The Acolytes of Crane "Updated Edition" (29 page)

Ed
was quiet, because I was in charge, and like a dork I said, ‘I am the Human
Messiah.’

‘Ha,
you look like a meal for the Morlorian, and your little robot looks like a good
souvenir for the dark Elon King,’ he said, laughing for a moment. ‘Messiah! You
could not snap a twig if you fell on it with a bucket of skeetle beetles in
hand. Now, what is your business here?

‘We
crashed. That is it—we have no mission,’ I said.

‘Then
survival is your mission—hmm?’ He stroked his beard in wonder, ‘Ah, but you are
a Messiah? You are lying! Tell me, what are you doing here? Or I will cut you
up like a water flicket and caramelize you with today’s bonfire,’ the masculine
alien said, touching the tip of his weapon against the bony ridge of my
shoulder blade.

That
did it. I wasn’t going to take any further intimidation from anyone.

With
a swift, deft move, I unsheathed Wrath and spun to greet him with its scorching
heat and razor-sharp blade. My sword trimmed his long brown beard in half with
a singe of his shag. In my haste, I had lost my balance, and teetered at the
edge of the cliff. It appeared I was about to fall to my death fifty thousand
feet below.

Ed
reached out to me, but failed.

‘Master!’
he cried out, with alarm.

A
second later, my shoulder smashed into a hard surface, and my trusted
gun-blade, Wrath, clanked right beside me. As Wrath was about to bounce off the
edge of the newly discovered platform that saved me, I scrambled and grasped
it, sighing with relief. Without that sword, I would have been a fart in the
wind.

Now
that I had a secure moment to scan my surroundings, I discovered that I had
fallen onto a rickety structure supported by ropes, situated just below the
edge of the cliff. It was similar to the design of a window washer’s platform.

‘What
the heck…’ I said in shock.

The
makeshift platform started creaking back up to safety. As my head rose above
the cliff’s edge, I saw the stranger grunting to turn a structure attached to a
tree trunk in front of him, a device that looked like a steering wheel attached
to a pulley system. He was helping me.

After
shakily crawling back up onto the ground, I took a close look at the Tritillia
being that had threatened us previously. He appeared human-like enough. Atop
his bald head, he wore a projection band that looked similar to my rolesk. He
had a head that appeared proportionally large, as well as an enormously thick
neck. His frizzled, unkempt beard showed the singed whiskers from its brush
with my sword. His tan robe comfortably clothed him, all the way down to his
ankles.

As
I stared at him, he growled, ‘I will bring you to my home to gather your wits,
but afterwards you are on your own. You are not a Messiah until you prove that
you can survive on nothing but your own wits.’

He
beckoned both Ed and I to step onto the platform as he firmly grasped the ropes
in his hands. Tentatively, I once more treaded on it, while Ed followed
closely. Straining, he loosened the rope, lowering the platform along the
cliff’s face, while I clasped the railing with white knuckles.

We
all descended to a shelf along the side of the cliff. The being led us beyond
his neat steppe farm and down a winding ledge on the cliff. I felt goofy from
the abundance of oxygen in the air.

The
wind rushed in, triggering logs from the upper shelf to come down crashing in
front of us. I stepped back, and my heel stumbled against a gnarly, thick vine.
As I fell, the blades of grass beneath me turned hard like a bed of nails. The
Tritillia being grabbed my hand and pulled me into his arms just before I was
inches from being stabbed by a thousand petrified blades of grass.

I
smelt his beard as he pulled me in—it reeked of a garlic-like scent, and I
scrunched my nose to block out its foul odor.

‘Ha,
they
know we are here now. We must hurry to the cave. Take caution in
your strides. They usually don’t act this quickly. There must have been word of
your landing,’ he said. We ran with consideration to every step. The cave was
dark, and an impervious blanket of vines curtained the entry.

‘We
must hurry. They will be here soon and the wind speed aids in the rate of their
transport. I hope you can use that thing,’ he said, after pointing to my sword,
and then he shook his head.

In
a nagging feminine voice, another being slung words in our direction from
within the cave. ‘Zzz-Is that you Pike? I hope you have not brought any more
pets back here! I have my hands full-zzz with just you-tch.’

Pike
said, ‘Ha, like you can talk! You are the one I have to feed and care for! You
know what? I should trade you in for a Morlorian! Not only it could protect me,
but I also could sleep all day! Ha!’ Despite his mocking words, he lovingly
bowed to her. ‘My queen . . . I have great news. I bring to you, the Earthen
Messiah.’

‘
The
Messiah
? The one destined to save Sephera?’ rang out a breathless voice,
alluringly feminine.

‘It
is he, my queen.’

From
the darkness at the back of the cave, a stunning, beautiful Elon emerged, much
like a walking Venus Flytrap. She was a strange and wondrous creature.
Human-like in appearance, but completely composed of plant cells. Her limbs
were smooth and taut; chlorophyll coursed throughout her veins. She did not
wear any clothes, and did not need to. The features so common to humans were
all rounded down and reduced to insignificance on these beings; however there
was no mistaking that this being was female, due to her wider hips and bosom.

No
eyes! But she did have a mouth that flapped as she spoke. Positioned directly
in front of the mouth was a jaw harp that vibrated as she spoke, producing
puzzling buzzing sounds. From this being standing before me, I learned of the
uniqueness of an Elon’s voice.

Lovely
strands of leaves arose from her scalp, flowing down all the way to the bottom
edges of where shoulder blades would have been.

Briskly
walking over to the cavern wall, she pulled down a tiny disk attached to a
string. I blinked as warm light flooded the cave; she had opened up a glass
skylight at the top of the cave. Instantly, the leaves in her locks delicately
unfolded even more in direct response to the sunlight. Inquisitively, the leafy
brownish green figure sized me up and down. ‘Ah, a boy-zzz. I cannot imagine
they would send a boy to save Sephera.’

She
lowered her voice as she turned to Pike. ‘The boy-zzz—he is not who he says he
is. He cannot possibly be a Messiah.’

‘Jezra,
he has Wrath, and the Dietons are with him. Look, upon his head, it is a rolesk.
I am certain of it,’ Pike said.

‘This
is my robot Ed, and I am Theodore Crane,’ I said.

Pike
turned to me. ‘
Your
robot? Ha, you are dumber than I thought. That robot
does not belong to you. He is made of metal and claims you to be his master,
but a true Messiah would give him the freedom he deserves—liberation from
command. I am Pike, the Rangier responsible for this green rock we call Tritillia,
and this is Jezra, my Elon wife and rightful queen of Tritillia. We have a lot
to discuss, boy. Please excuse her buzzing, it is an unavoidable affliction of
Elon speech,’ Pike said.

Jezra
frowned and raised an accusing finger. ‘You are lucky to have a wife who will
even talk to you, buzz or not! I should have stopped-tht talking to you the
moment you grew that stink-trap beard of yours-zzz. The boy cannot stay, Pike.
He has zzz-no courage!’

My
face grew flushed. Reality hit me— this slender woman could possibly have all
the power of the anti-Zane forces on Tritillia right in her leafy green finger.
‘I do have courage! I am here. And I will fight until the end.’

Jezra
seemed unimpressed. ‘Theodore, do you know why you are here-zzztht? Pike and I
have been waiting for you-za. We knew hundreds—no, even thousands of years ago,
that you would be here. We founded this dwelling, because it was the closest
spot to where it was prophesied that you ffft-would land. You are supposed to
be a Messiah, a savior of a cause that you are not aware of-tch.’ Strutting,
she leaned back, arms crossed, to listen for any pathetic peep from the lost
and befuddled boy standing right before her.

I
protested, knowing I didn’t look the part of a 275-pound warrior with iron
chestplate, bulging biceps, square jaw, unruly stubble, and bass-baritone
voice. ‘I was promoted to the rank Messiah, and I know why I have been chosen.
I am here, right? I need to save Sephera—that is all I know. Why does everyone
doubt me?’ I asked, while I leaned against a protruding rock on the tunnel’s
wall.

Pike
jumped in on the merciless pillorying. ‘Ha, Theodore, the title of Messiah was
given to you, but it isn’t a rank as you have been misled to think,’ he said,
placing his hand on my shoulder. ‘You not only are said to be the one that can
change everything, but the true one that can kill Odi—’

‘Pike,
stop it now-za.’ The slender plant woman pushed him aside as she strode up to
me. ‘Theodore, you can be courageous in carrying a sword as majestic as yours.’
She admired the blade right by my side, yet sneered at me. ‘But, let’s suppose
Odion is not only before you, but has taken your sword from you. Would you run
like a baby, Theodore, or will you fight for what’s right, no matter what? Ha!
Your courage has been blind obedience thus far, am I correct?’

‘Yes,
but I know I want to protect Sephera. I have decided that I would do this, even
if I have to do it by myself,’ I said.

Jezra
looked at me as if I was just a poor lost turkey and laughed, ‘Ha-ha, you cannot
save a planet alone, Theodore-zzz. You need an army, but first, you need
courage. Why do you think this is about only saving Sephera? My boy, sit
down-na-na,’ she said, pulling a moss-covered rope attached to a series of
pulleys that pulled up strategically concealed blinds everywhere on the walls. 
Light poured in through more windows randomly located throughout the cave
dwelling. She glanced in the direction of her husband. ‘Okay, Pike, the boy has
stood up to us. He has demonstrated moxie.’

Pike
nodded.

She
sat before me, her face softening in the brightened atmosphere. My heart leapt
with joy at her change of tone.

‘Theodore.
The multiverse is in need of you. Let Zane worry about Sephera.’

‘Why
do you say that?’ I asked.

‘Ha!
We have been in conference with King—’ Pike said, before he was interrupted
again by his mate.

‘Will-zz
you stop with your drama King? Trazuline is of no concern to us now. Boy, this
is between you and me. Two demigods, with egos too large for the multiverse,
are what have brought peril upon us,’ she said.

‘You
are right. That makes sense,’ I said. I knew exactly the two demigods of which
she was speaking. Odion and Zane, fighting in their little sandbox. Only that
it wasn’t a sandbox—it was the multiverse. The querulous woman said, ‘Now, one
step at a time. For us to help us, you must free us from the evil Quasikeum,
Dark King of Jaakruid. Then, after we are freed, you can take our army to go on
to fight Odion.’

‘Whoa,’
I said, confused by the onslaught of unfamiliar names. ‘What is this Jaakruid?’
I badly mangled the pronunciation of the strange-sounding city.

‘Jaakruid
is the key city of our planet, and is close by. It is now under the tyranny of
the Dark King.’

‘What
was his name again?’

‘Quasikeum.
You must defeat him.’

Before
I could protest, she waved off any objection I could sputter off my lips. She
put the back of her leaf hand to her head and stumbled back to her rocking
chair, ‘Pike, show Theodore to the dining area. He must be starving, and
Theodore,’ she paused, ‘I have always believed in the Messiah. I just had to be
sure it was you.’ She seemed weak, and her body was withering and turning
brown.

Pike
and I went into the other room and there was a bulging feast on a tiny table.
Pike proudly said that it was all for me.

Jezra
popped her head into the kitchen and said, ‘I have to leave and rest.’

‘I
will be there soon my queen,’ Pike returned.

In
front of my gleaming eyes, sat a cornucopia of fried insects, vegetables, and
succulent fruit. The ralua leaves had a subtle crunch and crumbled on my
tongue. They released a complexity of flavor-confetti. I buried my teeth up to
my gums in the nova fruit. It was so sweetly aromatic that it lulled me into a
daze, and its sugary juices drizzled down to the tip of my chin.

There
was no bread or meat, but the crigulean beetles were each the size of a goose.
Their savory legs had a firm crunch like fried chicken, and in the center,
there was a sweet pudding that titillated the inside of my mouth. The meal was
an exotic arrangement. I abandoned all fears of strange and new inter-stellar
food as I ravenously chowed down on the delicacies. Pike was eagerly munching
away too, while Ed looked on politely.

Pike
said, with a shred of meat bobbing up and down one his bottom lip as he spoke,
‘When I saw your ship drop into range of the forest canopies, I knew if the
crash could not kill you, the king would. And if I didn’t get to you soon
enough, who knows what would have laid its leaves on you.’