The Dawning of Fate

Falling isn’t quite like I imagined it would be. I’d guess that was because I wasn’t really falling, not in the true sense of the word. I still felt the wind brushing across my skin, but it wasn’t the rush of wind that I’d associated with falling. I couldn’t feel the flapping of powerful wings so I wasn’t quite sure what was happening.

“We are riding an air current, my curious mate. Active flight may be too visible or too noisy for this ruse to pay off. Luckily, this crevice is quite drafty.”

Ever so cautiously, I peel my eyes open but I’m met with almost pitch-black darkness. The only sliver of light came from the fading grey sky above as we drifted further and further down into the crevice. Soon, I wouldn’t be able to see anything. My heart jolts in panic and I could feel each breath getting shorter. It was like I was thrown back into the spirit world, the scene before me almost identical. My hand flies up, desperately reaching for something, anything, to save me from the bleak existence that awaits me at the bottom.

“No! Please!”

The weight around my body tightens and continues to drag me further along with it. I struggle but it’s to no avail. I was being sucked away into nothingness once more.

“Echo? Al sisi?”

There it was again. The mocking. Must it begin so soon?

A deep tenor, so comforting and familiar, pierces the fog around my mind.“Hear me, my al sisi. I am here. I am with you. You never need to fear that place again.” The words are accompanied by a purr, humming along my body.

I cling to his body, holding him just as tight to ensure that he’s as solid and as real as I hope.

“Yes, my mate. We are here.”

“Zan.” A sigh along with a whimper of relief follows. “I am sorry. I thought that I was over the-

“Stop it. Do not apologize for your feelings. What is it that you told me? That they are not meant for suppression? So do not say these things to me. Feel what you must, my mate. I will allow it and keep you safe at the same time.”

Warm tingles spread across my chest. This was the man I fell in love with. I would never let him go. I realize that we are no longer floating on the wind. I could feel the chill of harsh stone pressing into my side.

“Where are we?”

“We are still within the Abyss, just hanging from the crevice wall.”

“Why? How can you even s-” Just then, I remember that his eyes are much better than mine. I find them, brilliant and gold, burning in the darkness and the sight settles me even more. How could I ever think that I was alone when his presence fills my very existence?

I glance around, unable to see anything so I focus on Zan’s eyes.“So what are we waiting for?”

“Kyrin went ahead to scout. His climbing is much better than ours. I must admit that my species were not made to scurry across, conquering the land.”

I rest my head on his chest. “No, you were not. You were meant to fly high and become masters of the sky.”

He purrs, pressing his lips to my forehead. “Mr i Tn, Echo. I don’t know what I did to deserve you, but I’ll spend the rest of my life proving that Matu made the right choice.”

I could feel the grin spreading across my face and I knew he could see it too. “You are such a charmer. How had some woman not snatched you up before I came along?”

“Females were merely a means to an end before you came to me, my Echo. I was not meant for them as I am for you. For that, I am grateful.” Zan shifts his hold on me. “Now, hold on. It is time to fly.”

Securing myself around his body, I held on as he flapped his powerful wings. I thought about Zan’s words as we flew. So, basically, he was a manwhore before he met me. I wouldn’t even allow my mind to go down that route. It would only lead to hurt feelings. That was before. Now, he had me, and no one else could compare to the bond that we shared. Instead, I thought about how my fingers magically grew claws back on the hover tram. I wanted to believe it had all been a figment of my imagination, produced by a traumatic event. Nope. Zan and the others saw it too. Why was all of this stuff happening to me? I haven’t felt even a modem of control over my own life since I was abducted. It was always someone else making the decisions for me.

As a woman who had relied on herself for a significant majority of her life, I absolutely despised the fact that I knew nothing about this new world and needed to depend on others for my survival. I loved Azandum, I did. I also knew that he would do anything for me at the drop of a hat. I loved that about him, but I needed to learn how to fend for myself. I knew about the credit system and I knew a few laws. I needed to learn more about the foods that I could eat, social queues, and how to interact with different species. Specifically, which ones to avoid interacting with at all. The first step in that plan was making sure that Dronan understood that I was not the type of woman to roll over and accept my fate. He was in for a very rude awakening.

I glanced around as we flew up. It was pitch back within this crevice and cold too. I strained my eyes, hoping for a glimpse at the strange world around me. What I wouldn’t give to collect a rock sample. My heart panged at the thought. When was the last time I even thought about my work? Since when did my studies, exploration, and preservation of life become secondary when it used to be the only thing that lightened my world? I was losing myself to this new life and I wasn’t sure who I would become when it was all said and done.

Slowly, color began to bleed into my eyes. I looked up, but we were still a ways away from the top. Confused, I turned my head back to Azandum, intent to ask him but the question remained lodged in my throat. Shock took over everything that I was about to say. I could see him. That shouldn’t be possible when just a second ago, I was as blind as a bat. But now, I saw Zan in all his purple glory. His thick, sharp horns stood proudly atop his head of silky black hair. This should be impossible and yet…

Whipping my head around, I took in my surroundings with stilted breath. Walls of shimmering, midnight-blue rock surrounded us. It was like floating amidst a sea of stars. The rocks gleamed as if they were wet, but I knew that they weren’t. Jagged grooves and sharp breaks lined the path upward, but Zan expertly navigated his way through. God, I would never have something this beautiful back on Earth. It was like a dream come true. All my life, I’ve only been able to study the surface of the planet, never having the opportunity to explore the interior. Despite not knowing how it was possible, I would still cherish this moment forever.

When we landed on the surface, Kyrin stood there with a grim expression, staring at something in the distance.

“For a people with wings, you lot move slower than beasts of burden,” he commented dryly.

“Where to, Xoid?” Amondis snapped, impatience riding his tone.

I looked around at all of the charred earth around us. All you could see for miles was an endless sea of black and gray. No wonder they called this place The Abyss. The stuff floated about, making it hard to inhale without choking on the littered char. I had Azandum tear a piece off of my cloak so that I could use it as a scarf for my nose and mouth.

“We need to head east. My contact lives there. They will lead us to your mate,” Kyrin finally answered.

Amondis huffed but didn’t deny the claim. Instead, he took off, stomping in the direction that I assumed was east. Dirt, char, and whatever else was on this dead side of the planet stirred around our feet as we fell behind him.

“So people actually live out here?” I glanced around with my lip curling in disgust behind my makeshift scarf.

Kyrin hummed, nodding his head sagely. “The war didn’t only leave scars on our once beautiful planet, but on its people as well.”

I listened as Kyrin spun a tale of a once-prosperous people who were content with their simple lives. The planet provided all the sustenance they needed and they built profitable trade partnerships with many other nations and their people. The Tumerians were one of those said nations. The partnership between the Tumerians and the People of the Xoid was benign until the Tumerians coveted more than what was given to them. The People of the Xoid never saw the betrayal coming from one of their own allies, or so they thought. The Tumerians attacked at dawn and the war lasted for 4 years. Each side took heavy losses, but in the end, the Tumerians made off with only a fraction of the minerals they sought.

“Our people once thrived on community. Now, this is an undercurrent of caution and suspicion in all of our interactions. Some of us never truly left behind the war, while others preferred to act as if nothing ever happened. Then, there are those who have isolated themselves so much so that they are unable to truly connect with others so they prefer to be alone; their only company the ghosts of their memories.”

“So which one is this contact of yours?”

He smiled knowingly. “I’ll leave that for you to decide, Eterai.”

“And you trust this person? With your life, if it comes to it?” Amondis quirked a skeptical brow and it pulled at the scar across his face making it seem far more sinister than intended.

“Yes.” That was Kyrin’s only response. No further explanation was necessary, apparently.

So, we walked. I could feel the weight of the turmoil coiling through Azandum but I didn’t press him on it. There were a number of reasons why he would be feeling this way. He would tell me if he wanted me to know.

“Kyrin,” he announced eventually.

Kyrin, like I, could tell just by his tone that whatever Zan was about to say was important. We all took a pause in the middle of the barren wasteland. The sky above was darkening from gray to black at an alarming rate.

“I am sorry for the detriment my people have brought to your home. We had no right. You would be justified to abandon us here. You would’ve been justified to turn us away when we came looking for aid. Yet, you did not. We have brought you danger and you continue to help us. You have my deepest gratitude.” Azandum crosses his fist over his heart and bows deeply. “What you have done for not only me, but my mate and my kin is a life debt that I will never be able to repay.” He stood tall then. “Should you ever need aid for anything, I am at your service.”

Kyrin stood in silence, studying Zan as we all waited with bated breath for his response. I knew the importance of that gesture now. Not only was bowing a show of honor and respect but of vulnerability as well. It must be extremely difficult for a warrior race like the Tumerians. Their horns were super sensitive so I would imagine that exposing them in such a way goes against his very instincts, but his willingness to do so represents a level of trust.

Kyrin stared up at the fading sky. “I spent many lunars hating your people. I traveled the stars, angry and hurt, lashing out at any and everyone in my grief.”

Zan tensed beside me but his face remained stoic.

Kyrin continued. “During that time, I met one of your people. He was at a pub on Hydra. This was back when it was a prosperous waystation, full of delicious foods and all the merchandise you could buy before it became the crime outpost that it is today.”

I knew he was giving the explanation for my sake and I was grateful.

“I lashed out and picked a fight. We were both hurt and spewing words of hate at one another but it did nothing to heal the wounds that were still raw and festering. During that time, I never would’ve believed it had someone told me that I would be here today. In fact, I would’ve punched whoever told me such a thing in the face.”

I snorted a laugh and he grinned at me. The old man was growing on me. Kyrin sighed with a wistful smile on his face. He walked forward and placed a hand on Zan’s shoulder.

“Son, you are forgiven. Release these chains of guilt that continue to hold you back and embrace the new life that was given to you.” Kyrin smiled at me before turning back to Azandum. “Trails stand in your way. Face them with the strength gained from your past. Allow your new path to unfold and trust that it will all be worth it in the end.”