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The Seventh Realm: Volume V

By Mantrid Brizon

Episode 65: Trial By Fire

“What's wrong, my love?" Zakera asks Cyrus.

“I didn't say anything was." He replies.

“You didn't have too. For nearly nineteen cycles we've been pledged; I know all of your subtle hints."

Standing behind his chair as he looks over some documents that Mirkon had left him, she gently rubs his shoulders. She wonders if it could be Isabella and her human-only tribe. Shortly after Darius and Koleta returned, and just after their ceremony of adulthood, he sent a detachment to find her and initiate a positive political relationship; he had only waited because Mirkon was unable to make the journey due to a familial illness at the time. Once the group made their way through the cave, which was promptly cleared of Zajak and lit with glowing crystals, they found... Nothing.

Having moved her entire tribe, Isabella left only abandoned homes behind. With a few notable exceptions, there wasn't even a single kernel of faval wheat left inside of the structures. One article was a note. It read as follows.

“Dear Cyrus,

Go fuck yourself. Also, tell Manny that he's as handsome as ever, in that gruff, Viking kind of way.

Sincerely, Isabella Thames."

Upon searching the structure that Sidana and Manny had reported to be Isabella's manor, a report backed up by conversations that Darius and Koleta had with their parents later on, they found the only other remaining items. Inside Isabella's basement, a simple root cellar, were several bound bodies. Many were prisoners with lash marks on their chests or back, along with other signs of torture. They had one-word descriptions of their crimes carved into the wooden yokes that held them to the earthen walls like livestock. Many were quite trivial.

Two, however, bore names and not crimes that they'd committed. One was Yulan Corin Byr, and the other, a corpse dead long enough to have skeletonized, was listed only as 'daddy'. Whatever made Isabella imprison and torture the father of her son, let alone her own beloved father, was beyond their comprehension. Upon returning to the capitol city, the party were quick to reveal what they'd seen. Realizing that Isabella and her miniscule tribe were less than friendly, he placed his own guards on high alert, at least for the time being. Is that what's weighing so heavily on his mind?

“You're right." He sighs.

“I know." She giggles.

“It's Darius... I'm a little worried about him."

“Why are you worried?" She asks.

“I sometimes still wonder if he's really changed. I don't see him showing much progress." He explains.

“He pledged to Koleta. They've certainly taken the ceremony and their status as adults seriously. I've never seen him work so hard in his life, nor have I seen him as such an attentive husband. In fact, I believe he'll make an excellent father." Zakera retorts.

“Well, yeah, but there's more than that at stake. I'm glad they're both capable adults, but one day I'd like to step down; he'll need to be able to take over when I'm busy sleeping all day and cuddling with you all night."

“Just cuddling?" Zakera coos.

“I love you." He chuckles.

“I love you too." She replies, leaning in to share several impassioned kisses. “Don't worry about it. Life has never been better for the Sa'kesh or us; you have many years to mold him into a proper king."

“I really hate that title." He murmurs. “But you're right!"

“I know." She grins.

“I'll try to relax. I promise."

“Good. Would you like to start now? Join us for lunch."

“Sure." He says, setting the papers aside.

Walking into the dining hall with his mate, Cyrus sees Darius and Koleta sitting across from their other two children, Jolazar and Vanolza. The pair have been pledged to each other for a little over a month, and yet they still marvel at the symbols of their pledge. Koleta smiles at Darius, looking up at him as she leans sweetly against his arm, a hand stroking her own, black leather collar bearing several orange and red gemstones. Looking back at his wife, Darius strokes her cheek, his matching armband clinging tightly to his upper arm. Sharing a kiss, Jolazar and Vanolza watch with curiosity. Zakera and Cyrus cannot help but gawk at their son and new pledge-daughter.

Brushing their lips together, they take their time before sharing a rather passionate kiss. Cyrus pulls out one of two chairs that sit at the head of the table, allowing Zakera to take a seat before gently pushing in the chair for her. He massages her shoulders for a moment, both of them watching their eldest son and his wife, who remain oblivious to that fact.

“So..." Cyrus begins, taking his seat beside Zakera at the head of the table. “Any plans for the day, Darius?"

“Yes." Koleta and Darius answer in unison.

“Typically, people elaborate afterward." Zakera giggles.

“Oh, right. Well, I've already read most of our legal documents in the library. It's given me a lot to think about. In the meantime, I'm eager to learn how the trade routes work, so I thought I'd start with the basics; we grow more faval here than any other city." Darius explains.

Though he has shown genuine interest in the basic workings of the Sa'kesh since his return from the jungle, Cyrus is consistently surprised. This Darius bears little resemblance to his first-born son.

“Food distribution is an important process." Jolazar nods.

“That's just the beginning." Darius replies, a confident grin on his face.

“Ruling a nation is hard work, son." Cyrus cautions.

“I know. I'm doing what I can, dad." Darius retorts.

“He's just worried that you're trying too hard. You'll do fine, my love." Koleta assures him, softly kissing his cheek.

Cyrus silently chuckles at the sight. Leaning against his arm, he turns his head toward Zakera. Her cyan eyes gaze up at him, a look of longing identical to what Koleta is giving Darius only feet away from him. Slipping an arm around her, he kisses her upon her lips and nuzzles her face, feeling the soft, pink and white fur on his skin.

“Well, I'm sure you'll learn a lot, son." Cyrus finally replies.

After their lunch, Jolazar and Vanolza go about their day while Zakera easily convinces Cyrus to take some time off; they retire to their bedroom. Exiting the dining hall, Darius and Koleta walk past a pair of castle guards. Normally, Sidana is one of the guards closest to Cyrus, as a high ranking and trusted soldier. Pausing, Darius turns to the guards, who stand at attention. The male Ketlan with black fur and lime green speckles and green eyes, and the female Zelkona with a ruby red hide lined with thick, light blue stripes and icy blue eyes, appear ready for anything. They stand, waiting for an order from the son of their king.

“Excuse me." He begins.

“Yes, prince?" The Zelkona asks.

“How may we be of service, sir?" The Ketlan asks.

“How are Sidana and Manny doing?"

“Manny is well. He's chosen a post that allows him to stay closer to his home while Sidana is on leave." The Zelkona answers.

“She took leave already? She's only a few weeks pregnant." Koleta responds.

“As I understand it, Sidana doesn't want the stress of their job to interfere with their first child." The Zelkona replies.

“I think she just enjoys having Manny dote on her." The Ketlan adds.

“Who wouldn't?" The Zelkona says with a little sigh.

“Is someone jealous?" The Ketlan chuckles.

“What?! N-no..." The Zelkona replies, turning her head away.

“If you see either of them, could you please tell them that I hope they're doing well?" Darius asks.

“Of course, prince Darius!" They both chirp.

“Thank you. That'll be all."

Continuing on their way, Koleta follows Darius as he heads for the courtyard. Walking past old man Chris as he works on another science project with Jolazar, they exchange waves. Leaving the courtyard, they walk without escort through the city and toward the farmland across from them. As well-known and beloved as Cyrus and Zakera are, they often did not travel with escorts, but after the capitol city was constructed and the castle ready for their habitation, Mirkon and Zia urged them to take more precautions. Though their children are relatively known, most of them are not immediately recognized. This changed for Darius and Koleta as soon as they returned from their adventure in the wilderness.

However, Darius refuses to walk with guards, as does Koleta, his wife and the future queen. Strolling through the streets without fear, most Sa'kesh citizens recognize them. They turn to watch, warmed by the sight of royalty intermingling with them; it only further endears the young couple to their people. Reaching the farmland, they find Zia, who stands with Katero. They are not waiting for Darius and Koleta. Zia is the overseer of the capitol city, the doyen for the Zelkona who is also third in command, beneath Cyrus and Zakera respectively. Her pledge mate, Katero, is the overseer of the farmland, often working in the fields with his compatriots; he enjoys the manual labor.

“Hello my daughter! I see you brought your mate with you!" Katero calls out.

“Of course! He goes where I go!" She chirps.

“Shouldn't that be the other way around?" Zia giggles.

“It can be both." Darius says with a smile, slipping his arm around Koleta's waist.

“So, what brings you here today?" Katero asks.

“I'd like to learn about how all of this works." Darius begins.

“All of what? Farming?" Katero raises a brow in confusion.

“Everything. Farming, storage, transport. I'd like to know exactly how we come to supply the other cities; it's part of my effort to better understand the inner workings of our kingdom." Darius answers.

Katero's brow rises in surprise and Zia's expression matches her husbands. Glancing between each other, Zia shrugs her shoulders.

“Alright, but it's going to take some time." Katero finally replies.

“I'm a swift learner." Darius retorts with a confident grin.

Katero brings Darius and Koleta closer to him, preparing to escort them to a warehouse at the far end of the fields.

“Have a good afternoon, my love." Zia says, leaning in and kissing her mate.

“We will." He answers, returning her affection.

With her tail swaying gracefully, Zia walks away from her husband, daughter and son-in-law. After staring at his wife's figure for a moment, her hips and tail swishing with each step, Katero releases a pleasant sigh. Taking Darius and Koleta with him, he leads them to the warehouse. Along the way, he briefly explains the inner workings of the faval trade to Darius. Using a quill, capped inkwell and scroll, the young adult Sakona actively scribbles notes. As he schools the teenage adults, technically now on par with himself after partaking in the ceremony of adulthood, he has his doubts.

It isn't that he doesn't believe that Darius can eventually handle leading, or that he won't one day learn. How does the young male, an unpledged juvenile only two months earlier, expect to learn in days what took him years? What if he loses his drive, or is overwhelmed by the adversity that can come with sitting upon the throne? Katero knows all too well what it takes to build and run a kingdom; he stepped down from a position of power, as Yasmin did, as soon as it was practical for him. In his heart, he cannot help but worry about Darius and Koleta's future, though he would never express that to either of them.

While in the middle of a sentence, the warehouse door flies open and two human farmers burst in. Startling the group, Koleta spins around and prepares to lunge, while Darius rests his hand on his cykera knife. Their time in the jungle has left them constantly prepared for anything, even in the safety of their own city; it's something that they have failed to turn off.

“Apologies for the intrusion, but it's very important!" One exclaims.

“Speak." Katero nods.

“There's a storm coming..." The other warns.

His golden eyes bulging with shock and horror, Katero move around his desk, quick to race outside. Following Katero and the two humans, Darius and Koleta stand in front of the warehouse, watching the clouds rolling overhead. The red tinted sky of Monala flashes with cobalt blue lightning. Still at the end of the dry season, the electrical storm is very unusual, especially considering it is not related to someone traveling to Monala from Earth. They know this because traveler's storms are always purple in color. Thunderclaps explode above them, but not a drop of rain falls. It appears to be merely electrical discharge.

“Oh no..." Katero gulps.

A blast of lightning strikes the ground nearly a mile away. Everyone waits for plumes of black smoke, but nothing happens. With nearly a minute passing and no more lightning striking, Katero and the humans breathe a sigh of relief. This has only happened twice before, both times when Darius and Koleta were too young to remember. As the storm appears to roll on its merry way, a final blast of blinding blue lightning lands barely one hundred meters away. The dry faval stalks ignite, a breeze taking the flame and whisking it through a long, rectangular patch in the field with blistering speed.

The humans stand frozen in horror, while Katero himself takes a moment to gather his thoughts. Darius pushes past them and turns to Koleta. He spins around and grabs one of the humans by the shoulders.

“Fetch the nearest patrol of guards and tell them to organize a fire squad!" He barks.

“Y-yes, sir!" The human replies before darting away.

“You!" He turns to the other. “I need you to take a team and start cutting the stalks down well ahead of the flames!"

“What for? It's not worth harvesting!" The human asks.

“But it's also flammable! Cut it down, now!" He orders.

“Yes, sir!"

Eager to jump into the fray himself, Darius passes Katero a sickle taken from a rack inside of the warehouse. Though Koleta doesn't want him to work without her, she jumps at the chance to carry out his suggestion to organize an evacuation of any homes and warehouses near the rapidly growing blaze. Working beside Katero and several dozen farmers of every race, both genders and various ages, they hack and slash at the dry, useless stalks, throwing them as far away from the flames as possible. As ordered, a veritable army of soldiers arrives with buckets filled with water, led by Manny, who lives with his wife, Sidana, on the outskirts of the city and near her parents.

They can only scratch the surface, but Darius knows that. By pure coincidence, he had already thought of various ways to improve their fire squads. Seeing primitive hand pumps in books Cyrus had brought from Earth, he considered using hide or dense fabric hoses and simple nozzles, combining them with enlarged versions of the hand pumps. Chris was keen on the idea, which gave Darius hope for its viability. With the soldiers racing forward with their buckets, Darius steps away from the cutting teams, directing the soldiers to splash their water in the direction that the fire is heading. Having struck a single patch of dry stalks, it can only move in the direction of the wind, unable to spread out from the sides.

However, with the row reaching all of the way to the city, which is also the direction that the wind is blowing, they follow Darius' orders without question; it's clear to all that he understands the situation. Bucket after bucket soaks unburned stalks as the cutters slash a three-meter-wide path through the long strip. Creeping ever closer, the fire strikes the first set of soaked stalks. Steaming as they slowly burn, the soldiers continue to splash water. Working feverishly, the cutters can literally feel the heat. Slashing away, they soon carve out another three meters, just in time for the final patch of wet stalks to ignite.

Having done all they can do, the soldiers, farmers and several random civilians who had joined to help watch the roaring flames. With nowhere to go, the fire spends the next two hours harmlessly burning itself out.

“Well, now all we need are the hot dogs." Manny comments.

“Is that some kind of Earth food?" Darius asks.

Manny merely chuckles.

“It's good to see you again, buddy. You did good." Manny says to Darius.

“I was just doing what I needed to do to protect our city." Darius answers.

“All modest and shit." Manny laughs, patting Darius on the back.

Racing toward the large group, Cyrus, Zakera and Zia can see Darius as he stands near Katero and Manny, an arm draped over Koleta as they speak.

“I guess I missed the party!" Cyrus exclaims.

“No. It just started." Koleta quips.

Katero approaches his wife and best friend. Giving Zia a hug and a kiss, he assures her that he's alright before turning to Cyrus. Giving Cyrus a traditional warrior forearm shake, he leans close to his ear.

“You should have seen it. He was completely in control." Katero whispers to him.

Struggling to contain his grin, Cyrus embraces his son and pledge-daughter. Though he tries to compliment them, the two young adults are content to merely acknowledge that they're alright before brushing him aside. Instead, Darius is eager to examine the damage done, while Koleta speaks with those who were near the fire and lightning strike; she checks them herself for smoke inhalation and other similar injuries, joining a few town doctors who came with Cyrus' group. Watching their two children, now adults, Zakera and Zia stand side by side.

“Koleta will make an excellent queen." Zakera remarks.

“She will." Zia nods. “She has a genuine concern for her people; she's like their mother."

“As it should be." Zakera adds.

Standing near their wives, Cyrus and Katero are equally enthralled.

“Darius' leadership talents are much like yours." Katero says to Cyrus.

“He's doing far better than I could have ever dreamed. I've never been so proud of him." Cyrus admits.

“Likewise. Not so long ago, he wasn't remotely impressive." Katero continues.

“Hey..." Cyrus smirks, glancing to Katero. “I've heard people call me 'Cyrus the Great'... I can only imagine the titles that Darius will earn once he's in charge."

“I'm sure they'll be equally impressive." Katero assures him.

“... He's the best thing I've ever done. Something truly good in my bloody life." Cyrus murmurs.

Stepping closer to his wife, Cyrus drapes an arm over her shoulders, nuzzling her face softly with his nose. Leading her away from the crowd, they stop and turn back. They take one last look at Darius, who speaks with men who have been scouting the area for damage. Koleta, who stands near him, coaches a juvenile who had inhaled too much smoke at the onset of the fire, helping her maintain her breathing alongside a doctor. Realizing that their kingdom couldn't possibly be in better hands, Cyrus and Zakera return home; the younger generation have things thoroughly under control.