Imperious Realm: Reign of the North Forest Book 1 Page 3

  “Speaking of which, how’s Sarah?”

  He afforded her the brief opportunity to change the topic. “She’s brilliant and ten times smarter than me. She’s doing operations on her own now. She’s a fantastic healer, but she needs to improve her bedside manner.”

  “She’s not like you.”

  “I’m working with her. It’s getting better.” Iberis withdrew his hands, revealing the neat seal of her wound. He retrieved an ice pack from the freezer, which she held to her face. He leaned back against the counter. “I could bring him with me to the Healing Centre, declare a requirement for constant medical monitoring. He’s still only a child, so he automatically meets the criteria.”

  Niobe’s jaw grew tight. “What if he’s infected?”

  “The virus is a medical mystery. Twice a week I’m sampling Sergen’s blood, but I’m just waiting for the inevitable. It’s only a matter of time before it affects him.”

  “Don’t say that,” Niobe said.

  “But it’s true. And then what? Sergen won’t age—he’ll become an Antisenent—and for as long as Erek lives, he’ll be his punching bag.”

  “No, he—he wouldn’t.”

  “He’s doing it now. He doesn’t love either of you, he can’t. A person who loves you doesn’t hurt you. You have options. I can help.”

  “Where would we go? The forest? Join the dwellers?”

  “The dwellers are facing enough adversity as it is,” Iberis said. “Every day, they face a new challenge from the prime minister. I could take him, though. I could bring Sergen back.”

  “No, you can’t. You tried already. Erek went over your head to break him out of quarantine. He’ll do it again.”

  She set the ice pack on the counter. Niobe had never been domestic and it showed in the uneven cuts of her knife. Her tone expressed a familiar finality, but he was committed to advancing his case, however slowly.

  “He shouldn’t be locked up all day, unable to leave the house without his father’s permission. He needs to be around people. It’s what he thrives on. He’s dying like this.”

  “Don’t talk to me as if you know what’s better for my son.”

  “I know half of Eiyesa’s children better than their own parents,” Iberis persisted. “Sergen’s gifted. Even at a young age, his intelligence was obvious. They have camps in the Healing Centre—mostly the Mesidisians fought against the dwellers—and Sergen protected the dwellers, even against the older boys. His words are like magic. I could tell that much even though I barely understood anything the kids were saying. They hung on his every word, and he never once abused his power. It’s sad to see him like this.”

  “He gives his toys equal playing time, you know.” Niobe smiled. “He doesn’t want any of them feeling left out.”

  “Does he?” Iberis tilted his head, trying to catch her eye. “He has so much potential. I wouldn’t mind if he tried his hand at healing, but he could be an engineer, or a counselor, or a politician…”

  She became serious again. “I think we have enough politicians.”

  “Maybe, but the people of Eiyesa will need a proper leader. They need a reasonable and kind voice, someone who can build bridges with the forest dwellers, not oppress them, and one who understands the risk of Earth’s people returning without being paranoid about it. He can be that leader if he wants to be.”

  She faced him then, her injured eye nearly swollen shut. “You’re a dreamer. You always were. You care too much for him, Iberis.”

  “I’m a pragmatist. I care about you, too. I can talk to Selene. I can explain to her that you’re not Mesidus’s crazy old bat like everyone thinks you are, or else maybe you could go to one of the other cities. But I think she’ll agree for you both to come live with us.”

  “No woman would agree to that.”

  “Then I’ll get you your own place.”

  She shook her head decisively. “You’re not listening. Erek is a powerful person. It doesn’t matter where I am. He’ll find me and still take Sergen away from me. You should go now. The debate will start soon, and he’ll be home after that.”

  But Iberis didn’t go right away. They talked in circles, and he had difficulty arguing with her when he knew she was right. Erek would take Sergen from her, that was if he didn’t kill her first. Using his political power to his advantage, Erek had already convinced the community he was married to a mentally ill housewife. That sweet-talking charmer could do no wrong in the eyes of the public, who had a sympathetic ear for the prime minister’s political opponent coping patiently with his dysfunctional family.

  Erek wasn’t due home for a few more hours. He knew of Iberis’s daytime visits, and the healer made sure not to linger at the house. Iberis might plot against Erek, and he took every opportunity he had to help Niobe gain the strength to leave him, but Iberis tried to remain casual anytime the political leader came up in conversation. He was, after all, Niobe and Sergen’s only access to medical care and to the outside world.

  Niobe was not a stupid woman. She had mostly accepted that her husband didn’t love her, but leaving was another matter entirely. Iberis considered pressing the matter further but by the note of finality in her voice and the brusque way she went about her business in the kitchen, he knew he would be unsuccessful today.

  Eventually, he collected his items, placed them neatly back into his messenger bag, and placed a bottle of vitamin D drops on the table. He was slipping his shoes on when Sergen clambered down the stairs and stood before him, his new toy clutched tightly in both hands.

  “Do you have super hearing? How do you always know when I’m about to leave?” Iberis bent, meeting the boy at eye level. Sergen set the toy in the crook of his elbow and motioned with his hands as the healer had taught him. His hopeful look at Iberis’s small gestures reminded the healer of the great injustices of the world. For the millionth time, he was tempted to take the child with him.

  “That’s right, I’ll play with you next time. I’m sorry I couldn’t play more today. Your mother and I had to talk about some things.” Sergen nodded and raised the toy higher. Iberis signed as he said, “You’re welcome.”

  ***

  Perched on the front steps of the Healing Centre, Kale tried to decipher the mood of the crowd before him. The air was damper than usual, but Kale was too absorbed in his task to notice, reading the people while masking his grave concern. He had been in the spotlight since his youth—in years that is, as his body was frozen in the form of a child—and over time, he had learned to display calm and control in the face of the worst calamities.

  The world was in peril. The plague had decimated the adult population of the city of Mesidus. They were scattered across the crowd, mostly toward the back. Citizens were frozen as children and those who were still growing would succumb, like the others, to an early death. Unable to reproduce, their society was condemned to stagnation. They were succeeding in their collective endeavours of preserving Eiyesan knowledge, infrastructure, and food sources, but this didn’t alleviate the terrible pressure on their leaders to find a cure.

  Amid all this hardship, tensions between the Mesidisians and the dwellers of the South Forest, couldn’t have been higher. Kale had to admit his father was skilled in misdirection, acknowledging the planet’s woes while deftly shifting blame to the forest folk, as was the case today.

  The debaters were on the landing, a couple of steps up and across from Kale, and their microphones would easily amplify their voices. On the left was his father, and his political advisors were near him. A man with dark eyes and a brooding presence, Raynor was the prime minister of Mesidus and the two other cities of Eiyesa. He was unafraid to speak his mind, even when touching on his less popular ideas. It was when he sounded bigoted that Kale most began to worry, as Raynor’s prejudice against the dwellers was most obvious when they stood in the way of his objectives.

  On the right was Erek, an activist who fought against—well, Kale’s father. He seemed fundamentally opposed to every one of the prime minister’s ideas. He had gained popularity among the citizens due to his kind, well-spoken manner and despite his personal struggles with his family. At his father’s request, Kale had investigated Erek and learned of his strained home life. His wife was ill and rarely left the house, Erek having had pulled his son from quarantine to help her cope with whatever mental disorder she was suffering. Their only visitor was the healer, and the only time the mother and son ventured outside was to hang wet laundry in a backyard that was enclosed by a seemingly impenetrable fence. Kale had watched them from a nearby rooftop. She seemed patient and tender with her son though he was never still for more than a second, running and exploring the yard with the frantic pace of a beelia pup. For whatever reason, their relationship affected him and he withheld this information, lying to his father that the two never went outside at all.

  Next to him, Drimys was as grim-faced as Kale. A few stragglers, including the healer, joined the crowd as the debate got underway.

  “Your proposal is going to get more innocent citizens killed,” Erek retorted. “A venture into the South Forest is dangerous in the best of circumstances.”

  Raynor was undeterred. “Our people are competent and trained in dealing with the Akpi.”

  “In theory only. Ten years ago, it might have been a different story. Few Mesidisians have broached the South Forest recently. You haven’t even clearly established how you think this move will help the situation. It’s an unnecessary risk when the payout is so little.”

  ‘Payout’, Kale thought. What an interesting word.

  “Little?” Raynor asked. Boos followed. “Unlike you, I value the Eiyesan future. I believe we can help our people.”

  “What can be extracted from the South Forest that you think will h
elp? I demand you show us what you’ve learned about the plague.” Erek’s supporters cheered. “Then maybe we’ll see this connection you’re talking about.”

  Raynor began, “I’ve already explained—”

  “You’ve explained nothing. You’re putting lives at risk, not to mention the harm you could do to the environment.”

  “What risk, Erek? Our people know how to deal with the Akpi. The only risk left is the dwellers themselves.”

  “They won’t let you take over the forest.”

  “Do you hear that?” Raynor addressed his people directly. “Erek himself believes the dwellers will stand in our way. So much for a peaceful people.”

  “Kill the dwellers before they kill us!” someone shouted.

  “You talk a lot about peace when not two days ago, members of your security burned a dweller alive,” Erek prodded. “You’re using the South Forest as yet another excuse to try to exterminate them. They won’t stand by while you destroy the forest and set the Akpi loose in their territory. And what’s more, we won’t stand for it.”

  The debate raged on for an hour, taunts and cheers amplifying the discussion, and Kale continued scrutinising the surrounding people. While at first there was no clear victor between the debaters, eventually Erek influenced the discussion to his side.

  “Once again, my friend, you failed to show us what is actually required from the South Forest.” Erek gestured dismissively at Raynor and his political advisors. “The government is obligated to produce that research, to demonstrate how this venture will cure the Eiyesans. Only then will I even begin to consider the possibility of invading.”

  A crimson flush spread from Raynor’s neck up into his face. Kale sighed inwardly. They would hear it now.

  The debate concluded, Raynor and Erek met with their respective supporters. Kale was more interested in hearing Erek’s private conversations than being near his father, but public perception was important. He stayed at the edge of the landing and replayed Raynor’s rhetorical mistakes in his head. No one visited Kale, but one or two people approached Drimys and spoke with him quietly.

  As the crowd dispersed, Kale and Drimys re-entered the Healing Centre, where Raynor now maintained some political offices. The plague and consequent quarantines continued to afflict the population. But the Eiyesan population had dwindled in recent years, and the Centre needed far less space for healing.

  Kale’s displeasure was obvious to his twin, though no one else had noticed. Drimys said, “He’s right, you know.”

  “This is madness.” Kale scanned the halls as he walked, his footsteps echoing softly along high, beamed ceilings. “The world has gone insane and so have you.”

  “Don’t blame me. The dwellers live northwest. They don’t own that land. They can travel elsewhere.”

  “The dwellers have been—” Kale raised then quickly lowered his voice. “Did you see the corpse of that dweller? I did. I had to have the body delivered back to his family.”

  Drimys’s eyes narrowed. “He didn’t deserve it?”

  “He was persecuted, he was targeted. They all are, every day. They live in the forest. We live behind our walls and venture out to gather and trade. That was the agreement.”

  “Agreements can be broken.” Drimys was nonchalant. “This is one of those times. We need to enter the South Forest.”

  “Were you listening at all today? Talk to the healers. We don’t know what’s causing this condition. Besides, the dwellers are in the same predicament we are. We can negotiate with them.”

  “It’s not their land, Kale.”

  “Nor is it ours to invade, Drimys. Destroying the South Forest is tantamount to destroying their home. We’ll drive the Akpi right into their territory and damage their ecosystem, all because Father wants to profit from expanding Mesidus’s borders even though our population is declining. We don’t have the right to harm the dwellers.”

  “’Ecosystem’ is right because the debilluses are animals.” Kale turned to his brother, his expression hard. Drimys said, “Whether any of us like it, we’re stuck the way we are. If there’s a chance for a cure, I’ll take it—regardless of who it harms.”

  “If you think that, then you need to talk to the healers,” Kale repeated as his father came down the hall. “It’s clear all of us are going to spend the rest of our lives like this. If anything, the dwellers might cure us. Many of our medical advances are because of them. Good relations with the dwellers are needed now more than ever.”

  ***

  Dinner was a crucial time of day, as most of Erek’s rages were in the evening, depending on how his day had gone. There was usually no way to predict the storms, as he made vague statements hinting one way or the other, and Niobe only got a clearer picture later, when she spoke to Iberis. Now, Erek was sitting with his family for the evening meal, though he was pointedly ignoring them.

  Only Sergen’s toes touched the floor, but he didn’t swing his feet. When Niobe set their plates in front of them the first sign had been positive: Erek hadn’t commented on the food, not its appearance or taste. Niobe took the seat across from him and diagonally from Sergen, able to breathe a bit easier.

  “Raynor is a moron.” Erek caught the attention of his family. “I can’t believe he has so many followers.”

  Niobe adjusted the napkin in her lap. “Yes, he is.”

  “They don’t even know what they’re agreeing to. Those who do have the same warped mind as he does.”

  “How can they not know? It’s clear as day.”

  Niobe agreed with Erek’s riddles, and Sergen shifted the cubes of meat from right to left to right again until his father banged his fist on the table. Their dishes rattled. Sergen dropped his fork, which tumbled off the table onto the floor with a clatter, and hid his hands on his lap. Niobe stiffened.

  “How many times have I told you to not play with your food?” Erek bellowed. “Do you even want dinner tonight?”

  Sergen nodded, as Erek glared.

  Niobe half-requested Erek’s permission. “I’ll get you a new fork, Sergen.”

  She picked up the fallen utensil and placed a gentle hand on Sergen’s elbow, out of Erek’s sight. Sergen was trembling. She went to the kitchen and took her seat again as Sergen reluctantly picked up the new fork.

  “Hold it properly, or I’ll break your damned fingers again.”

  Niobe reached over the table and helped position the fork in the child’s hand, even though it was too big for him to hold properly. Sometimes, elements of his father’s personality came out and Sergen’s expression of hatred was akin to Erek’s when his anger surged. Niobe squeezed his hand, willing her son to return from the dark side, and for the moment, it seemed to work. Sergen’s demeanour changed in time for Erek’s next glance.

  “Of all the kids in the world, I had to have the dumb mute. Eat!”

  ***

  It was important for Erek to maintain communication with the public after the debate, so he left the house after dinner without a word to his family. Further down, high walls surrounded his home and Mesidus and were necessary for peace of mind from the outside environment. Erek had visited the dwellers and explored some of Eiyesa’s remoter terrain, but one needed to stay on guard from predators at every turn. While there were certain people, riders mostly, who were skilled in safely travelling the planet, even they didn’t spend all their time outside the walls. The dwellers, on the other hand, lived in nature and could face threats most Mesidisians could only fear.

  He greeted his next-door neighbour Acamar, who was sweeping his front porch. The gaunt man gripped the broom and didn’t return his wave. He hadn’t been the same since losing his wife to ASDS several weeks ago.

  Gradually, the muddy dirt road turned into a stone path that led to the middle of town. Winding his way through the crowds, Erek approached the Cackling Veelox. The inn was bustling with people at this hour, the fragrance of barbecued spices and merriment providing reprieve from the stickiness of the air outside. Over the years, Erek had gotten used to the presence of Antisenents, but their youth was still unnerving. Thankfully, the real children, the truly irritating ones, would be at home with their caregivers. The fully-grown Mesidisians greeted him first, as if only they deserved his time, but adult drunkards weren’t the key to Erek’s success. He needed the new generation of Antisenents behind him.