The Archaeological Chronicles - The New World

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Kai'ine

She has not spoken a word to me in a week. Not a single word. Not during the regular morning routine, not when she ate, not when she did whatever she did on her laptop, not when she read, not ever.

My pride got the best of me, so I kept quiet, as well, the first few days.

It did not last long.

For some reason, I missed her nasty replies, her quick replies, her questions. I did not know it was possible to make her so angry that she actually stopped talking. I could see it in her eyes, she was boiling on the inside.

Whenever I touched her, she threw daggers with her eyes. When we bathed, she refused to meet my gaze. Constantly frowning.

She was mad alright.

Zuuri stopped by every day to train with her. The day after our argument, when he showed up, she leaped into his arms.

It took him by surprise for a brief moment, before his angry eyes locked with mine.

I think he yelled at me for over an hour after their training was done and she had passed out from tiredness on the couch upstairs.

He, too, was angry with me.

Like I told him, I am not apologizing for my actions. I did what I thought was right. Yes, it may have been rash, but not a single cell in my body wanted to let a genetic match like her disappear from me.

They were rare to us and for some odd reason a human ended up being a genetic match for me.

Not like she is the only match out there, but she was the only one I had found in thousands of years.

Our father had several. I and the twins were a result of that. Monogamy wasn’t always practiced on Ter’ais.

Usually, if you were lucky enough to find several genetic matches, you mate with them. You could only complete a mating with one, though, leaving the others in the end. Quite the complicated matter, actually.

My mother was a genetic match to my father, and they stayed together for eons. They never became true mates, and when she died, he met Zuuri and Zuki’s mother. They are fully mated, to this day.

***

I have to leave the villa today, and head for the capitol. Leaving Mai’yri to Zuuri. She was not exactly saddened by the fact that I left.

To be honest, I think she was rather happy.

That annoyed me.

The capitol was busy, as always. Today was the official board meeting with all of the generals. We had to discuss what to do further with the virus that continued to spread successfully on planet Earth.

My forefinger tapped idly on my left thigh as one of the lesser generals spoke. My mind was not focused today.

‘’Reports show that pollution has lessened in the last few months in several countries. This does not mean that it has lessened enough for things to look more positive,’’ general Olay say.

He points to the map over the countries where the percentage of pollution has lessened.

‘’This is only slowing the process of destruction slightly,’’ he adds.

’’We should plant more samples of the virus in more countries, this would make a bigger effect. America’s governmental decision to support the police and not the people is not making it any easier. The government is gearing up and so is the people. If a civil war breaks out, it needs to be crippled immediately. The country has shown time to time again that they are not fit to rule,’’ general Wair pipes in.

Nods of agreement is seen throughout the room.

’’We cannot say who are fit and who are not. Things are more complex than that! Remember that this is also based in economics, politics and the state of the country. I can’t see North Korea, Russia and India do any better. I can only pinpoint a handful of countries in that world that doesn’t suppress their people. What if we guided them somehow, instead of slowly turning them extinct?’’ general Cla’i argues.

’’We tried guiding them, remember? The ancient Egyptians and the Maya people were much easier to cooperate with. They listened. Something happened on the way, and their values died.

The Roman empire did not listen, and we can all see how their conquest of the world destroyed our idea of guidance. Their rule ultimately destroyed what we had used centuries to teach other civilizations.

The people forgot. They died and did not bring the legacy further. Humankind has no chance of survival. They don’t deserve it,’’ general I’in argues.

To be fair, they do all have good points.

The planet Earth is so complex, so you cannot just point a finger to one or two countries that are the ‘bad ones’. This is a system that has developed over time and they have shown time and time again that they are egoistical to the bone, when it all comes down.

Of course, there are compassionate, kind and helpful humans. They are often silenced by the less kinder, though.

’’Taking all of your insights and opinions in; I suggest we try and plant the virus in more countries, as suggested. We can take it from there. Maybe humans start to feel more compassion or are less egoistical? We can only hope. Total extinction will be our last option,’’ I state.

All the generals nod in agreement.

This will be humankind’s last chance of redemption.

Before I walk out of the Flint Castle and head towards the dining street, I stop by the library and pick up a book from one of the countless shelves.

The dining street was crowded with people. They scurry away the second I walk down the street, giving me space.

I head towards my regular place and step inside the dark restaurant.

‘’My Supreme,’’ the waitress bows.

‘’The prisoner,’’ I state as I head inside.

I walk into the feeding room and take a seat. My head falling backwards on the couch, looking up at the ceiling. Oh, how I wish I could have eaten Mai’yri’s energy.

It was exquisite.

I deliberately left out the fact that we also eat flesh. That is even more addicting than energy.

We rarely do, though, seen as it is both messy and painful. If you pay a pretty price, you can eat the flesh of the accused criminals of this world.

I paid a pretty price, today. And it will be worth it.

A few minutes pass, then, a man is hauled into the room, in chains. He grunts in pain, but I pay it no mind.

The things I am about to do to him later will pain him more.

He is chained to the ground, kneeling in front of me. Naked.

I take a deep breath and inhale his scent.

Oh, I am going to enjoy this.

My eyes meet his pitch black ones.

He hisses loudly, trying to reach for me. The chains constrict him, keeping him in place.

‘’Nice to see you again,’’ I say, tilting my head to the side, examining him.

’’Your reign is over,’’ he spits out.

‘’Oh?’’ I say, feigning ignorance. ’’It seems like it is your reign that is coming to an end,’’ I mock.

‘’She will never be safe,’’ he hisses.

I shrug. ‘’Guess I’ll have to eat each and every one of you then,’’.

He gulps loudly. He looks around, frantically, realizing where he is.

‘’You can’t be serious!’’ he snaps franticly and frightened.

His entire body starts shivering and I inhale it all. Loving the sensation his fright gives me.

I take a step towards him and he tries to rip himself free.

’’I’m always serious,’’ I whisper in his ear.

‘’Your rebellion is not taken lightly. You will lead as yet another example as to what happens if you try and cross the Supreme,’’ I hiss as I take a bite of his shoulder.

I rip a big, chunky piece off. He screams in agony.

Good.

Delicious. Flesh of fear is the best type of flesh.

’’I'll tell you whatever you want to know! Just please- please stop,’’ he cries.

‘’I already know what I need to know,’’ I growl out as I rip another chunk of flesh from his body. Leaving his muscles without skin.

’’You don’t ever, ever go after the human,’’ I snarl.

He howls in pain.

‘’I will devour every inch of flesh of your body, and if you’re lucky you will die before I am finished. If you’re not, well, you’re in for a ride,’’ I chuckle menacingly.

He wasn’t lucky.

His howls of screams went on for hours as he lived through the last pieces of flesh being ripped off of his body. Good.

***

I leave the place with a clean set of clothes. Mai’yri doesn’t need to know about this.

Not now, not ever.

The waitress bows respectfully as I leave the restaurant and head home.

When I get home, Zuuri and Mai’yri are still going at it. I can see progress in her moves, only after a week of training.

I will give it to humans, they are exceptionally good at adapting to their environment.

Zuuri smells it immediately. His eyes snap to meet mine as he blocks a blow from Mai’yri. He blink once.

Approving.

He hated them as much as Zuki and I did. Maybe even more.

My mother’s death was caused by rebellions, and it wasn’t a quick one, to put it lightly. They are no better than us.

I can hear her laugh as he tackles her to the ground. Momentarily distracting my thoughts. My eyes flicker to her fighting silhouette.

‘’Mai’yri,’’ I call.

She does not turn. Does not acknowledge me.

My brother laughs as he stops his attacks and push her towards me.

‘’See you tomorrow, Ma’ari,’’ he says with a smile.

Fuck him. He has probably been practicing her name pronunciation all day.

She waves as she watches him leave. When his silhouette disappears, she turns towards me. Pouting and frowning at the same time.

She marches past me, heading inside, ignoring me completely. She takes two steps at a time, heading for the bathroom to shower off the sweat she worked up during their training. A daily routine.

I usually leave her alone when she takes her second shower of the day.

I decide against it today. Desperate to gauge a reaction big enough for her to speak, out of her.

I follow her up the stairs, she turns towards me with an angry expression. Still not uttering a word. She tries to slam the bathroom door in my face, but I stop it. Palm flat on the door.

Her frown deepens.

She tries to exit the bathroom, but I prevent her. Pushing her backwards. The death glare she gives me would leave me dead if she had telekinetically powers. Another one of her battles with herself starts.

I do not think she realizes that she has them so obviously, her gaze turning so distant.

She pulls her hands free from my grasp as she starts undressing, angrily. I am tempted to chuckle, but I don’t want her to feel any more defeated as she already does.

Before she heads into the shower, she taps angrily on her phone, puts it on the sink and some really angry music starts blaring from the speakers.

She enjoys that, I’ve noticed. Angry music. She listens to it, even without being angry. I wonder why.

I join her in the shower, wanting to wash off any proof of what I just did in the restaurant. Mai’yri will not either see or smell it, but other daques will.

She has her back to me and I take notice of her waist. It is narrower than it usually is. She has lost weight.

Not good.

I have to make sure that she eats properly. Maybe there is some food that she misses? With her constant training, her appetite should increase.

I have to pay closer attention to her.

Her stance stills, closed eyes, slightly – just barely – nodding her head to the beat of the music. She is actively trying to escape the real world.

I have to fix this.

After finishing our shower, I guide her out from it and wrap her in a big towel. I push her out of the bathroom and towards the bed. Sit her down on the bed.

Expecting me to start braiding her, a look of surprise crosses her eyes as I crouch down before her.

‘’We need to be able to communicate, Mai’yri. I know you are upset, and you can be as upset as you want. We still need to communicate. You have lost weight. You sleep longer and more frequently, than the average human. These are not good signs. You can yell at me all you want, but don’t punish yourself,’’ I say as I stare into her angry eyes.

‘’If you continue on this pattern, your body will not be able to train any more. You will not be able to ride for hours on Kaohl. You will not handle the trip back to earth,’’ I explain as I place my clawed hands on her thighs.

Tears form in her eyes as she tries to wriggle free.

‘’No,’’ I murmur as I pull her back by the back of her knee. My fingers grasp her chin as I pull her closer to my face. ‘’You are going to talk to me,’’ I state.

A strangled sob leaves her mouth.

I hoist her into my arms as I rest my back against the bed.

‘’I just want to go home,’’ she cries.

She’s curled up between my legs, face hiding in my chest.

‘’I know,’’ I murmur as try and comfort her. Satisfied that she’s talking to me for the first time in a week.

Who knew human females could hold grudges for so long?

‘’I promise to bring you back. I just need to get the situation under control. Even if I do not, I will stay on earth until the situation is handled, just so you can go home,’’ I promise her.

‘’I just need six months,’’ I add.

Her fists clench.

‘’My thesis needs to be done by that,’’ she murmurs.

‘’Time moves differently here,’’ I explain. ‘’Six months here will be equivalent with … well let me calculate … about a week or two on Earth,’’.

Her head flings up, meeting my eyes.

‘’And you never thought of telling me this earlier?’’ she hisses accusingly.

‘’I did not think about it?’’ I say, more like a question, rather than an answer.

She wriggles free from my grasp, getting to her feet, angrily. She marches over to the dressers and flings out one of the longs shirts she usually wears when she sleeps.

The towel is thrown across the room as she angrily slips on panties and the t-shirt.

‘’You need to eat before bed!’’ I call out.

‘’Fine! I want pancakes with bacon and syrup,’’ she demands as she marches downstairs.

I follow her, with glowing eyes, and prepares her demand gladly. I place the plate in front of her and she immediately shoves down the food presented before her.

I place a book beside the plate of food, and she momentarily stops eating and looks at it.

‘’Ancient Egypt,’’ she reads out loud. She looks up at me.

’’I brought it back from the library in the Flint Castle. The ancient Egyptians wrote it down for us, during Ramesess II’s reign. It has been translated several times. I got it translated to English, for you,’’ I explain.

The expression on her face, I wish I took a picture of it. When she connected the dots the pushes away her plate in haste and grab the book.

‘’During their reign?’’ she gasps.

She flips it open and skims through the pages quicker than I have ever seen a human read. A louder gasp leaves her mouth.

‘’This is amazing! Do you have more?’’ she asks as she looks up at me, with amazement in her eyes.

I knew she would like it.

‘’Plenty,’’ I say as I push the plate towards her again. ‘’You can read it later. Finish your food,’’.

The food was shoved down within minutes. She jumped down from the stool chair and sprinted off. Probably to her study spot in the middle of the second floor.

‘’Kaine!’’ she calls after a few minutes.

Placing the plate in the sink, I follow her trail.

‘’Who’s Neferankhrun?’’ she asks, a questioning look on her face.

‘’Rameses the great was married to Nefertari Merimut, the love of his life. Why is he pictured with another woman, one that’s not even his second favorite wife?’’

I take a seat beside her on the floor. Crossing my feet, like her.

‘’Ah, I remember this. Neferankhrun is a pseudonym. A girl, from the future, appeared in the royal gardens one day. I don’t remember her real name. It was quite the scene. The high priest thought she was a goddess from the future, Rameses did not agree. They bickered like siblings at one point,’’ I explain.

‘’From the future?’’ she gasps.

‘’Yes,’’ I nod. ‘’I think she’s from our time, actually. Scandinavian, as well,’’

Her eyes widen.

‘’I wish I could visit ancient Egypt too,’’ she mutters as she flips through the pages.

‘’I can take you to Egypt, but I cannot take you back to ancient Egypt,’’ I shrug.

‘’Not the same,’’ she sighs. ‘’How can an empire so great fall so hard?’’ she wonders aloud.

Her pupils darting back and forth quickly, as she reads. Bathing in new information. She loved this.

Noted.

She was so lost in the book that she did not even react when I called her name, several times.

Giving up, I gathered her in my arms and head for the bedroom. I place her on the bed, whilst she still reading. Not the slightest bothered.

‘’It is late, little Viking. You can read more tomorrow,’’ I chuckle as I try to pry it from her hands.

‘’No!’’ she whines. ‘’I can sleep later, let me finish it,’’

Shaking my head no as I place the book on the nightstand. I join her in bed.

Two pair of ice – ice – cold feet are planted on my thighs. I hiss loudly as Mai’yri giggles.

She reaches for the book on the nightstand and flips it back open to the page she was on.

’’That’s what you get for being a pikk,’’ she mutter under her breath.

My hand snakes around her ankle and yank her closer to me. She yelps out in surprise.

‘’I told you that I am not fluent in Norwegian. It does not mean that I do not understand your insults,’’ I murmur into her ear in a playful manner.

She squeals loudly as a giggle escapes her mouth.

‘’I’m trying to concentrate,’’ she laughs.

Giving up trying to take the book from her, I let her read it.

And, boy, did she do it.

She read it from perm to perm within hours, and by then her eyes were drooping.

‘’Drittkult,’’ she murmurs as she places the book on the nightstand.

Thinking that I was asleep, she gasped in surprise when I gathered her back into my arms.

If only the little Viking knew that she was sleeping in the arms of an alien that just ate the flesh of one of his own kind and that he deliberately placed a deadly virus on her home planet.

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Translation

Pikk - dick

Drittkult - amazing/super cool