Chapter 16: A Flying Saucer Abducts Amos

  The party emerged from the canyon and out onto the plains. They stood together, panting and trying to cope with the events. Ninah, per usual, was the first to speak. “That was…so exciting! I have never gone through something like that! At least not with people! It is nicer to face danger when you are with friends!”

  Suti looked at her balefully then said to Avner, “Now what?”

  Avner stood straight and winced, holding his side. “Probably tell lord Dim-Wit about this. But first…I need to talk with you.” He turned to Amos and winced again, sitting down on a rock. “Or maybe rest for a second.”

  “I can care for that if you wish,” said Roshana. “It is the least I could do for keeping us safe.”

  “But also getting us into trouble in the first place,” muttered E’Tar.

  “You didn’t have to follow us,” said Haran, facing him. “You could have left us to our business and maybe we wouldn’t be so hurt.”

  He held his lightly bleeding arm gingerly, removing the pierced leather bracer to check it.

  “Now hold fast,” said Avner, taking his leather armor off and removing his tunic. “Some of them helped us quite a bit, as Roshana is about to now.”

  She studied the bruised side with a cut in it. “This is an old bruise…”

  “The raptor decided to pummel the same place that got kicked by a goat yesterday,” said Avner, laughing and wincing as she pushed gently on it.

  “It’s a surface-level cut,” she said, “I don’t think anything is broken. This shouldn’t take long.”

  She summoned her power, flattening the sea-green energy against her hand and pressing it to Avner’s side. He winced again but sighed in relief. “I can already feel it working,” he said.

  “Doubtful,” she muttered, closing her eyes.

  Ninah gazed very awkwardly and closely at Avner’s side as Roshana healed it. “Does it hurt? Or does it tickle? How do you do that, Roshana?”

  Avner ignored her and turned to Amos. “So…little brother, you inherited the gift as well.”

  “Is it a gift?”

  “Of course! I’m glad you did! El’Azar was always too high-minded with his use of the powers. He wanted to only use it for the good of mankind. But you…I could use you in the party. I accept your offer of help from before. You can join the team.”

  “What?!” cried Amos, Haran, and Suti in equal measure.

  “But,” Amos stuttered, “You said you didn’t want me…”

  “That was before. You aren’t helpless or useless. You could be the most vital member of my team.”

  “Your team?” snorted Haran.

  “Once again,” said Suti, “I would prefer you discuss things with me before you jump to a decision. An Athelward, while useful, could draw serious unwanted attention.”

  “Nonsense!” said Avner. “He can be the trick up our sleeve. The secret player that no one knows about until it's too late! He will be brilliant!”

  “You know that Lord…our client will not be content to leave an Athelward with you! He will want to take him for his own personal use…”

  “Not if we keep him on the down-low.”

  “Done.” Roshana removed her hands and the energy dissipated into the air. Avner glanced down. “What? No full heal?”

  “I mended the wounded flesh. It will take a day or two for the bruises to go away. It only looks injured.”

  Avner pressed it with his hand and smiled. “So, it is…it feels fine.”

  Roshana turned to Haran who was looking at his arm, punctured with small bite marks. “Now for you…”

  “Get away from me!” he barked, backing away.

  She stopped. “I promise, it won’t hurt much if that is your worry. The wounds appear shallow…”

  “Don’t touch me with that…magic. It's bad enough Avner wants you along and now his brother but I won’t have anything to do with it!”

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  Roshana stared at him, sadness entering her face. “At least let me bind it with herbs then.”

  Haran hesitated before nodding and proffering his arm for her to study, his eyes still watching her hands warily. Avner turned back to Amos, “So…what do you say? Would you join us?”

  “Avner…” Suti approached him. “We should discuss as a group before you decide…”

  “Decide? It should be easy to decide! An Athelward will allow us to accomplish so much more!”

  “What about me?”

  Avner turned at Amos’ words. He noticed the fury upon his face and took a step back. “What…you wanted to come…didn’t you?”

  “I wanted to help,” said Amos. “I didn’t know if I wanted to go with you! What about Ari’El? I wouldn’t abandon her as you did both of us! I…I don’t even know what kind of life you lead! What if I don’t like it?”

  “You see, he doesn’t want it,” said Suti. “Problem solved.”

  “But…you…” Avner appeared flummoxed.

  “Besides,” said Amos. “I find the irony quite strong that you didn’t want my help until you knew I had power. You don’t want me for me…you just want to use my power, like all people want to use the Athelward.”

  “That’s going a bit far!” said Avner, blushing as he noticed Roshana, bandaging Haran’s hand, glance at him with some disdain. “I didn’t want you before because I thought you were inexperienced and would get hurt. Of course, I would love to have my brother with me. But I must look out for his safety first.”

  Amos looked angry but was unable to respond. He and Avner confronted one another as Avner moved closer to him, hands out and palms up. “Trust me, Amos. I don’t just want you to come for your power…I would love to have you because it means I get to be with my favorite brother again.”

  Amos struggled to find his words. “But…you…I’m not sure.”

  Ninah stood abruptly from studying Haran’s wounds being mended by Roshana and pointed to the sky, mouth gaping open. “Um…that’s…flying plate.”

  The group looked up as one and, sure enough, flying over the fields from the direction of Hatisep and approaching rapidly was a large disk made of golden metal, about the size of Amos’s house in length and with railing made of the same material. It looked exquisite in the sunlight, shining brightly, and, upon closer inspection as it began to hover above them, they could make out a shimmering field of energy of varying colors below it, greens and blues. Figures were on board the open disk, at least six of them. Three of them had their hands splayed downward, energy pulsing in a thin veil from their fingers to go into the floor of the disk. It seemed they were the ones holding it in place.

  “What is that?” asked Ninah.

  “It’s trouble,” said Haran, glaring at it.

  “Amos Sunrider,” called a voice from the platform. “We know what you have done.”

  The party gazed up, hands to eyes to block the sun as the disk began to draw close, at least twenty feet above their heads. Three figures stood at the railing edge and gazed imperiously down at the group. “You have used your power when you were told not to,” said the same voice. Amos recognized it as the man who had confronted him at the Sanctum gates just two days before. “We now demand you come with us to the Sanctum. This is not a request.”

  “I…I didn’t use it,” said Amos lamely.

  “We saw your orb fly into the skies above. We have been keeping a watch on you and know it was yours. Now, come with us or be taken by force.”

  “You can’t do that!” said Avner. “I asked him to do it!”

  “Then he is more the fool for agreeing.”

  “He was saving us!” called Ninah. “Surely you wouldn’t punish him for doing good! After all, many people do illegal things for good reasons…or so I hear. Well, actually…”

  “Come now, Amos Sunrider. Don’t let your friends be hurt if you force us to use our powers.”

  Amos stood, transfixed before the disk, uncertainty written across his features. Avner moved close behind him and murmured. “You don’t have to go with them, we could find a way to…”

  “Don’t be foolish,” hissed Suti, beside him. “You couldn’t do anything to them up there. They would annihilate us all!”

  “Be smart about this,” said Haran.

  “I’m not letting them just take my brother!”

  Amos noticed that E’Tar had moved close to his back, fists clenched again as he stared at him intensely. Then he looked back up at the faces gazing down imperiously at him. His face fell and he turned to E’Tar. “Tell Ari’El what has happened. Don’t let her wonder…”

  E’Tar shook his head. “No! I will go with you then!”

  “I would not ask that of you…as much as your presence would give me some comfort. Please…do as I ask.”

  E’Tar’s face contorted in frustration and anger but he nodded. Avner shook his head as well. “Are you sure about this?”

  Amos shook his head, laughing, but looked sick. “No…not at all.”

  He turned back to the Athelward above. “I’ll come peacefully. Now, how do I get up there?”

  No sooner had he spoken his surrender, than two of the Athelward extended their hands and formed orbs of light. They swung their arms and the orbs turned to long whips that they whirled about their heads. Then, in one synchronized movement, they launched them downward in an arch and they lashed out, nearly striking E’Tar and Avner who fell back. The whips wrapped around Amos, pinning his arms to his sides. He felt their heat but did not burn from their contact. They tightened as the two Athelward extended their hands and retracted the power toward themselves. Amos felt his feet leave the ground as he was hauled up to the golden disk above.

  He flew over the railing and landed hard on the golden surface, grunting in pain. The disk was propelled forward silently, his friend and family disappearing into the distance, as he sped toward the city of Hatisep and the Sanctum, his new prison.

  *

  The group watched the disk fly toward the city, growing smaller as it raced away. E’Tar stared after it, his face tight with sadness, then he began to march toward the city. “Where are you going?” asked Ninah.

  “To tell his sister.”

  “I’ll tell her,” said Avner, running to keep step with him. “It’s partially my fault that he is in this mess.”

  “Avner!” called Suti. “We need to get back to Rim-Sum and tell him what we found!”

  “For once, could you please not be practical!”

  Suti huffed at his response but followed grudgingly. Ninah glanced at Roshana who nodded and they too hurried to catch up. Haran was the last to join, muttering darkly as he pulled his brace back onto his newly bandaged arm. “This will end badly. It is always the way with Athelward.”