ROTU: Chapter Forty-Six

Ralian scanned the grounds below as he and several Avehkal stood guard at different points around the Machu Picchu citadel.

Drasúl stood before the Intihuatana Stone. He glanced up at the sky as the clouds shifted and took a step back as a strip of moonlight shone across its base. Carved tribal patterns shone with white light around the borders of the stone.

Drasúl's eyes lit up as the moonlight expanded to reveal ancient runes carved into a spiral. He read the script aloud in English.

"Time collapses into the depths none know yet; probable futures unveil but cannot be set; through the light of the Earth, energy forms; out of the shadows, truth is born."

Glittering white light from within the stone projected outward through the markings on its surface and swirled above the structure. It stilled, forming an oval of black liquid glass.

Drasúl stepped closer as images took shape within the oval. His expression remained unreadable as he observed the scenes before him. Several minutes passed before the mirror of time faded.

Drasúl smirked. "Malik thought he could outwit me again. Not this time."

Ralian approached Drasúl from behind.

"Will the Dark Magi be successful?" he asked.

"She is too powerful for them. Because of Malik's and Goddess's protection, she carries starlight. The Dark Magi do not possess the necessary means to kill her, but we could use them for the others. I will gather them and send those that I do not use with you."

"How do you kill her?"

Drasúl looked thoughtful. "Moonfire…which I have none of. However, given the Elements of Earth that flow through her, I believe I can come up with an equivalent way."

"How so?"

"I blend the last of my starlight with the blood of Darkone that flows within me and forge it into a blade. But first, we use the leverage of her heart to weaken her resolve."

***

"Jalena!" Kaelon shouted as he sat up quickly. He took a deep breath.

"Jesus Christ, man!" Lyons yelled. He sat up in Kaelon's recliner and put a hand on his chest. "You gave me a heart attack!"

Kaelon jumped up from his place on his sofa and ran his fingers through his hair as he paced. "No, no," he whispered as he scanned his surroundings. "I can't be here."

His expression relaxed as his eyes focused on Lyons. "You, there!"

Lyons cocked an eyebrow. "Yes?"

"Tell me it wasn't a dream."

Lyons smiled. "It wasn't. Extraterrestrial involvement is the norm for you now. There is no going back. The warriors have gone to fight the bad guy. Then she will come back for you…you know," he put his hands together to form a heart shape, "because of true love and all." He rolled his eyes and pushed a button on the remote to turn off the television. He slid out of the recliner and went to Kaelon's kitchen, returning with two beers in hand.

Kaelon accepted the beer readily.

"You've been out for over a day. It's the middle of the night now."

Kaelon nodded. "Great." He looked at the beer. "You normally drink this hour?"

"Time is irrelevant right now with the life we live, brotha." He watched Kaelon closely. "Look," he said as Kaelon opened his beer and took several gulps, "I'm gonna stick around until I know you are okay. You seem," he raised his eyebrows as Kaelon downed the entire beer, "off."

"Good," Kaelon said. "I'm going to take a shower."

Kaelon let cool water run over his head as he closed his eyes. He still felt hot, like there was a wave of pulsing heat beneath his skin that had nothing to do with the alcohol.

Unending questions ran through his mind. What did Jalena do to him with her light, and why did she leave like that? Why did she say to look for his truth? What was she holding back?

It bugged him that he couldn't figure out what she was hiding. He felt an urgency to find her but knew that he couldn't get to her by any normal means. He wasn't even sure if she was in Giza yet and felt he would not be able to find any portal leading there from his current location.

He sighed as a sense of helplessness moved through him.

After he finished his shower, he grabbed two more beers and approached Lyons. "Thanks for being here, so I didn't freak out when I woke," he said as he handed the beer to Lyons. "I might have gone flipped out."

Lyons smiled. "Crazy is my specialty. My entire career is based on what people label as crazy or impossible." He held out his beer. "Cheers."

Kaelon tapped the tip of his bottle to Lyons's.

"Finally!" Sean said into Kaelon's ear when Kaelon answered his phone. "I thought your girlfriend had turned cray and kidnapped you! I'm coming over as soon as I call off the search party."

Kaelon hung up the phone and went to sit on his patio. He stared out into the yard with a faraway look, barely noticing when Sean joined him.

"You gonna tell me what happened?" asked Sean.

"I was in a dream," Kaelon mumbled without meeting Sean's gaze. "I feel like I've stepped outside of it now and am going through withdrawals."

Sean rolled his eyes. "Have you been binging Lord of the Rings again?" He bent over and waved a hand in front of Kaelon's face, then sighed and pulled up a patio chair. "Man, you are worse than any girl I know. So, where were you exactly?"

"Just on vacation," he replied as he scowled at his less-than-magical surroundings.

"Oh yeah, where? Naboo? Did you and Padmé get married?"

Kaelon smiled. "I was with Jalena, and no, we did not."

"Who's Jalena, and what happened to Jessica?"

Kaelon sighed and scratched his head, trying to think of a plausible story. "Jessica is Jalena. Jessica is just a nickname she went by when she was little—probably her middle name or something…she prefers Jalena."

Sean raised an eyebrow. "Your girlfriend's name is Jalena Jessica?"

Kaelon shrugged. "I don't know. It's hard to explain."

"Riiight. I'm not buying it. You seem pretty stressed out for someone that just came back from his," Sean made quotation signs in the air with his fingers, "honeymoon."

Kaelon stood and scratched his head in frustration. "I just miss her."

"What else is new?" He watched Kaelon's worried expression for several minutes before he spoke again. "You don't know where she is, do you? This is just like before." He waved his hand in dismissal. "Man, she is playing you."

"No, I know where she is…sort of."

"What's going on then?"

"Can't tell you that right now." He sat back down.

"Man, you have it bad. She must really like nerd stuff for you to be this crazy. How you've lucked out like you have is beyond me."

"She's more than that."

"Well, for you to be like this, she has to know about quantum leaps, sacred geometry, dark matter, chaos and string theory, and all your energy, Jedi, mumbo jumbo?"

Kaelon raised his eyebrows.

"Yeah, I listen…a little. Someone has to listen to your babbling on about the mechanics of the universe."

"She knows it, but it is more like she is all of that—the epitome of the quantum experience."

"Is that how super nerds flirt?"

Kaelon chuckled. "Pretty much."

Sean jerked in surprise as Lyons walked onto the patio, covered in grease.

"I made coffee, and I fixed your car, Kaelon—added some adjustments," he stated. "Don't be surprised if the engine has a little boost next time you drive."

"I don't need any boost on the Jeep or the SUV."

"It's better, trust me."

Sean, who was scrutinizing Lyons closely, turned back to Kaelon. "Who is this cat?"

Lyons smiled. "Lyons—super genius."

Sean raised his eyebrows.

Lyons kept his smile. "Kaelon's new best friend," he added.

Sean's face fell.

"He's kidding, Sean!" Kaelon said as Lyons's grin widened. "Alright, Lyons, thank you for the help on the car."

Lyons turned, and his smile quickly faded. He stepped back toward the others.

"What's wrong?" Kaelon said as he stood. He froze as he saw Drasúl standing just inside his living room.

"Fuck," Lyons whispered. "It's Damien."

"Who the hell is Damien?" Sean said. He fell silent when he saw Drasúl's eyes flash with light. "What the—?"

"Run!" Kaelon yelled as he stepped forward to position himself between the two and Drasúl.

"I'm not leaving you," said Lyons.

"I am," Sean said. He jumped off the patio and bolted across the yard. He halted when four Avehkal appeared at the edge of the lawn. He raised his eyebrows as he took in the Avehkal's height, coppery skin, and gold markings. "Dafuq?"

He walked backward to the patio as the Avehkal advanced his way. "These are not the droids you're looking for," he said as he waved his hand in front of them.

One Avehkal scowled and grabbed Sean roughly.

"Alright, geez. I had to try." He said as they pushed him back to the patio. "Unfair," he mumbled. "You guys are too strong."

More Avehkal appeared beside Drasúl, blocking Kaelon's path as Kaelon reached for Sean.

Drasúl chuckled. "Ah, humans amuse me. Did you really think you could outrun the most powerful being on Earth?"

"Who, Jalena?" Lyons retorted.

Drasúl's face fell.

The nearest Avehkal struck Lyons in the face.

Lyons's knees hit the ground. He straightened and shook his head once, then spit blood on the patio. He smiled up at Drasúl and winked. "Missed you, Damien."

His eyes closed as the Avehkal kneed him in the head, and he fell over unconscious.

Drasúl scowled. "Take them to the ship."

"No!" Kaelon yelled as an Avehkal pushed Sean forward. "Leave him here! He doesn't know what's going on!"

Kaelon stumbled back as the Avehkal nearest him hit him across the face.

Drasúl stared hard at Kaelon. "You can either go quietly or go unconscious. It's your choice, lover boy."

An Avehkal looked down at Lyons. "And him?"

"Bring him," Drasúl commanded. "Otherwise, he will find a way to warn the others before we attack."

The Avehkal lifted Lyons and threw him casually over his shoulder.

Fury filled Kaelon as he was bound and pushed forward.

Outside the house, Drasúl's eyes brightened. With a wave of his hand, he formed a cloaking path that led from Kaelon's house to an Avehkal ship resting in a nearby open park.

"Kaelon," Sean whispered from behind him. "What the fuck is going on? Please tell me these guys are just in cosplay, and this is a Comic-Con ride, or I'm in a nightmare that I'm about to wake up from."

He frowned as he stared at the Avehkal's large frame in front of him. "I can't see where we are going. What does he mean by a ship?"

"It's cloaked," Kaelon said in a low voice. "I'll tell you more in a minute." He winced as the heat within him grew to an aching pulse. He shook his head to stay focused.

Sean and Kaelon stumbled as they were shoved up a ramp that neither could see. They both stopped in their tracks when the interior of the ship came into view.

"What the—?" Sean said in awe as he looked around the ship.

"Keep moving!" an Avehkal demanded.

The three were taken to the ship's lower levels. The Avehkal led them into a large, thick-glassed cell.

Kaelon reached out to catch Lyons as the Avehkal dropped him to the floor before locking them in.

As soon as the Avehkal left, Sean started pacing.

Kaelon let out a deep breath and slid against the compartment wall to the ground. He leaned over to check Lyons's pulse.

"I know I look calm, but I am trying really hard not to freak out here," said Sean.

"You don't look calm," Kaelon argued.

"For this situation, I am." He did a double-take at where Kaelon sat. "Wait, why are you not freaking out?" He threw out his hands. "Is this what you did on your honeymoon?" he yelled.

Kaelon dropped his head forward into his hands, willing himself not to pass out. The pain within him was heightening as his anger grew.

"It wasn't a honeymoon," he responded quietly.

"Who is this Damien?" Sean asked. "And why are you sweating so much? Are you okay?" He started pacing again. "Of course you aren't okay. We are in a friggin' alien ship!" he steadied himself as the ship rose into the air. He banged on the glass. "Let me out! I'm too young to be abducted!"

Kaelon forced himself to stand as Drasúl entered the room.

Drasúl watched Kaelon closely through the glass of the compartment. "Don't like flying?" he said.

"What do you want with us, Drasúl?" asked Kaelon. "Our part in this is over. Jalena is gone."

Drasúl smirked. "I have my own ways of figuring things out, Kaelon. I know Jalena is alive. I always take the path of least resistance, which means leveraging you to my advantage."

"It won't work," Kaelon's smirk mirrored Drasúl's. "She has let me go to fulfill her duty in stopping you and protecting this planet."

"I know light warriors, Kaelon." Drasúl chuckled. "They do not dismiss what is in their hearts. See, I have fought Master Jalena before. She may not often let her emotions interfere with her duty, but there was no mistaking the way she looked at you when she sacrificed her life for yours in the mountains. The feeling was too powerful to mask, which is exactly what I will use to weaken her again."

Drasúl flinched as Kaelon slammed his hand against the glass. His gaze hardened. "Fuck you, Drasúl."

Drasúl sneered. "Looks like you are the ones who are fucked." He pressed his hand against the glass as his eyes lit up.

Kaelon and Sean fell unconscious as silver light flooded the compartment.

When Kaelon opened his eyes next, the three were chained up against a concrete wall in what appeared to be old ruins of a building. He tugged hard against the chains, but they held fast. He looked around, trying to piece together where they were.

"Sean," he said in a low voice.

Sean and Lyons both stirred and slowly opened their eyes.

Lyons surveyed the area with one eye. His other was swollen shut. He yanked his own chains without success.

"Fucking Damien," he mumbled. "Ahhh," he groaned. "I need some ibuprofen."

Sean shook his head as he observed Lyon's face. "More like Percocet."

"Where do you think we are?" asked Kaelon.

"No clue, but it was light out when we left the house, and now it's almost night," Sean said. "I don't know how long we were out though."

Thron appeared around the corner, followed by two Avehkal. "Oh good." His gold teeth glinted as he smiled. "You three are awake just in time to die."

***