Balance of Power: The Blackened Prophecy Book 2 Read online

  “Life and all…?”

  Ray pointed at the window with his cup in his hand. “Those too frequent cabbages and some other stuff I planted.”

  Elaine nodded. “So, now that the petty talk is out of the way, go ahead ask it.”

  “Ask what?” Ray said.

  “My voyage.”

  “Elaine,” Sarah started, “it must’ve been terrible. We don’t want to—”

  “I’m not a child, Sarah. I can cope with reality.” Elaine looked at her cup in sorrow. “Mom and I were running for the evacuation shuttles. It was total chaos.” She took a sip from her tea, grimacing at the edgy, dry taste of the leaves, “Gods, this tastes awful.”

  Sarah shrugged.

  “We got separated in the crowd, and before I knew, I was on board Bacchus. I don’t know where she ended up.”

  “Bacchus?” Ray asked.

  “That junk sitting in your courtyard.”

  Ray nodded.

  “The first few hours were surreal. We watched the battle over Earth from a distance as Bacchus made her way to a nearby jump relay. It was chaos. There was a huge, strange-looking ship in the middle and thousands of other craft engaged in a light show.”

  Sarah sighed, and Ray found the taste of his booze a tad more appealing. None of them wanted to relive those moments.

  “Then we jumped. But for some reason, instead of Barnard’s Star, we found ourselves in the middle of nowhere, adrift.”

  “A ship malfunction?” Ray asked.

  “No idea.” Elaine shook her head. “The captain guessed it was a communication problem with the central transportation hub. I don’t know. We were lost, but at first, things were calm, considering the situation. I worked on the calculations with the navigator and found where we were a few weeks later. Then things went sour.”

  “You calculated?” Ray asked.

  “I’m a cartographer, Dad.”

  “You are?” Ray blinked. “Last time I saw you—”

  “Last time you saw me was when you left home, leaving mom and me when I was sixteen for some stupid trade route from Mars to I don’t care where. College starts at seventeen.”

  Ray’s shoulders dropped. “Elaine, I—”

  “Never mind. Ancient history.” Elaine waved it away, but Ray was sure she boiled with anger. Rightful anger. “Anyway, things got messy. We were way outside of anything remotely close to the core systems or any known settled planet, and we had limited supplies left. Fights broke out. People started killing each other for food and… other things.” Elaine’s voice trembled.

  “Did anyone—” Ray couldn’t make himself complete his words.

  “No.” Elaine shook her head. “An interesting man always protected me whenever I was in distress.”

  “Who was he?” Sarah asked.

  “Interesting?” Ray added.

  “No idea. He was way too tall for an average man. He kept to himself, avoiding conversation. He wore a cape and was always around whenever trouble broke. Other than that, he kept his distance. Interesting man.”

  “Hmm.” Ray narrowed his eyes and saw Sarah sharing his curiosity. And concern.

  “When we were low on fuel, the second captain decided to try a slingshot maneuver from a nearby gas giant. We pulled off the stunt but found ourselves pulled toward a nebula. Or a storm. I don’t know. Not sure what I saw, and I didn’t care much at the time. I didn’t think we would survive another month without food and water.”

  “A black hole, perhaps?”

  “I wouldn’t be here if it was a black hole, Dad.”

  “You never know…” Ray mumbled.

  Elaine sighed. “We lost power, and everything went dark. We were blind, flying into that storm. Next thing I know, we were orbiting this planet, and systems came back online.” Elaine sipped her tea. “I can’t explain it.”

  Sarah looked questioningly at Ray, and when he shook his head, her eyes flared very dangerously. She turned to Elaine. “Well. That big creature-like ship you saw over Earth? Your father blew it up, and many more.”

  “Sarah—” Ray started, but her daughter interrupted him.

  “What? You were there?” Elaine asked, narrowing her eyes. “And seriously, how did you guys end up here anyway? Where’s the rest of the gang? Alec? Halle?”

  “Elaine, dear,” Sarah paused a moment to search for words. “Your dad ended up being a prophet, and he prevented an alien invasion and started another one. As one does.”

  Elaine smirked. “Are you high?”

  Sarah sighed. “It sounded way cooler in my head. Ray,” she turned to look at him. “Care to weigh in?”

  Ray closed his eyes, took a deep breath, then gulped the contents of his cup.

  ***

  “Wow,” Elaine seemed to be trying to grasp the reality. “That’s one hell of a story. It would be a great book if you wrote it, I tell you. ‘The Blackened Prophecy’ or something dramatic like that.”

  “Well, we have eight thousand or so personnel as witnesses, so I’m pretty sure I’m not delusional,” Ray said.

  “So, they are all dead?”

  “Yes. Sarah and I are the sole survivors of Canaar’s crash.”

  Elaine smirked, “It’s one big cosmic joke on you to give you such responsibility.”

  “Elaine—”

  “What?” Elaine’s voice was mocking. “You want me to believe Raymond Harris is responsible for saving Earth and the human race, sacrificing himself in a battle. The same man who couldn’t even face his own reality back home and left my mother and me when we needed him the most?”

  “Elaine, I—”

  “You didn’t even know what I was studying, eating, or doing in all these years. Adrift in space all alone, begging for food in the last year alone. Now you’re telling me these stories of grandeur and courage. Really?” Elaine’s voice trembled.

  “Enough!” Sarah stopped Elaine, making her jump. “Ray’s an utter tool at times, and he was way worse when he left you a lot. But everyone on this planet—even you, young lady—owes their lives to him.” Sarah stood up and turned to Ray, “Although he insists on reliving the days of his pre-evolutionary nature at times.”

  “Are you scolding me or defending me?”

  “Both!”

  They all stood in silence for a moment, then Elaine burst into laughter, Sarah joining her. Soon, the two were laughing hysterically.

  Ray didn’t understand why. Women. “All right, cut it out.”

  “I’m sorry,” Sarah said, wiping away tears from her eyes, still giggling.

  “You saw his face?” Elaine said, and they burst out again.

  “All right.”

  “Sorry,” Elaine said this time, holding back her chuckles.

  “Elaine, I’m sorry for what I did to you and your mother. I don’t think there’s any way I can make up for those years I didn’t stand by you. If there was a chance to make everything right, I would. All this time, you were my only hope, and no matter how angry you are at me, I am relieved to see you alive and well.”

  Elaine’s laughter melted into compassion. “That was probably the most touching thing I’ve ever heard from you about anything, Dad.”

  “Told you, he’s a different man. A different kind of oak now.” Sarah said. The girls giggled, and Ray growled.

  Elaine stood up, walked to Ray, and hugged him. Ray didn’t know what to do but hugged her back with all his strength when he saw Sarah’s warning look.

  “I love you, Dad. Always did. I’m mad at you because you didn’t see it and ran away.”

  “I didn’t want to burden you. Your mother saw too much of your brother when she looked at me.”

  “It’s in the past.” Elaine kissed Ray on his cheek. “And you,” she looked at Sarah. “Come here.”

  “Elaine, it’s not that simple—” Sarah started.

  Ray gently pushed Elaine aside, pulled Sarah to him, and kissed her squarely on the lips. Sarah didn’t resist, and when the shock wore off, she pressed
into him, holding tight and returning the same.

  “Okay, I didn’t plan this thoroughly.” Elaine facepalmed, but the couple was already making up for the months they had been separated. “Get a room, you two!”

  TRAIL OF THE HUNT

  She looked with her endless eyes one more time. If she had any chance of avoiding the destruction, she would. She had no emotions, yet she felt the life perishing as her crushing presence covered the planet.

  Mother, we completed the conversion of mortals. None of them have the essence.

  I know, she replied through the bond. Form a nest and await my instructions.

  Yes, Mother. All mortal life is now merging with your touch.

  She walked among the cocoons of lesser beings, covered in her children’s tissue. Some of the earlier chrysalides already had caterpillars inside, awakening. Humans, the intelligent ones, called themselves. She knew of them, though she had never visited this plane before. She had no reason to. This plane was dead to her senses until she felt the Calling.

  She took human form to interrogate some natives, as their minds were too weak to sustain the bond. Not that she didn’t try to contain her power. Oh, but she did. So many times on so many humans—and other creatures—the moment she arrived, but none had the willpower to resist. They all perished as their minds were crushed under her presence.

  Mother, a child reached out for her.

  Yes.

  I sense something… different. Radiating from you. What is this?

  She paused for a moment. Her depthless stare saw only destruction and death. It is called sadness, she replied at last. It is a mortal feeling I experienced as I touched the souls of these humans.

  Will you teach us to be sad?

  No. She would never want the children to embrace this pain. Continue your search for the Corrupt One.

  As you wish, Mother.

  She looked at her hands in wonder. She had never had hands. She never needed one before and would probably never need them again after finding the Corrupt One, the Lohil. If she had had any doubts about the Calling’s authenticity, she had none now. She felt the Arinar’s touch here. The scream of the essence, the poisoning taste of satisfaction had not been created here, but the trail was fresh. She had one reason to exist—to disable the Corrupt One's touch before the darkened power of the essence spoiled the Creators’ benevolent order. It was her duty, and she had to obey. Still, she didn’t like to extinguish lives, no matter how pitiful their existence. It wasn’t her place, and it felt… wrong. She would have preferred to find the Corrupt One and return to her eternal sleep without touching these primitive lives.

  Interesting. She paused as she made her way into another of the structures the mortals loved to build. I just… felt again. The concept of feeling was alien—known but not experienced. Perhaps it was dangerous to take human form. She now understood their languages, ambitions, technology, and… feelings. She didn’t like it. It was imbalanced and meaningless.

  She changed her focus to the building she was in. There were small rooms with metal bars. Her children never needed such artificial structures, but she understood this weak form required to create a confining space to feel safe. Her children resided in her. Her children were her. Humans were different. Individual.

  The small room was a cell to separate an individual from the rest of the humans. She found the thought disgusting and yet an intriguing concept. The Corrupt One stayed here for some days.

  Days? Her children asked in unison.

  A human term to define a moment in time.

  Why would they define a moment in something eternal, something still?

  It is not eternal for them. Nor it is still. Mortals perish in the blink of an eye.

  Her children didn’t reply, but she heard the confusion through the bond. She reached for a nearby chrysalis and touched it with her hand. The cocoon split open, revealing a bald human male.

  “You are now my child.” Speaking with this form’s mouth was a strange feeling. It felt limited, contained. She understood why she had never heard the touch of this plane before. These mortals couldn’t reach themselves, set aside thoughts of other universes and beyond.

  “Yes, Mother,” the male replied. “I can feel you through the bond, but I cannot reach you. This voice is not mine.”

  “It is because of your fragile body. You will be one with me again when your transformation is complete. But now, I need you to tell me what has happened here before my arrival.”

  “As you say, Mother.” The male’s veiled eyes rolled back, showing the now-grayed whites of his eyes. “The Corrupt One, Lohil, was here. He was accused of the murder of his kind.”

  “The Corrupt One taints creation everywhere.”

  “He was not aware of his true nature until he was visited by one of the Creator’s Guardians.”

  She was surprised to hear that a Guardian had descended from the Kingdom and was on this primitive planet. “Why?” she asked in interest. She had no permission to question the Creators' divine methodology, but she had learned another interesting human aspect: curiosity.

  “The envoy told him who he was and presented him with one of the Arinar. He warned the Corrupt One of your arrival.”

  “The Corrupt One used the Arinar and started the Calling. It explains why I could feel him but cannot see what has transpired here. The stones veil my reach. Why would an ambassador of their voice arm the Corrupt One with a holy symbol?”

  “I do not have your wisdom, Mother. I cannot comment.” The bald male body twitched. “He also warned the Corrupt One about the Plane Walkers.”

  “So, the fallen children came here to hide from me.”

  “Yes, Mother. The humans call them Baeal.”

  “Baeal…” She weighted the name. “It sounds dark in this form of communication. A fitting name.” She turned away from the cocoon and looked again with her endless stare. “The Guardian wanted the Corrupt One to fight against Baeal.” She had no explanation for why a Creator would warn the Corrupt One of her arrival. It was an act outside her understanding of the Creators’ grand plan. The order of things dictated that she extinguish the Corrupt One until such a time came when her presence was needed again. It felt wrong.

  “Go back to your sleep, child. You will become one with me again.”

  “Yes, Mother.” The tear of the cocoon closed, leaving no mark of deformation behind as the male human slept.

  Her steps made little sound as she walked inside the building. It was artificial and disgusting, but she wanted to learn about these humans as much as possible. She found this new feeling of curiosity annoying and yet undeniable. She found another room, full of things with signs in them. Books. The capacity of the human brain was abysmal, and they needed these creations to keep records. There was no history in their essence. They were blind to their heritage, their composition, their purpose.

  She looked at the human bodies lying on the floor. Although decayed, it was still visible that they had perished by human means. Weapons. She remembered the Plane Walkers using similar things to fight her children as she descended upon their world to deliver judgment. She left the room and roamed inside the structure for another hour in human terms, then lost interest.

  Mother, one of her children touched her thoughts— a hydra. She had just named and classified one of her children. It felt wrong but also right.

  What is it?

  The Corrupt One is not on this planet. The small moon also radiates his essence, but it is weak. The humans call it Tarra. We sense a tear here, a planar rift. We will expand our search to other stars.

  Wait. She stopped the hydra as another of her children, one of the queen bees she had sent in search of the Corrupt One, contacted her through the bond. Speak, she demanded through the new touch, cutting her connection with the hydra.

  One of my minions found the essence of the Corrupt One. The planet radiates the tainted darkness.

  Begin your siege and prepare for my arrival, she resp
onded, then opened her mind to all her children occupying the planet. Children, we are leaving this star. We found our prey, and now we will sing our song to the Corrupt One’s deafened ears.

  She looked at her hands again and decided to keep this humanoid form in her essence. But now, she needed to return to her original self. As she closed her eyes, a wind began to howl through the hallways of the now-ruined building. The howling turned into a roar, then into an endless wail. The wind was now a storm, circling her new form as she dissolved into a tornado of her own creation. Her children ran, crawled, and flew around her endless body, joining the storm. Her power shook the ground, leveling what little was left of the human city as her presence covered the sky. In a matter of minutes, she was again a cloud of eternal life dwarfing the planet humans once called Bunari.

  No life was left as she made her way to the star where the Corrupt One hid, and yet, she gave life to every being living on Bunari, adding them to her essence. “My children of this planet, await my return,” her voice boomed, echoing throughout the celestial body, ensuring her wisdom reached the newly included children.

  As she left the skies of Bunari, the chrysalises on the surface cracked one by one.

  FARMING

  Ga’an pushed back the navigation console, wiping his big hands on his old navy shirt, something the quartermaster of Deviator provided. However, it took great effort to find something in Ga’an’s size. The warrior stepped back from the panels and turned to look at the bridge. His home. When they had decided to settle in, building shacks and planting farms, it felt wrong. The old Praetor was a fighter, a soldier who spent an entire career battling against Baeal. He had commanded armies; he had served under the Emperor of Nucteel. Those were all ancient memories now. There was no Empire left, nor any other Nucteel.

  I hate farming.

  Luckily, Admiral Conway had been kind enough to include him in the ship’s core personnel, and shortly after, the curious stares had turned into friendly nods, the crew accepting him as one of them. He had soon become the right hand of Admiral Conway, and not a single officer was against it. By now, Deviator’s people were used to the idea of seeing aliens, and his similar build made it easy to blend in. Well, except for his height. Ga’an was sure they weren’t ready to see invisible beasts jumping on them to feast. Being near a towering man was one thing. Being the food of some exotic animal of Baeal was another. But by most accounts, he was home.