The Last Spartan 1: Different Paths Read online

  Iaido could feel himself falling back into his memories…drawing Talia with him.

  * * * * *

  This whole experience seemed so unreal for Talia.

  She had learned the techniques and rituals during her time in the Seminary. She had even performed it once on a fellow student as part of her thesis needed to graduate but this session was an entirely different experience.

  First, she was merging with a Terran which was strange its own right. Additionally, the memories he was experiencing were so violent, so raw… it unnerved her. Furthermore, the merging created an empathic bond between them allowing her to feel his emotions. She had to experience the pain of his brothers’ deaths, the excitement of battle and the fear of failure. These emotions were so much stronger than anything she had envisioned or experienced in her life.

  While she could also tell that many of the memories were both enlightening and painful to her guardian but this time promised to be different. His heart rate and respiration had increased drastically the moment he fell back into this memory. While Iaido’s perspective was personal, hers was as a spectator. Both were unable to affect the events but forced to watch them unfold before them. It was odd to say the least.

  As the five remaining Myrmidons painted their bodies with some sort of black paste, Talia could only guess at the properties it would offer. Possibly it would act in a similar manner as the henna which protected them in the spirit realm but she refrained from asking Iaido at this critical juncture.

  Instead, she took to studying Iaido’s brother Hector.

  In many ways they seemed to be twins with similar builds and mannerisms even the way they walked. In fact, sometimes it was difficult to tell the two apart. They were both clean shaven and bald, with numerous scars all over their bodies.

  As the soldiers began to apply the paste, she noted how their personalities influenced their application.

  Sgt. Major Spenton, Odysseus and Ajax applied the paste in such a similar manner that it had to be the standard application pattern; a wide tiger stripe pattern that would break up their silhouette as they moved through the occupied fortress. Hector’s patterns consisted of several large X’s across his chest and face while he blackened in his legs and arms.

  Iaido, or Achilles as he was known as during this time, was completely different from the rest. He took extra care when applying the paste to his face. Leaving the edges and chin uncovered in such a pattern that the paste looked like a skull. For the rest of his body, he haphazardly smeared it all across his chest, arms and legs. Some areas heavy, some light and some not touched at all. The effect was such a random pattern that it seemed to mask his silhouette more effectively than anyone else, at least to Talia’s eyes.

  It wasn’t long before they were off, moving through the Lemurian Fortress like shadows. They took extra care to avoid confrontations as much as possible but whenever it was inevitable, they would attack so swiftly and efficiently that they overwhelmed the lizards before an alarm could be raised. With every encounter, the Myrmidons looted more weapons. Yet, they continued to rely on captured swords and knives.

  They became the silent killers….death incarnate.

  It was at this point Talia realized why the Grand Council of the Sylvan Empire truly feared the Terrans. Outnumbered and outgunned, they were forging ahead. Determined to complete their mission or to die in the attempt. She knew that no Sylvan would’ve even attempted this mission… much less continue under these conditions. It was this tenacity, this single minded focus on a goal which the Terrans showed, which frightened so many Sylvans.

  As they moved closer to the inner sanctum, the Lemurian guards became more numerous and armed with more ornate weapons and armor. After silently dispatching two lizards at an archway, Achilles signaled a stop by holding up a clenched fist. All four Myrmidons dropped to firing positions with guns at the ready.

  Achilles stepped through the archway and studied the huge spiral stairway. Carved of stone, every step seemed to be expertly carved with glyphs and symbols. Talia couldn’t help but admire the handiwork which had been expended to create such a practical work of art. She realized that this had been what the soldiers had been looking for, the core of the Lemurian Fortress and hopefully near their goal.

  As Achilles returned to his companions, his hands began to fly as he silently communicated his intentions to the rest of his team. With a simple nod, Odysseus and Ajax broke off and wordlessly headed up the staircase while the remaining three headed down. This stairway was reasonably dark, lighted only with torches at regular intervals of fifty feet or so. The flickering torchlight and large areas of darkness only aided the Myrmidons’ infiltration. After a few minutes, Iaido signaled a stop as they approached a brightly lit chamber.

  Sneaking up to the opening, Achilles moved forward to scout out the target and Talia found the first advantage of her perspective. Although she was a guest in Iaido’s memories and was drawn along with them, she found that she could move around to see things from a different point of view. This was extremely weird. She could still feel the touch of his hand and the quickness of his pulse but she found herself moving slightly ahead of the soldiers to get her first good glimpse of the heart of the Lemurian Fortress.

  The chamber was round. It was at least two hundred meters across and twice that in height. The stairs ran along the wall until it circled the room once before ending. The lighting of the room came from the pool of lava which covered the entire floor. A stone walkway which crisscrossed the room was suspended several feet above the molten rock. Although four other passageways emptied into this room, there weren’t any guards visible.

  Talia’s heart skipped a beat when she saw the object sitting on a pedestal in the direct center of the room and she knew instinctively that this was the artifact they had been sent to loot.

  It was an orb of blackness that seemed to draw in the light of the lava pool while still flickering with energy of its own. Even though she was inside a memory, the orb seemed to pull on her spirit form. It wasn’t logical nor was it practical but Talia felt the sudden trickle of fear as the soldiers descended the stairs, drawing closer and closer to the mysterious orb. Reaching the bottom of the stairs, the three soldiers moved with a purpose toward the object of their quest. Just as Achilles was reaching out to grab the flickering orb, several explosions rocked the fortress.

  Talia squeezed Iaido’s unseen hand with all her might and dug in her fingernails as she tried to break the magic of the spell.

  * * * * *

  Iaido looked around. He was alone, surrounded by the thick mist.

  Gone were the lava pit and the rushing horde of Lemurians. Looking down at his body, he noticed that the henna stripes were also gone, only the faintest of markings could still be seen. As the mist around him thickened, so did the sensation of the cold metal table in the med-bay….

  Iaido sat up. Once again he was back on the Nemesis, sitting on the examination table. Glancing around, he spied Talia. She was once again wearing her robe and was sitting in a nearby chair studying him. Her emerald eyes seemed to bore through him as her gaze shifted from intense scrutiny to wonder to curiosity and finally to worry.

  Iaido cleared his throat. “Thank you.”

  Since she hadn’t responded to his statement and she seemed more upset than tired, he waited.

  And waited.

  And waited.

  After several minutes she finally asked, “What happened to the Orb? I know you didn’t touch it….but what happened to it?”

  Iaido hopped off the table and moved over to the beautiful Sylvan. Kneeling down, he could see the lines of worry in her face. He placed both of his hands gently over top of her hands.

  “You’re right; I never got a chance to touch it. After the explosions, we found ourselves under attack by a horde of Lemurians. Since the walkways weren’t very wide and the lizards seemed reluctant to use any sort of range based weapons, we were able to hold our ground for the first few waves of thei
r attacks. When the Sgt. Major fell from a blow to the head, we knew it was the beginning of the end. We had killed, injured or knocked into the lava over three dozen lizards but on they came.”

  Talia didn’t interrupt but let her mystical powers flow back into Iaido through their connection of flesh searching for any taint of the evil she knew that had been held inside the Orb.

  Iaido shook his head slowly as he continued. “Hector knew the mission as well as I did. We were expendable. Always were. The only thing that mattered was the mission. We were tasked with recovering the artifact from the Lemurians. In the event that was impossible, the fail safe objective was to destroy the artifact. As I moved forward to cover the prone body of my friend, Hector leapt up and grabbed the orb.”

  Iaido paused and looked off into the distance.

  “As soon as he touched the orb there was a brilliant flash of light which only seemed to enrage the lizards further. They immediately forgot about us and chased after my brother. The last time I saw Hector, he was about to throw the orb into the lava when the leading Lemurians tackled him. There was a brief struggle before they all fell into the lava; Hector, the orb and the lizards.”

  Looking back into Talia’s emerald green eyes, he gave her a weak smile. “I found myself alone, injured, deep underground and far behind enemy lines with an unconscious friend.”

  “Do you know how you escaped?”

  Iaido nodded. “Yes. First we…”

  Pax interrupted. “Captain to the bridge.”

  Iaido stood up and involuntarily looked at the ceiling. “What is it Pax?”

  “We are one hour from our exit from hyperspace. You asked to be alerted at this time.”

  Iaido nodded. “Aye, that I did. Alert all crewmembers and have them report to battle stations in thirty minutes.”

  “Aye, aye sir.”

  Iaido turned back to Talia. “You are right. I know most of what happened now. I am sure I’m missing a few things but with time it will come back to me. Thank you.”

  Talia nodded her head. “It pleases me that the spirit walk was a success. Now, if you will excuse me I will get ready for our upcoming encounter.”

  As she began to move past him and out into the passageway, Iaido tapped her lightly on the shoulder. “Is there something special about that orb?”

  Talia shrugged. “Perhaps…perhaps not. If we survive the next few days, we will talk about this further after I have had time to reflect on what we have seen.”

  Iaido watched as she moved down to her quarters. He was elated at discovering some of his past but totally confused by her remarks and actions. However, she was correct in one thing. It was time to get ready for battle. Everything else would have to wait.

  Chapter 24

  Talia did her best to control her movements and act casual as she moved down the corridor to her small cabin. Once inside, she immediately sealed the door and collapsed on her bunk. She sat and stared unseeing at the bulkhead above her as she thought about everything she had learned.

  ‘An Orb…they found a Shadow Orb. By the Living Stars, the Lemurians had one hidden all these millennia.’

  Sitting up, her eyes fell on the bag which contained her meager belongings. She quickly rummaged through it until she found an ornately carved ebony box. Inside it held her two most prized possessions, her grandmother’s tarot cards and a small clear gem.

  Holding up the gem, she watched as the lights reflected off its multi-faceted sides. Talia knew that this gem was old; it was in fact her oldest possession. Even older than the tiara her mother had given her on her Day of Ascension. The tiara had been passed down from mother to daughter for nearly two millennia and served to announce her House. However, the soul gem was older and bestowed certain other benefits.

  She removed her tiara and unfastened the emerald she normally wore as its headstone. The emerald was her birthstone and served to enhance her mystical powers. With great care, she inserted the soul gem in the same slot and snapped it into place with a satisfying click. Replacing the tiara, Talia leaned back in her chair and began the ancient chant which was taught to her when she was but a child and felt herself fall into the magic of the gem.

  As always, she was always amazed at combination of science and magic involved in this simple gem. By its use, she had the means to access the entire history of her people. It was connected in some mystical way to the Great Library of Sylvanis and allowed the user access to all of its files and histories, modern or ancient. It would also allow the wielder to communicate with anyone in the Great Library, which had its own advantages.

  As Talia moved through the seemingly endless shelves of scrolls and books, she ignored the other inhabitants of the library. On the thirteenth landing and near the back of the library, she found the section which contained the oldest of records of her people; the histories of the Shadow Wars and the Exodus from Terra. She scrutinized the scroll labels for a moment before she pulled one down and after a quick scan, threw it down in disgust and grabbed another. Since she was in a virtual reality of the Great Library, the scrolls just disappeared and reappeared in their proper spot. However, her misuse of the sacred documents alerted one of the librarians.

  When Talia threw down the next scroll, the librarian appeared slightly behind her with a scowl. Since Talia’s back was to her, the librarian cleared her throat and said, “Pardon me ma’am but you should not mishandle the sacred documents. Continue this action and I will be forced to ban you from the Great Library.”

  When Talia threw down the next document, the librarian reached out and touched her shoulder.

  “That’s enough; you will cease this action and depart, or I will…” As Talia turned to faced her, whatever the librarian was going to say next died in her throat as she got her first good look at her. Immediately, the librarian lowered her gaze and bowed her head slightly. “I’m sorry ma’am, I didn’t recognize you.”

  Talia ignored the apology. “Where are the histories of the Shadow Wars? The earliest scrolls would be the best.”

  The librarian, who was Talia’s senior by several decades, continued to apologize but moved to a nearby shelf and lifted down a large scroll of bamboo shoots. Setting it on a long table, she gently unrolled it from the bottom as was the custom with such a scroll.

  “If you are searching for anything in particular, I may be able to help if you would just….”

  Talia stepped in front of the librarian and quickly scanned the ancient scroll. Not finding what she wanted in the unrolled section, she pushed the upper section causing the scroll to unroll the length of the table and caused the librarian to clear her throat once again. Talia glanced up, totally surprised to find the elderly sylvan still standing there.

  “If you want to help, send me your most talented Medium.”

  Seeing the librarian hesitate Talia added, “Now!”

  As the librarian scurried off, Talia perused over the ancient scroll and felt the growing chill of fear throughout her soul. It wasn’t long before a young man approached her table.

  With a low bow he asked, “Excuse me ma’am but I believe you requested my services?”

  Talia turned to study the newcomer. He was young and very overweight, near obese, but had a kind face and bright eyes. The red and black mark of a crane inside a circle was tattooed on his cheek just to the right of his left eye; the mark of a Ko-dang – the second highest level of Medium. Most who attain this rank served the Empire as couriers. They were completely trustworthy. The magic which was used to help them become Ko-dang bound them to the truth, whatever it might be.

  Talia asked, “Do you know who I am?”

  The young man shook his head but gestured to her tiara. “No ma’am but I know of your House and that is enough for me to guarantee total privacy in all matters.”

  Realizing that she was running out of time, Talia turned back to the table and scribbled a quick message on a blank sheet of parchment.

  ‘A Shadow Orb was sighted one Tan ago in the car
e of the Lemurians. It was liberated or destroyed by Omega. Several marks of the Shadows have been seen in recent days. I fear a resurgence of the ancient enemy. I seek your guidance.’

  Folding the parchment, she held it out to the young medium. “I have no choice but to trust you. I need you to contact Lady Aleksandra on Terra and give her this message. But know this… if you fail, our people could suffer a great calamity not seen since the Time of Shadows. It is that important.”

  “I am at your service ma’am.” As his hand touched the parchment, the magic of his station sealed it and bound the message to his soul.

  “I must get back. Please do not fail me in this.”

  The young man shook his head. “Don’t worry ma’am. I won’t.”

  Closing her eyes, Talia released the magic of the gem and felt herself fall back into her corporeal form. Taking a deep breath, she removed the soul gem from the tiara and replaced it with her normal emerald.

  Leaving her small cabin, she went off to join her friends on their desperate mission to save her niece and now…to possibly confront an ancient evil.

  Chapter 25

  Major Marcus T. McDowell had always believed that the early morning hours on Mars were the most peaceful.

  The two small moons of Mars, Phobos and Deimos, were thought to be asteroids captured by the planet’s gravity in times long past. The Major always found the motions of the two moons very different from Earth’s moon. Phobos was a speedster, rising in the west and racing across the sky only to repeat its path in elven hours. While Deimos plodded across the sky, taking over two and a half days to complete its path.

  Even with these two satellites, the night hours would be totally black with the exception of the slight glow given off by the translucent bio-domes which contained the atmosphere that allowed human life to exist on the red planet.