Heaven Saga 1: The Lost Hero (24 page)

“It’s time I go,” he said as he turned to leave.
Before opening the front hatch he stopped. “Do I look the part? I’m not sure if
I can pull this off.”

Mira laughed and went to him. “You look perfect.
Please make sure to watch yourself. There’s no telling what the nobles might
try, even if they believe you’re the Herald.”

“I don’t know much, but from what Valis and Seles told
me, the Kalaidian court is full of lies, power plays, and deception,” he said.
“I’ll be alright. Make sure no one sees you or gets too close to the ship.”

She hugged him. “I know you came here for Seles. But I
want you to know how I feel.” She held him silently for a moment. “When I’m
like this I feel alive. When I’m near you, I don’t feel like an illusion. You
saved me Brian, and I’ll never forget that. Nor do I want to see you sad. I
want you to be happy, even if it’s not with me.”

He blushed as he pulled away and opened the hatch,
tripping as he went out. “That really threw me off.”

She laughed. “Sorry. Just go and get Seles. I don’t
want to be stuck staring at crops forever.”

As the hatch closed he used the elevator cord to get
to the ground. Surrounding him was farmland. The sky was blue with white
clouds, looking so much like Earth Brian had to tell himself it wasn’t. The
Mjolnir had landed near a stone road. He checked and made sure he had
everything. A few Kalaidians stared at him as he walked the road towards the
city, a massive metropolis with buildings twice the height of any human
skyscraper. Ships of every size and shape flew about. A few headed in his
direction. As he walked the road a parade of fascinated Kalaidians began
following the strange being before them. A young one, with long blue hair and
sky blue eyes, ran up next to him. He smiled as he glanced down at her.
It
looks like we have a winner.
He thought to himself. The young girl wore a
simple grey dress and sandals. From her height, she looked to about ten years
old. She walked next to him for a while as the others followed.

“Are you the Teacher?” the young girl asked.

He looked down into those curious eyes before
kneeling. She was scared. Brian smiled and spoke in the Kalaidian tongue. “No,
but I’m a friend of his. I’ve come to your world to make sure everything’s safe
young lady.”

“Safe?” she asked. She looked more relaxed.

“Yes, I want to make sure you’re safe,” he said. He
noticed the crowd gathering around him talking amongst each other. He turned
back to the child. “Tell me young lady, where are the High Courts?”

The murmurs grew louder.

“Go to the center of the city,” another Kalaidian
said, this one being an adult, with similar hair and eye color to the child.
“That’s where the palace is.”

He stood up and nodded to the lady. “Thank you, my
name is Brian.”

The lady went to the child and pulled her back. The
others were still hesitant to move closer. “My name is Lae,” the woman looked
down, “and this is my daughter Kyli. From what world do you hail from?”

He pointed to the sky. “I come from the Great Dragon.
I’m here in his stead to guide you to the future.”

He turned and headed towards the city with added
energy is his step. As he neared the metropolis the crowds only grew larger.
Hope was evident on their faces. He walked in plain view, knowing that only by
showing his face to as many Kalaidians as possible would he survive. He moved
into the city and was greeted by a contingent of ground troops dressed in
uniforms of the royal guard, bearing pulse rifles and
rakna
lances.
Their leader stepped forward. She had short silver hair and purple eyes and
wore the circlet of a commander.

“Halt!” she commanded as her troops cleared the street
and surrounded him.

Brian stopped and placed a hand on the hilt of his
sword.

“I’m Commander Jabril Hopart, leader of the Daevon
royal guard.”

“That’s quite a title you have their young lady,” he
said after checking the positions of the troops. “My name is Brian Peterson.
I’m here to see your Queen.”

“On what grounds?” she asked.

He looked from side to side. “I’m asking you as a
favor.” He took his hand off his sword. “Please put down your blades and
rifles. I only came to see the Queen.”

Looking annoyed, Jabril gave the orders to circle the
stranger as they began escorting him to the High Court. The crowds still
gathered, larger and larger by the moment. Many shouted, asking if he was their
savior. Others shouted for change, and still others begged for him to save
them. He kept his eye on the massive building at the center of the city, a
spire reaching into the sky. Jabril requested he board a hover craft numerous
times, but each request was refused and he continued walking.
I can see it
in their eyes. These people shout for answers, answers I can’t give. But what I
also see is fear. The way they look at the guards is that of dread, even
terror. What have the nobles done to these people?
He thought as they
approached the High Court.

* * *

Celestia sat quietly and watched scores of her fellow
nobles bicker over what must be done, what the appearance of the ship of light
means, and who the Herald their queen had mentioned was. Sighing, she closed
her eyes. The crowd quieted as the doors below opened and a lone figure walked
through. He stood a full head taller than the largest amongst them and wore
emerald green armor, matching cape, with a large straight bladed sword on his
belt. His light brown hair was long and kept in a tail. He wore a well-trimmed
beard and mustache. His eyes were blue green and his ears were round. He moved
to the center of the stage and surveyed the room. Brian stopped when he saw
Celestia, shocked at how much she and Seles looked alike. He also noticed the
empty tier where the Kein family once resided. When the crowd quieted the Queen
stood up.

“I welcome you to my world,” she said. “I’m Queen
Celestia Daevon.”

It was Kalaidian tradition for leaders to exchange
name and pleasantries, even during wartime. Brian smiled and looked at the
queen.

“My thanks for your welcome,” he said. “My name is
Brian Peterson. As you may suspect, I come from the same world as the one you
refer to as the Teacher. The great darkness he spoke of will move soon and I
was sent to make sure everything was okay here.” He turned to the queen again.
“Sadly, my report will not be favorable towards you and your people.”

A number of nobles called him a liar and a charlatan.
One stood and told him to address the queen properly.

“I answer to none of you,” he said angrily. “Because
of you ineptitude your world has failed to fulfill the wishes of the Teacher.”

“Why do you say that?” Celestia asked. “What have my
people done to disappoint you?”

He opened the small computer inside his armor’s left
arm. Using the program he made earlier, he projected a large holographic screen
around him. It contained numerous charts and figures, all written in English.

“These are the problems I’ve discovered in my
investigations into your people Celestia.” He used the charts to prove his
evidence for each point. “Your race has no surviving males. This is
understandable, but the complete eradication of their existence isn’t. Your
military is outdated by at least a century and your economy is in turmoil.
Internal strife has separated one of the twelve noble families from you and a
third of your space fleet has deserted you. Your territory, which once spanned
thirty star systems, has been cut to seventeen. And lastly, your population has
declined by a hundred and fifty billion in the last century. To sum it up, your
people are dying out. None of my people wished for this and that’s why I was
sent here.”

Vira Kentus was the first to stand. “Your data is
correct, but who are you to pass judgment?”

He closed his eyes before turning to Vira. “I’m not
the one who’s judging you. I was sent to push your people back onto the right
path. In order to fight the great darkness, my people have searched far and
wide in this galaxy for allies. Long ago one of us came to your people to
secure such an ally.”

“Have you any proof of this?” Delne Raekar asked.
“You’ve appeared onboard a ship of light, but do you have any real proof of
what you are?”

Celestia stood up. “Please Brian, present us with
proof.”

He reached under his armor and took out the Amulet of
Kali. “I was given this by the Teacher in case of this issue.”

Celestia walked down the stairs and took the amulet
from him. She looked surprised. “This…this is an Amulet of Kali, from the era
long ago.” She looked at him, amazed at this size and strength. She took out
her scanner and used it to check the amulet. “This is at least two thousand
years old.” She put the scanner away, gazing at the amulet. “There’s only two
ways for someone to obtain one of these. The first is to get it from the head
of a noble family. The other is to take the one the Teacher possessed.”

“Is it enough for you Celestia?” he asked. “I didn’t
come here to criticize your people. I want to help restore your former glory.”

Celestia handed the amulet back to him. “The proof is
accepted.” She turned to the other nobles. “The amulet is proof he tells the
truth. Let us except Brian as the Herald.”

Many of the other didn’t look convinced and weren’t
afraid to let it show. Most were content to greet him on the floor to shake
hands and exchange names. Brian noted for future reference that the nobles of
the Kentus, Raekar, Abrus, and Bosar families didn’t care to see him, let alone
greet him. He also noticed the pained look on Celestia’s face as it happened.

There’s such obvious conceit in their eyes.
He thought to himself.
The way the make no effort
to hide it tells me how fractured this system is. The way Celestia looks, it
pains me. She smiles despite the grim news of her people, clinging to hope that
someone would come and save them. No wonder Seles ran away, that’s no way to
live.

Celestia went to him once more. “Please Brian; do join
us for the Star Festival tomorrow evening.”

“Star Festival?” he asked.

“It’s an annual celebration to honor the day when we
first traveled between stars.”

“I’d be honored,” he said.

Seles sat in her room at the computer and read. She
tapped her finger because of pent up energy and frustration. She stood up and
went to the balcony, seeing the preparations for the Star Festival. The door
opened and in came her mother with a pair of servants rolling a cart full of
dresses.

“Seles, I want you to attend the Star Festival this
eve,” Celestia said. “It’s only proper for a royal princess after all.”

Sighing, Seles turned and shook her head. “Mother, you
know I hate attending parties like this. Anyways, I might try to run away again.”

“Both counts are true.” Celestia smiled. “But we have
a special guest of honor to entertain this evening. I’m sure you don’t want to
miss meeting him.”

“Him?” she asked.

“Yes. His name is Brian and he claims to be the
Herald,” her mother said. “A handsome man if I may say so, even by our race’s
standards.”

Seles’s face contorted in confusion.

“Why do you look so upset?” Celestia asked.

“Did you say his name was Brian?” Seles asked as she
found sanity once more.

“That’s the name he gave us in the High Court last
night. He stood so tall and proud, much like the
Rakna Maigars
of old.
He reminded me of my youth, when men still walked amongst us.” Celestia had
nostalgia in her eyes. “I really do miss those times.”

Seles went to the cart and looked at the servants. “I
can choose my own dress ladies,” she said, turning to her mother. “I’ll go
mother, if only to see who this Herald is.”

“I’m glad,” Celestia said as she went to the door.
“I’ll send a servant to get you later.” The servants left with their queen and
left Seles alone with a cart of dresses to try out. She stood looked through
the dozens of dresses provided. After a minute passed, she could no longer hold
back a smile as she thought of Brian. A moment later the smiled turned into
laughter.

* * *

Brian stood before a large mirror flanked by a pair of
servants. He wore a loose fitting black silk outfit and a flowing white cape to
match. On his feet and hands were black gloves and boots, and he wore his
rakna
blade on the belt.

“You look excellent Lord Brian,” the black haired
servant said.

“I agree,” the purple haired servant said.

“You’re the best tailors I’ve ever worked with,” he
said as he turned to the pair. “You two did a great job.”

Celestia walked into the large guest chamber Brian had
been given. “My… I haven’t seen a well-dressed man in such a long time.”

The two servants bowed to Brian and Celestia before
leaving. She circled around and looked over Brian up and down.