Exiled No More: Exiled Elementals Series (Book One), page 15
No one could enter the Middle East that formerly encompassed Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, and India. The middle east was now simply called Arabia, or the realm of the exiled. The Overlord ruled that entire area, and it was off-limits to the civilized world who had no way to reach it.
Thayden had been searching the North African mining tunnels for over a week now. His team was exhausted, and everyone wanted to return to hot baths, good food, and sexy ladies. They would have to wait. He knew the caves were important to early expeditions of the Guardian Clan for an unknown reason, but they never found what they were looking for before the clan wars began. This part of the Earth was only habitable seven months out of the year, and they only had two weeks left before they had to leave or die.
“Thayden, we found more ancient scrolls up ahead, but that part of the tunnel is unstable. The walls are crumbling, and the ground is shifting as we walk,” said the lead engineer on the expedition.
“Tell everyone to circle back and limit the number of people in the shaft at a time. I’ll take a look after I finish analyzing these readings.” Thayden was intrigued by the readings. They were off the charts with magnetic rays and something else that he couldn’t quite determine.
“But sir, shouldn’t we move everyone out of the shaft? It’s getting more and more unstable.”
One look from Thayden and the engineer stepped back and quickly stopped talking.
“I’m sorry, sir, I didn’t mean to offend you. Please forgive me.” The frightened engineer said in quick succession as Thayden stood. “I meant no harm. I have a family, sir, and need to get back to them is all. I’ll get back to work and serve you well.”
Despite his fear of the unstable cave floors, his fear of Thayden was far greater. The engineer turned around and re-entered the tunnel, stepping cautiously across the weakened cave floors. He would not defy Thayden and expect to live another day. He had a mission to do, and weakness would not be tolerated by Thayden. Water was starting to rise in the tunnel, and no one could figure out the water source. But they knew one thing for sure, the water wasn’t there when they first arrived. It seemed to come out of nowhere, blocking their every turn as they tried to traverse the strange cavern system that once housed a rich diamond mining company that disappeared when the tectonic rift happened.
“Thayden, you called for me?” said Oscar as he walked up to Thayden.
“Yes. The engineer is too timid to work on this mission and scares everyone about the mine shaft. He knew this would be dangerous when he accepted my money. See to it that he never works on another expedition with us. If he makes it out alive.”
Thayden went to examine the ancient scrolls. Fascinating! I’ve never seen ancient living scrolls before. There is powerful magic living within the scrolls that contain rules and consequences if broken! At least, that’s what the African myths say is the case. The myths also say that the scrolls can be rewritten if certain powerful magic is used. Whoever entered into the agreements contained in these scrolls had to be magical creatures.
Thayden sealed the scrolls delicately into containers and gave them to Oscar for safekeeping.
The next morning, the water had risen to their hips. The men were complaining that their balls were freezing, something that Thayden would ordinarily have laughed at if his own weren’t frozen. They waded further into the mine shaft, finding tools, ledgers, books, and other items left behind long ago. No one had come this far into the cave system before now. Thayden sent everyone back except for Oscar, who he trusted with his life. Oscar Benoit was a true friend who shared Thayden’s secret mission.
“Oscar, set up a perimeter over there and don’t let anyone come any further. I’ll go up ahead to see what’s around the bend.”
“The water has filled the entire tunnel up ahead, and we don’t know how deep it goes and whether you can get out on the other side.”
As Thayden began taking off his gear to go for a swim, his wringo-monitor pulsed along his wrist. Someone was calling Thayden on his private line. He tapped his wrist, and a holographic screen appeared above his skin, revealing a 5D holographic video call from his mother. The wringo-monitor's sensory pad had a cerebral link that sent the video directly to Thayden’s cerebral cortex, allowing him to see his mother as if she were standing there with him.
“Mom, this better be important. You know I have my beacon off because I don’t want to be disturbed.”
“I need you back here in exactly one week. If you are where I think you are, and you better not be where I think you are, you will need to leave right now to get here in time. And son, I’m not asking; I’m telling. I’ll see you on Travalta Island.”
Krista hung up the phone.
Travalta Island? Was she vacationing? And how did she know that I was in a forbidden part of Africa? Thayden threw up his hands, knowing that when Krista called and demanded he return, he had to return. His mother was usually quite tolerant of his escapades, even when he broke the law and ventured to dangerous remote parts of the world. But she had little patience when she needed him to fulfill his clan duties. Thayden’s loyalty to his beloved mother was of profound importance to him. She was everything to his family, and he would not let her down.
“I’ll take a plunge to see how deep the cave system goes while the men pack up the campsite to leave at first dawn. This won’t take long.” He gave Oscar the order to pack up the men and jumped into the freezing water.
By dawn, they were packed and on the bioengineered speed ship to race them across the Mystic Ocean back to North America. Once there, they would take the ship to the southern tip of North America and come really close to the Dead Souls Ocean before stopping in Florida and heading to Travalta Island’s coast. They had no time to travel across land.
“We won’t have time to let the engineer off the boat. He will probably soil his pants coming so close to Dead Souls Ocean where ships enter and return without a soul on board.” Oscar laughed.
“Let’s just make sure the boat doesn’t get caught in a current that pulls us in that direction,” Thayden mumbled. He was a little distracted, memorizing all the scrolls they saw in the cave system. Thayden had a photographic memory and was somewhat of a genius. Once he saw something, it was committed to memory immediately. But he needed quiet time to categorize it all in his head. His mother often said that he was ‘filing it away’ in his memory bank.
Thayden found a strange chest at the bottom of the cave system that was time-locked. A time-lock was a sophisticated device that opened only at a pre-determined time, or the contents inside would explode. He would have to examine it later to see if he could circumvent the lock. They would take the men back home to Thayden’s beachfront properties in the remaining part of Florida that hadn’t sunk below the seafloor. He instructed Oscar to leave the chest and a few other interesting artifacts and equipment at Thayden’s home while Thayden made his way to Travalta Island with instructions that Oscar would meet him there later. Oscar didn’t need to be reminded to fire the annoying engineer.
Thayden enjoyed the voyage, even though it was through the rough ocean water. It looked like the acidic skies had dropped as low as they could go at certain points without touching the ocean itself. The boat was one of Thayden’s own designs. It was sleek, built with a metal he discovered in Antarctica during a deep-sea voyage hunting sharks believed extinct. While most humans couldn’t sustain the brutal acidic waters there, Thayden could swim in them and had no troubling breathing underwater. Even Thayden’s mother didn’t realize what her son could do. While his three brothers bioengineered their DNA to enhance their abilities, Thayden didn’t need to do so. Thayden was born gifted with powers that manifested themselves as a teenager that he kept secret from his family. His abilities triggered his need to abandon the family’s clan business in search of answers in remote places that afforded Thayden fewer eyes to test his powers.
The boat and its metal components were top secret and hidden to the naked eye. It could hit top speeds similar to jets that used to fly in the sky long ago. It could sink below the ocean at depths never once thought possible with maneuverability far greater than today’s submarines. The boat could carry over 300 men comfortably and had mini-subs that Thayden planned to use to finish his voyage to Travalta while Oscar returned the men to Florida.
Thayden was secretly building a fortune outside that known by his family. They didn’t need to know Thayden’s every move, and something told Thayden that they didn’t want to know. Especially his father. His father was very distant with him compared to his brothers. But his brothers treasured Thayden, who was the youngest of the four. Their bond was infinitely tight, just as his bond with Micah. Thayden was loyal to his family. But they would never understand his in-born need to save the Earth from the environmental damage caused by humans and the greed of the Guardian Clan.
He was certain that humans caused the atmospheric tear and resulting devastating shift of tectonic plates leaving the Earth in the current Tracea Pangea state. The once beloved Florida was little more than a few islands, most of which he controlled and occupied with his companies and home. The ocean covered most of the coast, and vast river systems ran over the land, leaving what was left as small islands. Parts of California was no more than vast cities sunk under the ocean. It was an undersea museum full of treasures that people paid a steep price to voyage and plunder.
But Thayden felt at ease when at sea. He loved the water and the solitude it afforded him and his loyal army of devout followers who believed in the secret restoration of Earth from those who would destroy it. They, too, shared powerful abilities similar to Thayden and chose to avoid the bioengineering that was now so common among the human elite who could afford it.
CHAPTER 16
“You still have much to learn and allies to build if you are to have even a remote chance of achieving any success at the trials. You really must change your attitude, your hair, your clothes! Harrumph! You’re not listening to a word that I’m saying, are you?” Marsha threw up her hands and shook her head for the thousandth time that afternoon. They had been training since 7:00 am, yet Nhari spent most of the time rearranging her hair in god-awful bows and pins.
What a strange girl! How the hell did she survive the realm of the exiled?
“I’m listening to you. You sound like a mother if I ever had one.” Nhari rolled her eyes and went back to try a different arrangement with an assortment of her special pins and bows in her hair. “I didn’t come here to change who I am. I was invited here to have an equal chance to become a ruling member of the Guardian Clan. Based on what I’ve seen so far, the clan could use a little excitement and change,” said Nhari, dramatically tracing the outline of herself in the air for full effect.
“While you call this the civilized world, I see nothing has changed since I was a little girl. Countries are still at war. People are spending their last dime on bio-pills for jump sites. And bioengineering is being done on babies whose parents can afford it! Everyone is corrupt and out for themselves.” Nhari pointedly looked at Marsha.
Marsha didn’t miss the not-so-subtle implication. “Well, when you put it that way. Perhaps you fit in after all.” Marsha put her hands on her hips and stood to stretch her legs.
Nhari tried her best to listen to Marsha ramble away about how unfit she was for the trials. But her attention kept going to the delicious smelling muffins that were ready to come out of the oven. Cinnamon and a touch of tangerine reminded her of the times in the exiled when she grew enough plants to feed the children fine desserts that they had never before tasted. One thing she loved about her accommodation was access to an oven. Between the plants she grew and the food provided by the guards, Nhari had made quite a show of her talents.
Sweet and delicious memories!
Nhari set the first tray of muffins on the table between them. She popped a muffin in her mouth, smacking loudly and moaning at the flavors. Marsha only laughed and threw up her hands as she sat back in the lounge chair. After seeing that Nhari didn’t fall over dead after her first bite, Marsha grabbed a muffin to sample. Marsha knew she had to watch her back. She couldn’t be too careful and let down her guard. The crazy chick had mutilated her father after all.
I’m getting used to Marsha’s style and finesse. I still don’t trust her, but she can be pretty funny at times. Who am I kidding? I don’t have anyone else here to even talk to other than the few Commandos that aren’t as afraid of me now as they were when I first arrived. They’ve left me alone for the most part. The trials are two more days away.
As Nhari took a second tray of muffins from the oven and set them aside, Marsha broke the silence and rose from the chair. Eyes brimming with something bordering deviousness, Marsha smiled. “Today, I’m taking you shopping to get additional items that you will need once you enter the trial headquarters and get assigned to a room.”
Still chewing, “I’m going shopping! Yes! I’ve been dying to get back to the mall.” But in typical Nhari fashion, her tone and demeanor changed direction like a leaf in a storm. “Wait, I’ll be assigned to a room? What room and where? It had better not be another jail cell, Marsha!” Nhari tensed, waiting for the bombshell to drop. She was used to disappointments.
“Calm down. And please try to finish your food before you choke.” Marsha truly felt like she was consoling a crybaby. “It won’t be as plush as what you have here, although I’m sure any accommodation will be a far cry from what you are accustomed to.”
Seeing the storm brewing in Nhari’s eyes, Marsha went on. “The trial candidates can bring anything they wish to the trials to help them achieve success. They can bring technology, weapons, supplies, books, and anything they believe can give them an edge. In fact, they can even bring bodyguards, so don’t be surprised by what you encounter.”
Getting angrier by the minute, “Why aren’t you allowed to give me money? How am I to buy supplies if all I have is a small advance on the weekly stipend trial candidates gets?” Wiping the last of her crumbs on her too sheer skirt, Nhari placed her hands on her hips and leaned forward, challenging Marsha to come up with a good excuse.
“Technically, your family is supposed to supply you with whatever you need. But since we haven’t seen Micah since the first day, I’m guessing they won’t be a resource to you. Not that it should surprise you!”
There was the bombshell! Nhari would get no help from anyone. What was the point of entering the trials if she had no resources?
Marsha looked around and lowered her voice, garnering Nhari’s full attention. “You will need to convince the merchants that we see today that you will give them something in the future to make it worth their while to help you.”
After seeing she had Nhari’s full attention and that the guards weren’t nearby, Marsha continued in a whisper, “The merchants we are seeing today are no ordinary merchants, so be watchful of their subtle hints of what they will require of you in the future. You may find their prices are too high, so think carefully.” Marsha rapped her knuckles to her forehead, to which Nhari gave her the middle finger.
“I can make the introductions but cannot do anything more than that. There are only four here that are willing to risk speaking to you. Show respect, and you just might get what you need.” Nhari feigned annoyance but was listening raptly.
“But one more thing, don’t tell me what you get from them. Your arrangements are for you and you alone.”
Marsha signaled that the guards were returning as she changed the subject.
Wow, it took another full minute before the captain of the commandos appeared around the corner. Marsha’s hearing is uncanny. Keeping a catalog of what she can do and how she is doing it is a full-time job.
The commando was a big and burly brute. But his eyes showed a sense of intelligence that caught Nhari’s attention when she first arrived through the jump site. Marsha told her that the guard, who they simply called Commander Wells, was very close to Micah and to stay clear of his temper. They knew that Commander Wells was giving Micah daily updates on Nhari’s every move. Marsha was searched each day before being allowed entry into the area.
“Marsha, the car is waiting outside for you and the girl,” the commander said as he entered the room without knocking. He never addressed Nhari by name, only calling her girl or nothing at all. He made it clear that he thought Nhari was not worthy of bearing the Evan’s name and treated her as indifferently as possible. This explained why he never knocked when entering her apartment, although the entire space was enclosed in glass as if she were a fish in a fishbowl. She had no privacy other than the dressing area and bathroom.
“Just give me a moment to grab something.” Nhari began walking to her wardrobe. “Take a muffin. They’re delicious. The second batch is much sweeter than the first.” She called behind her, having left the second batch of muffins specifically set aside for Commander Wells. He was the only guard that ever entered her room. Nhari smiled as Commander Wells quickly surveyed Marsha finishing off her muffin before he felt comfortable it was safe to grab his own. Nhari took her time, making sure the commander savored every morsel of the tangerine laced muffins.
The best way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. And his heart is in for one hell of a punch! In a few days, he’ll need the antidote to my special recipe. And he’ll do anything that I ask.
Feeling jubilant, Nhari let the commander lead her and Marsha outside. A contingent of commandos was waiting in an armored truck to escort her to the mall. It was going to be a lovely day after all.
After a full day of shopping and bargaining away my soul, I now understand why Marsha told me to be careful with the merchants. They all belong in the Braven! They are ruthless traders of everything under the sun, and their prices are unbelievable.
Nhari shuddered at the bargains she made. Marsha had left her with instructions on where to shop and who to see earlier that day. Her instructions were to stay low-key and visit an assortment of establishments, not just those with the four merchants Nhari was to visit. Before Marsha took off, she shouted, “Have Fun!” Commander Wells grimaced. Nhari still didn’t know if the comment was meant for her or Commander Wells. Although the guards stayed their distance, Nhari certainly raised a few eyebrows as she entered the various establishments.
