Lightship Chronicles Chapter 10 : Last Horizon



  Lightship Chronicles

  Book 1 : Sacred Warriors

  copyright©2016

  Florin Nicoara

  From the Author

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  Chapter 10 - Last Horizon

  Lightship Chronicles

  Book 1 : Sacred Warriors

  copyright©2016 Florin Nicoara

  Adinaa is nervously pacing back and forth, walking in circles, with a worried expression on her face. Past her, Mirceu and Old Tom are sitting on a bench between two of the many whitestone pillars in the courtyard of the Bitani Friendship Center. Old Tom is leaning forward, a bit stiff, with his elbows on his knees. He's rubbing his hands, squeezing and rubbing one in the other, with the same rough tension clear on the muscles of his face. Next to him Mirceu looks more relaxed, somewhat distracted by his surroundings. He is looking up at the plants on top of the pillars, but a darkened glass door opens in the stone wall across from them, drawing his eyes down. Andee steps out followed by Nayaa. They look healthy but deflated. They're walking without their usual vigor, heads down, and as sad as two lost puppies. Adinaa rushes to them. Old Tom and Mirceu rise from the bench and follow. Adinaa grabs Andee in a big hug, but then steps back and holds him by the shoulders.

  "Are you OK?" She asks with a mother's concern.

  "Yeah mom, I'm OK, I'm good." Andee responds deflated, still looking down. Adinaa nods and reaches with her right hand to Nayaa, and gently rubs her right cheek.

  "How about you?" Adinaa asks her. Nayaa nods but her eyes glaze quickly. She starts crying. Adinaa moves over and pulls the sixteen year old into a hug. Nayaa wraps her arms around, and holds on tight.

  "You look a lot better. Far better than last night." Tom speaks while gently patting Andee on the shoulder. "Did they tell you what your injuries were?"

  Andee nods and responds with a soft voice. "I had a broken rib. My left check bone was cracked, and Nayaa's leg was almost broken."

  "But you're healed now." Tom continues.

  "Yeah, mostly. They said take it easy. The bone is still soft where it was broken, but in a few days everything should be back to normal."

  Adinaa pulls away from Nayaa who starts wiping her eyes with her sleeves. "Sorry. I thought I was a woman now... but I guess I'm still a little girl." She responds as she dries her face with her hands. Andee puts his left arm around her shoulders and pulls her in. Doesn't say anything, just rubs the outer part of her left arm.

  "Hey." Adinaa speaks. "You are a young woman. OK? I'm not exactly sure what happened, but you're not a little girl." And out of nowhere Adinaa whacks Andee hard in the side of his head startling him. "How many times did I tell you not to get into fights because one day you'll pick on the wrong person." She yells at her son, while Andee snaps back surprised but doesn't say a word.

  Nayaa immediately jumps between mother and son. "It's not his fault! It was my fault."

  "You two need to stop getting into fights. I've been lenient with you two before because you've always come home without a scratch, but I've heard of some of the trouble you've stirred. People around town talk. Especially you." She points accusatory towards Andee. He looks down without a word.

  Old Tom looks at Andee with a strong inquisitive glare. Andee is still looking at the ground in front of his feet despondent. "You said you were attacked by some guy. You two train in my yard all the time." Tom asks with a suspicious glint. "You're saying one man put you in the state you were in when you got to my yard last night?"

  Andee looks up. "Can we just leave. I don't want to talk about this right now. I'm hungry." And with that Andee walks off. Nayaa immediately takes off after. Old Tom turns his gaze to Adinaa. Both stare at each other, long and deep, with a weight far greater than that of just concerned parents.

  Brandberd is in his office, feet up on his desk, and leaning back in his chair. He looks relaxed, almost pleased. The Commander is sitting across from him, but doesn't look so cheerful. He is wearing his sentinel armor. It's black and glistening like obsidian. It's highlighted with blue lines, and other geometric accents, on the chest plate and around the shoulders representing his superior training and rank.

  "Have you spoken with your operative yet?" Brandberd asks.

  "Not yet."

  "He got hurt pretty bad didn't he?" Brandberd counters with an almost satisfied grin.

  "He may have, sir?"

  "Are you sure he's the real deal? He nearly got taken out by two kids. Had the girl's blow been... just a bit higher, to the back of his head--instead of center back, he would have been killed. He survived by pure luck." Brandberd counters with a condescending glare at the Commander. "I think your operative's a fraud. And he's costing me a lot of credits."

  "No sir he's the real deal, but you saw how they fought. Those are not normal kids."

  "Do you doubt they're being trained now?"

  "No sir. But to be fair sir, I knew they were training in that old stick fighting martial art, but I thought, that was it. I had no idea it went beyond that."

  "That's right. You had no idea. What other things do you have no idea of? This is not good."

  "No sir." The Commander looks a tad meek.

  "Their stick fighting instructor? You insisted he is not one of them, yet now we know they call it Parza. You think that's a coincidence?"

  "Sir, no I don't. I'll have him arrested today."

  "You'll do no such thing."

  "Pardon me sir?"

  "I told you. I want to win this kid's trust. If we go around arresting his family and friends, forget about it. And if this Sensei character is training them in more than stick fighting, you think he'll just crack under pressure and tells us?"

  "No sir."

  "I understand sir..." But the Commander is interrupted by a soft chime. Brandberd turns to the door. "Come in." The doors open and Ricio steps in. His facial expression is clear. He does not want to be there. "Come, join us son."

  Stiff and unfriendly, Rico approaches and stops by the oval desk. He completely ignores the Commander as he stares down his reclining dad.

  "Sit down." Brandberd casually waves at him to have a seat next to the Commander.

  "I'm fine standing. What do you want?"

  "Watch." Brandberd taps his desktop and a 3D hologram appears. It's of Andee and Nayaa attacking the man in blue. In the hologram the man is completely visible. At no time does any part of him become invisible. The image starts at the point where Andee starts hand springing forward. The man was leaning against the wall watching casually. He looked relaxed, until Andee sprung into action, that's when he steps away from the wall. At that moment, Andee attacks, swinging his staff back. The man barely manages to duck under, but it's too late for his foot. Nayaa nails him in the back of his left calf throwing his leg forward in the air. The man seems surprised by the attack and leaps to the side, up off his right leg, flipping over his injured left foot. He lands on his good foot but stumbles and falls down. Ricio frowns at the image in disbelief.

  "Is that Ande...?" Ricio tires to speak but can't finish his words.

  "That's your friend... and his little girlfriend." Brandberd responds, but Ricio is absorbed and mesmerized by the holographic battle. He watches it to the end... jaw dropped. The image finally cuts off, a little af
ter the point where the man first squats down over Andee and Nayaa sprawled on the ground. He looks down at them, leans towards Andee, but never vanishes. Instead, rises up and struggles to walk away. He's got a severe limp, and ends up using his staff as a crutch. He looks just as injured as Andee and Nayaa.

  "What is this? Who's the guy in the blue robe?" Ricio looks up at his dad horrified.

  "Our operative."

  "Your what?"

  "Don't act foolish son. You know we have eyes everywhere on the Carpati to make sure they don't start the troubles again."

  "OK, but I still don't understand."

  "Your friend, Andee, attacked our man. Look what he did to him."

  "Look what he did to them." Ricio counters. "And what was that crazy light weapon he was using? Is that seriously a sacred warrior?" Ricio asks shocked.

  "No son. It's what you will become in the future. A Husarii."

  "That man is a Husarii? Husarii are not light benders, sacred warriors are." Ricio counters.

  "And where do you think the