Imperious Realm: Reign of the North Forest Book 1 Read online

  Title Page

  

  Copyright Page

  Published in Canada by Athene Z. Adam Publishing Inc.

  Copyright © 2022 Athene Z. Adam

  Cover Design by VeryMuchSo.Agency

  Library and Archives Canada

  Issued in print and electronic formats.

  ISBN: 978-1-7782955-0-8

  ISBN: 978-1-7782955-2-2

  ISBN: 978-1-7782955-3-9

  ISBN: 978-1-7782955-1-5

  All rights reserved; no part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.

  The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

  Dedication Page

  For the Niobes in the worlds

  Map of Eiyesan Cities

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Dedication Page

  Map of Eiyesan Cities

  Prologue

  1 The Infirmary

  2 Allies

  3 Secrets

  4 Poisoned Arrow

  5 Transgressions

  6 Retirement

  7 The Lost Love

  8 New Antisenent Syndrome

  9 We Will Show You ‘Friend’

  10 Cirsium

  11 The Rivalry

  12 Transformation

  13 Interference

  14 The Cabin

  15 Toxic

  16 Trials

  17 The Phantom City

  18 The North Forest

  Appendix: Glossary, Characters, and Pronunciation Guide

  About the Author

  Back Cover Text

  Prologue

  Centuries ago, a team of astronomers discovered a planet at the expanding boundaries of the universe.

  It was unclear which star this new planet orbited. The astronomers named it Themis, after the ancient Greek goddess of divine law. As time wore on, the team came to realise it was part of a system of thirteen planets with seventeen corresponding moons, all orbiting a new sun. With the discovery of this new system, the solar system in which Earth existed was named the Helium Solar System and the new, smaller one the Nebulon Solar System.

  Eiyesa is the second planet from the second sun, Icarus. The moons Chrysus and Argentius orbit Eiyesa.

  Meanwhile, Earth depleted its natural resources with catastrophic consequences.

  Thousands died from starvation and natural disaster exacerbated by the reckless acts by humankind. Those who remained turned on each other and the governments. Nations crumbled and reformed into new nations. Researchers tried to develop alternate sources of fuel and food. In the Helium Solar System, the planet most like Earth was Mars, but although it had once held water, Mars was no longer a sustainable planet. Consequently, Earth governments expanded their space exploration programs in the hope that a viable planet would be found to draw on its resources.

  About five centuries ago, the people of Earth developed technologies to regulate their planet’s environment. In this way, humans were able to moderately reverse the damage to their poisoned atmosphere and toxic oceans. They reduced global temperatures while allowing winters, earthquakes, and volcanic activity to continue in a carefully controlled rhythm. Slowly, the Earth began to repair itself.

  These advanced technologies would prove ineffective if humans persisted in their destructive ways, so severe regulations were imposed on resource distribution and wastage. The average man may have been content with his life. He had reasonable food, water, and shelter. But those humans who were accustomed to a more luxurious lifestyle wanted more.

  As a result, the space exploration mandate changed from finding additional resources to abandoning Earth and relocating the privileged. The planets in the Nebulon System at first seemed uninhabitable, but further research demonstrated that Eiyesa was a potentially suitable planet for relocation. Eiyesa became accessible to Earth through a manmade wormhole.

  Eiyesa was similar to Earth in many ways. Its revolution around Icarus was close to Earth’s voyage around its own sun. A warmer planet than Earth, Eiyesa’s environment was rich in oxygen and had similar environmental processes such as atmospheric, hydrodynamic, and several geological processes. The new planet had chemical elements previously undiscovered. There was, however, uncertainty about the longevity of human life on Eiyesa. Long-term human experimentation was necessary, but no one was willing to risk the lives of the wealthy. Instead, they looked to a powerless population: Earth’s prisoners. The Eiyesans referred to their ancestors, the prisoners, as the Unwanted.

  It was seemingly the perfect solution. Prisoners were unnecessary consumers of Earth’s diminishing resources, and their absence was beneficial to society. As wards of the government, the Unwanted had limited rights. Removing them from Earth would allow for a better distribution of resources that would help further the Eiyesan cause.

  The Unwanted arrived on Eiyesa, in droves and with limited supplies, and were forced to survive in a raw and exotic land. In the first few years, many fell victim to the elements, predators, poisonous vegetation, and one another. Violent though many of them were, they were also resourceful. Eventually, they saw the need to form a functional society.

  Eiyesa’s natural resources and remedies were discovered to be of great benefit to humans. But its environment was fragile, and even small changes drastically impacted its ecosystem, with some species wiped out as soon as humans arrived. Once the population settled, they began working on technological advances—including weaponry to protect themselves against future human colonists.

  As they had on Earth, the human population of Eiyesa pushed the planet’s limits without regard to the destruction they left behind. Those who protested those advancements were punished. Eventually, those who preferred to live close to nature migrated to the forests north of Mesidus and became the forest dwellers. Over time, the planet’s population expanded from the capital city of Mesidus to found two more cities: Cirsium and Ambrosium. Located northwest of Mesidus, Cirsium was known as the winter city due to its cooler climate. Ambrosium, northeast of Mesidus, was known as the marble city due to its advanced architecture and marble buildings. The prime minister of Eiyesa ruled over Mesidus, Cirsium, and Ambrosium.

  Eiyesa’s human history has been marred by human conflict and government mistrust. Sixty-six years ago, Mesidisian rebels accused the government of allowing the forest dwellers to live in a state of natural anarchy, rather than contribute to the city’s economy. There has also been a constant struggle over the advancement of Eiyesa and the Eiyesan lifestyle at the expense of the planet’s health.

  Over the centuries, the people of Earth have arrived twice with hostile intentions. Both times the Eiyesans defeated them, the most recent conflict occurring three decades ago.

  The forest dwellers, who reside in the South Forest, remained ostracized to this day.

  1 The Infirmary

  450 Years After Arrival

  Kale was on his hands and knees. The fabric of his khaki trousers was coated in a fine layer of dirt, the grime adhering stubbornly in the crevices of his fingernails. He knew his mother would scold him and he would need to scrub twice to be clean enough for dinner, but that thought was distant from his mind. He crouched in the dirt and swept the soil away from the triangular object.

  “Dri!” he yelled. “Dri! Come here!”

  A voice called from several metres away. “Where are you? I can’t see you!”

  Kale’s head and shoulders peeked up
from the rustling, blue grass. He waved emphatically to the other figure, a child with the same deep brown eyes, matching hair, and stocky build as his own. Drimys shaded his eyes with one hand, the other on his hip, and Kale ducked once he had gotten Drimys’s attention. Drimys ran through the field and halted behind him.

  “Look!” Kale exclaimed, and his twin dropped to the ground. “It’s an arrowhead!”

  “There are arrows everywhere. The riders use them all the time. We can’t be adventurers with the same arrows everyone else uses.”

  “This one is different.” Kale’s fingertips dug deftly around it, ignoring a tawny, slithering insect that emerged from the dirt. “It’s wider, not like the ones they use now.”

  Drimys’s forehead creased in concentration, beads of sweat at his hairline. The twins examined the artifact more closely. Kale wasn’t sure whether the arrowhead was tarnished because it had been buried or because it had belonged to the thieves from his books who had fought to protect their gold. He plucked it out of the ground and touched the point with his finger, jabbing but not breaking the skin. He pulled away quickly.

  “It’s still sharp,” Kale said. “Maybe Rufus can tell when it was made.”

  “We might need it when we search for the treasure. The world’s greatest adventurers!” Drimys grabbed the artifact from Kale’s hands. “It’s mine.”

  “I found it. A second ago, you didn’t care.”

  “Your side of the room is too messy to keep it safe. It’s too important to lose.”

  “But—”

  “I’m keeping it.” Drimys pocketed the arrowhead. “Let’s go show Rufus. He might still be in the Centre.”

  Kale was too excited about their discovery to be annoyed at Drimys’s claim. Brushing the dirt from his pants, he broke into a run after his brother, pushing the grass aside as he emerged from the field. Drimys was just ahead, veering from the path to the open stable doors. In the day’s dimming light, a small figure scampered on all fours through the entrance. Kale followed Drimys, who ran after the animal.

  The stable smelled of grain, raw meat, and the underlying musty stench of veelox droppings. Half the veeloxes had been penned for the evening. Slender necks rose above the gates, and slimmer beaks snapped lazily at the surrounding flies.

  “Dri?”

  Apart from the penned veeloxes, the barn was empty. Some of the riders had left the city of Mesidus to gather medicine, and the others were still out in the fields, busy with their last duties of the day.

  A veelox extended its neck out from the fence, startling Kale. The reptile tucked its narrow beak inward, then bumped his head in a friendly manner. Kale petted it with one hand, wondering where his brother had gone. He was too big to hide in the piles of hay in the wheelbarrows. Drimys could have slipped into one of the pens, but Kale was almost sure a veelox would repel the intrusion.

  He peered around the barn, but the pen doors were solid wood, and he couldn’t properly see through the narrow spaces between the planks. Maybe Drimys meant to jump out and scare him. Kale turned suddenly, but no one was behind him. Ahead was a closet door, hooks on the wall, and a familiar ladder that led up to a loft and balcony along the perimeter of the stable.

  A scuffling sounded to the left, and Kale’s gaze darted to the darkened corner beyond the pens. Drimys was hunched on the floor with his back to him.

  “Dri—”

  A flash of fur dashed away, and Drimys howled. He turned to face Kale. Blood oozed into the collar of his linen shirt and he touched it, smearing the blood around his neck and over the palm of his hand. Kale sucked in a breath.

  “It tried to take it!” Drimys pressed his fingers against the wound. “Kale, it tried to take it.”

  Cries of pain stirred Kale from his shock, and his mind stuttered. Riders, Father, infirmary—Drimys would never go to the infirmary himself, nor let Kale take him—Mother. “You have to go to Mother.”

  Drimys flew past him and out of the stable. Before he followed suit, Kale checked the corner, wondering where the terquin had gone.

  The terquin emerged from the darkness, hissing at him and baring its fangs. Kale jumped.

  The creature’s claws were out, ready to attack. Frightened, Kale took a step back. He noticed one of its eyes was bloodshot. The terquin darted for a hole in the fence.

  Kale eyed the hole in the pen, but the terquin hadn’t emerged and he needed to follow his brother to the Healing Centre. He hurried out of the stables and across the open field. Kale bumped into passersby as he took the road leading to the familiar stone and brick building. He ran past the bike racks and up the front steps. Nothing. Unsure if Drimys had heeded his instruction, he clattered through the Centre and down the hallway to their family’s apartment. The door was already standing open. And then, through the silence, he heard their mother shriek his brother’s name.

  ***

  Several rooms over, Iberis closed the door to the nursery. Most of the babies were idle or asleep, but he recognized the one that was crying. He scanned the incubators as he walked to a smaller, inner room painted in soothing tones and decorated with murals of baby animals. Vica was evidently flustered, trying to rock the swaddled infant to sleep.

  “He’s going to wake the others if he doesn’t quiet,” she said as Iberis approached.

  “He’s nursed already?”

  “Yes, and she left a supply. He’s always like this after she leaves. We’re not who he’s looking for.” Vica noticed the lilac shawl folded neatly over his shoulder and his tan, short-sleeved shirt and pants, the healer’s uniform. “That colour doesn’t suit you.”

  Iberis smirked. “It’ll help with who he’s looking for. I had her leave it behind.”

  Sergen’s face was flushed and streaked with tears. Iberis was now mostly accustomed to the sound of children crying, but Sergen’s high-pitched wails of desperate need affected him. Careful to support the infant’s head, Iberis took Sergen from Vica and pressed him to his chest. The child thrashed and whined, kicking against the lilac shawl.

  Then another infant cried out in the nursery. Some of the children were ill and others were newer than Sergen, but most would be home soon. It would take several minutes before Sergen’s panic dissolved and his shaking lessened.

  “Sometimes, I wonder what gets into the heads of these mothers.” Vica was bitter. “Why have children if they can’t take care of them? The Healing Centre—”

  “Will do its best to give him what he needs.” Iberis had little tolerance for any negativity on this topic, even when Vica was stressed, and his disapproving look was enough to silence her. Vica loved healing, she treasured the children, and had a sixth sense for their care. She was also strongly principled.

  Iberis nodded at the door and eased himself into a rocking chair. “Go look after the others. I’ll take over.”

  He rocked the child back and forth until Sergen slipped into a calm but tentative state, his breathing more regular. Iberis liked to think it was his own ministrations that helped, but he knew the clothing with the mother’s smell had done most of the work. Kissing Sergen’s dark hair, he leaned back, cuddling the infant.

  “That’s better.”

  The warm bundle wriggled. Iberis spent every spare moment he had with Sergen, between surgeries and appointments, during lunch, and after work late into the night. He had always been dedicated to his field, but now he was lying to his wife about the time he spent tending to Sergen. If he was called to perform any emergency surgeries, then his stay in the infirmary could extend to a couple of days.

  Iberis sighed, frustrated. Both he and Selene were young, but out of necessity and circumstance he had grown more mature while she remained carefree. He knew that eventually her youthful enthusiasm, independence, and social circle would diminish and she would begin to resent his absence. Conflict would follow, but he needn’t worry about that tonight. Tonight was about him, and Sergen, and the mother’s shawl.

  Something changed in the room, and Iberis o
pened his eyes. A child stood in the doorway, his wavy hair unruly, a cheeky smile on his face that might easily flip to mischief. A dirty smudge traced down his neck. Despite his roguish looks the child didn’t interfere, but merely watched.

  “Good evening.” Iberis spoke in a soft voice, mindful of Sergen’s little ears. By now Vica would have tended to the children, then retired to her office around the corner. Once in the room, Kale would have slipped by unnoticed. “How did you get in here?”

  “Healer locked the door but I was too fast.”

  “You wanted to see the babies?”

  The boy made a face. “No. I didn’t know where I was until I got in.”

  “Where were you trying to go?”

  Kale shrugged and looked sheepishly away. “Nowhere.”

  Young boys were always getting into trouble. The morgue, Iberis decided. “You can’t get to the morgue. It’s locked.”

  Kale’s shock at Iberis’s accuracy was replaced by quick defiance. “I got in here.”

  “It doesn’t matter. You can’t wander around the infirmary, Kale. It’s not safe for you or the patients.”

  “I’m not wandering,” Kale protested. “I’m supposed to be here. A terquin slashed Drimys, and a healer is helping him.” His small mouth twisted into a frown. “How did you know I’m Kale?”

  “Healers can tell the difference.”

  “Not all healers, only you. Father can’t. Mother does, even when Drimys tries to blame me for things he did.”

  “What types of things?”

  “I don’t know. Things. But some people can tell us apart now. Drimys lost a tooth.” He bared his teeth and pointed at one of his canines. “This one. He lost it a month ago.”

  “You haven’t lost yours yet?”

  That was perplexing. Iberis hadn’t been Kale and Drimys’s healer for long, but their biological milestones tended to occur in relative unison. It was one of the mysteries surrounding identical twins that they still didn’t fully understand, even after years of research.