled at each other, and Miles kissed her forehead.

I was returned to the present time and my own body. My eyes opened, vision blurry from tears. I looked across to Bebe, her eyes still closed as she caressed the man’s hand.

“Yuni…” I said softly. “His wife’s name was Yuni.”

Miles had stopped struggling and shaking. Tears were relinquished from his closed eyes. When he opened them, he saw Bebe and I on his sides. Jean and Ramon moved steadily closer. My hand was on top of Miles’.

“Welcome back, brother,” said Jean. “You’ve returned to us.”

The front door flew open again. The sister of Miles and the messenger who brought me here entered inside, noting the condition of the cottage. They saw us huddled to the floor.

“My brother, is he well?” the female villager inquired.

“... Take a look for yourself,” said Ramon. “You may thank Bebe and Barken for their work.”

Miles looked at his sister, then looked at Bebe and I. He could see it in our eyes. He knew we were witnesses to the pain he held and he understood we were shouldering the pain with him. Yuni now rests in our memory, and Miles is forever bonded to Bebe and I.

He smiled, “Thank you, clairsentient ones. Thank you, all of you...”

We looked after Miles while he recovered. Jean and the messenger ventured off to attend to other matters. As evening approached, we all exited outside his home.

“Excellent work, my apprentices,” said Ramon. “Your assistance saved this man’s life.”

“We thank you for training us,” said Bebe, bowing. “Your work allows Barken and I to be of service to our fellow villagers.”

“There aren’t many clairsentients like yourselves who would take this risk. The community is in your debt-”

Ramon’s speech was interrupted by an alarm that sounded around us.

“Roll call,” I said.

Ramon began walking forward, saying, “Let us head to the town hall, my children,”

Town hall, the grandest building in Orion. Once used by the Elders to discuss community matters, the building had become abandoned after the war. It had an official appearance, similar to a monastery. Fissures crawled up the exterior of the decaying structure, stained glass windows on each side. The front entrance window resembled the goddess Ida, her decadent purple skin and royal red crown on full display. Above it was a bell tower whose bell was removed long ago.

A crowd of descendants lingered in its vicinity. The tensity was suffocating. Some had grimaces. Others were wide-eyed. A group of five Deko royal guards stood in a group near the entrance of the town hall, their scepters beside them, eyeing us with contempt. I wandered around among my fellow villagers, paying my respects to the elders and waving to the children. I caught a glimpse of Sapphire and Cosmo buried in the crowd.

“Barken!” She exclaimed. They shuffled through the crowd to meet me. “Dim news, then again, no good news ever comes from these ones.”

She was referring to the royal guards.

“Evening, sister. Have you seen Diego?”

Sapphire looked down at Cosmo. “Cosmo mentioned seeing him return to town some time ago, but we lost him during the commotion.”

My head was spinning. The last thing I wanted was for Diego to not be present for evening roll call. He’s already in enough trouble as is.

“LINE UP!” screamed one of the royal guards.

The villagers formed a line, nearly fifty of us in total, standing stiffly. Any talk was carried out in whispers. Babies were crying. I looked to my side where Diego should be. He wasn’t anywhere to be found.

“Roll call: House one!”

“All four present!”

“House twenty!”

“All here!”

They called us in some random order unbeknownst to us. Most guards hardly knew our names unless they had reason to.

“House twelve!”

“U-ugh, one of ours may be missing,” a panicky voice said, “if you wait-”

“HOUSE TWELVE?!”

“She’s here, sir! She’s-”

The guard that called out moved toward the direction of the panicked voice in a quickened haste. He marched up, kicking up dust as he towered over the man.

“Any more interruptions, House twelve?!” The guard spat.

The man the guard was screaming at shook. We all watched. Helpless. I saw one of our own raise their fist. I prayed they put it down. Where in Ida’s name is Diego?!

“...House sixteen!”

The guard moved away from the villager towards my end of the line. The villager who was verbally attacked focused hard on the ground below him.

“Here, sir!”

“House eight!”

“Here!”

“House three!”

“...Present.”

I turned to my right to identify the voice beside me. Diego was standing there, a blank look on his face. He was covered in soot with only his brown loincloth on. I caught my breath again.

“That was extremely risky, Diego.”

“Sorry to worry you,” he spoke lowly. “I needed to stop by our home.”

“You know not to miss roll call. You’re already in their system.”

He was silent as the guards kept calling out house numbers.

“Don’t remind me… I smelled strange scents near our home.”

My eyes narrowed at him. “Strange scents? A villager visited me sometime this afternoon. It could very well have been him.”

He shrugged. “Could have…”

A lull interrupted the chorus of house numbers and response calls that rang in the air. Diego’s voice seemed amplified. All I heard was armored feet walking toward us. The clanking sound quieted as it approached Diego, the guard staring him down.

“House three.” The guard said, her tone slow. “Home of the big, bad wolf. That’s what they call you, isn’t it Diego, dirty dog of Orion? ”

Diego looked up at her, making glances at her hands. My eyes watched her face. She looked over Diego like a specimen in a test tube. She dropped her scepter, and one of the three claws on her hand came up to Diego’s neck. My heart dropped. There were gasps. I heard a woman yelp. Villagers backed away. A drop of blood fell on the guard’s claw. Diego’s chest expanded and compressed more slowly than usual.

“I see you’ve been sent to the mines today. A condition of your sentence for carrying illegal weapons in public, correct? Do you intend to put your fellow citizens in danger once again by interrupting our message from Deko to you? The filth on your skin fits you well.”

The guard pulled away. I could see Diego’s fingers itching to grab the daggers that were probably stashed in his boots right now. I held his arm.

The Deko Guard noticed me. She responded dismissively, walking away.

“...You’re all here. Lucky for you. I know you’re all familiar with the consequence of desertion. As we were saying, we have a message from Deko, to you. It has come to our attention that mysterious happenings have been occurring in Orion. As a result, there will be an increased presence of royal guards on the premises until further notice.”

Murmurs were heard in the crowd. Something told me the guard was speaking of the tree Miles had inadvertently struck with lightning this morning, and probably a few other activities that happen under the nose of Deko and his guards. I looked to Diego, who seemed preoccupied.

“ENOUGH… This measure will be effective immediately. Your attendance is no longer needed. End roll call!”

We dispersed. Worried expressions were on citizens’ faces. An increased presence of the royal guards? Nothing good could come of this. Diego walked alongside me, quiet. Something told me that guard’s words impacted him more than he wanted them to.

Night time was Diego’s preferred time to be bathed. After retrieving water from Sapphire, I added oil to our torchlight, igniting a spectacular flame that provided us light and warmth in our home. A fiery magenta tone took over the room. Diego was mostly silent. I washed him like I was washing away his humiliation and indignation.

“Those guards have it in for you,” I said. “You have good control. Most would’ve charged at her.” My hands made gentle strokes over his body, scrubbing his arms and back. His lime green skin regained its color.

I continued, “The ones who matter know who you are. Your sentence is only being used so that the royal guards would have more control of you. To exploit you. If I could, I’d fight this. I’d do anything to get you out of it…”

I started scrubbing at his chest. His head fell on my shoulder

“One day we’ll be free from this bondage. Somehow.”

Diego looked like new when I was done. He rose out of our tub, his body dripping with water. I admired his strong shoulders and back. He turned to me.

“You need a towel?”

He didn’t answer. He looked me over. His hands grabbed my sides, then grazed down to my hips. His caresses were divine and his hold was tight.

“... We make love,” he said, more of a statement than an ask.

I responded affirmatively. He lifted himself from the tub, picked me up in his arms, and walked me to the bed. He laid me down slow on our cloth, moved gently on top of me, and planted me with kisses. The magenta flame flickered into the night.