Chronicles of the Kiridians
Chapter 18

For it is written in the Chronicles of the Kiridians:

Even the darkest night has a morning that will shine

Even the worst of battles have an end

Every storm runs out of rain

Every scary night will turn into a bright morning

Screams of the Kiridians chasing us down fill the air around us. The Bountidos gnashing their teeth give a sense of urgency to our feet as we make our way through the woods. The twisted roots of the surrounding trees make it difficult to run. If we continue at the rate we are going, we are bound to get caught.

“This isn’t working,” whispers Raina as she stops moving and ducks behind a bush. Anya, Brodie, Joey, and my parents all follow her and squat down. “We need to figure out a plan. Preferably one that doesn’t get us killed.”

Everyone’s eyes in the group slowly turn to me, and once again I’m thrust into a position I don’t want to be in. I sigh as I look to Joey, who looks scared out of his mind, and then at my parents. This would be one of those moments I’d go to any of those three to ask what we should do. This isn’t something I should be facing as a sixteen-year-old girl.

You’re not sixteen though. Not technically.

“The most important thing for us to do right now is to make sure we don’t get caught. We need a way to know how many people we are facing right now, and more importantly, how many Bountidos are coming after us.”

“So like, get an aerial view?” asks Brodie. “From maybe someone who can levitate?”

The whole group turns to face me and my heart starts to beat faster as I realize that I am the one they’re referring to. I really should have seen this coming.

“I don’t know how to levitate that high,” I remind him. “I just found out I was capable of doing half of the things Lena is known for. You can’t expect me to fly the height of a tree-”

“Kara,” Joey says grabbing my face and turning toward me. “Unfortunately your fear is not an option. I need you to take a deep breath and know you’re a total superhero. Our whole lives you’ve told me that I need to trust my gut. We need a plan, and my gut is telling me that you’re the best option to start with.”

My best friend grabs my hands in his and squeezes. “You have this, Kara.”

I nervously nod my head as I close my eyes and try to access the part of my mind that levitated earlier. The issue with that was that earlier I wasn’t trying to do anything. It’s easy to do things accidentally. Doing something super complex on purpose adds a whole lot of pressure I could live without right now.

“Just breathe,” whispers Brodie. “Clear your mind,”

I listen and follow instructions, allowing my mind to fade from any thought. Panic, anxiety, and the overwhelming feeling of capture escape as I feel my feet leave the ground. I open my eyes in sheer panic as I thrash my body around trying to gain control of the sensation.

“Kara, just breathes,” whispers Joey in a harsh voice. “You got this,”

I take another deep breath and allow my body to go limp. I start to straighten out, and I move toward, and then I use my arms to push me upward almost as if I was a bird with wings. I go higher and higher as I pass the tree branches and soar toward the clouds.

I’ve only ever been in planes, so being up this high is weird when it is just me floating. I look down over the vast amount of forest, and I can see everything from here. It feels almost as if I am unstoppable.

I scan the forest for any signs of the Kiridians that are after us, and my heart starts to beat as I see at least thirty men with bountidos making their way right at the edge of the forest. They’re huddled up and seem to be talking before they enter into the forest. We need to act fast. I turn around to see a large lake in the center of the forest not to far from where we are. On the opposite side of the lake is a paved two-lane road.

How to I fly down?

I think back to all of the superhero movies I’ve ever watched as a kid, they always just kind of swan dived, but that seems a little too unforgiving to someone who’s never flown on their own before and is about to dive into a bunch of trees.

“Okay, Kara,” I whisper to myself as I slowly tilt my body down. “Let’s hope you don’t accidentally kill yourself,”

I once again use my arms to flap as I soar to the trees below me. I stick my arms out in front of my face for protection as I soar past the branches. I land about twenty feet away from the others who all swarm toward me upon my landing.

“So?” urgently asks my mom. “How many are there?”

“Thirty or so,” I respond. I watch as each of their faces get sunken in upon hearing the number of men after us. I shake my head and hold up my hands. “This is not something that is going to get us down,” I exclaim. “We might be few in numbers, but we have two elders of an ancient planet, 3 trained military strategist from a royal family, someone who can shoot random blue lights out of their hands, and Joey.”

“Hey!” gasps Joey.

“I didn’t mean it like that,” I say. “What I mean is our odds could be worse. We might have to make some tough choices, but there is a way out of this. Brodie, Raina, and Anya, I need you guys to figure out how we are going to spread apart. We need to make sure that everyone has a weak spot covered. There is a large lake not too far North of here. On the other side of the lake, there is a two-lane road. If we can get to the road, we might have a chance.”

The three royal siblings look at each other and nod. They frantically start whispering back and forth to each other, with only the occasional opposition from Raina as they discussed a plan. While they’re talking I soar back up above the trees to check on the men at the edge of the forest, they are just now starting to run in as they let the Bountidos lead the way.

I fly back down and Raina looks at me and nods. “Okay, Joey you’re with Brodie. He’s the best fighter out of all of us, and he will easily pick up slack in a fight. Anya, you’re with Ms. Phoebe and Mr. Kyle, and I’m with Kara. We meet at the lake and cross. If any of us get captured scream as loud as you can.”

“What happens if we get captured?” Joey looks around anxiously at each face.

“Then you’re captured,” Brodie interjects harshly. “We do our best to get you back at a later time, but there won’t be a way to turn back tonight without everyone getting in danger from it. We need to move now though. We don’t have time to waste.”

Brodie turns to his siblings and gives them each a quick hug. He whispers something in their ear and then turns to Joey and motions for him to follow. Joey quickly turns to me and hugs me. “No matter what happens, I’m proud to be called your friend,” he lets go and follows Brodie with a glance back as everyone else in the group starts to say their goodbyes.

My parents look at me with tears in their eyes and wrap me in a tight bear hug. “There’s a lot of things we wish we did differently during your time on Earth, Kara,” whispers my mom. “But we are so proud of you. We love you very much.”

“I love you guys too,” I whisper.

The sound of shouts from the men coming into the forest quickly sober us to the reality of the situation and we let go of our embrace.

“Taaerg huutal,” says Dad with misty eyes as he, Anya, and my mom disappear into the trees.

“What does that mean?” I ask Raina as we begin to tread through the forest in the opposite direction of the other two groups. We are hand in hand maneuvering between the trees as we listen to the sounds on the Kiridians and the bountidos getting closer.

“It means until we meet again.”

We walk in an urgent silence for a minute as we listen to each snap of a twig, or rustle from a leaf knowing that it could very well be our captors making their move, but the more we walk, the more nothing happens.

“I’m starting to think that we lucked out,” I whisper to Raina. I float up to the trees and quickly look to see where we are in retrospect to the lake. We are about a mile off maybe. We just have to keep moving and we-

“Kara?!” screams Raina from down below.

I quickly float down and see three Kiridian guards and their bountidos surrounding Raina. I float down and stand in front of her. The bountidos start to circle her, and as they do, I brace myself with Raina. A green light appears around my hands, and I feel my hair rise around my head as I watch for what our captors have in store.

“Lena, you don’t want to hurt people,” one of the Kiridian guards snarl. “It’s not your MO. Not the mighty Lena! Justice of the people!”

The other guards laugh as they continue to mock me. Raina grabs onto my arm and I look at her reassuringly. “Nothing is going to happen. I promise,”

“We don’t make promises we can’t keep, Kara,” she panics as she looks up to the sky and lets out the loudest scream anyone has ever heard. The bountidos stop circling and hurdle back behind their owners in surprise, and I use this as an opportunity to send a blinding green light toward the three men and beast. Screams come from the men as Raina and I run past them. The men quickly regain their composure, and we are once again getting chased down.

“Kara!” says Raina. “Can you do something?!”

I look behind us and see the men are gaining on us. Running is not going to get us to the lake before they do. There needs to be a quicker way. Something I know the other people can’t do.

I allow Raina to pass me, and I place my hands under her arms and pull her to a stop. She looks at me crazed as I bend my legs and spring into the air. “Hold on, Raina!” I scream. Raina’s squeals fill the air as we fly toward the lake quickly. I think we are in the clear, but then a blaster laser shoots right past my foot.

“ARE YOU JOKING!” screams Raina as she kicks her legs back and forth. “WHY AM I CONSTANTLY IN A SITUATION WHERE PEOPLE ARE SHOOTING AT ME!?”

I kick my feet and attempt to fly quicker as we approach the lake. I look down and see Anya, my dad, and mom approaching the lake. Joey is already in the middle of the lake making his way across, and a group of bountidos are quickly making their way toward the group. Brodie stands at the edge of the lake with a blaster in hand as he ushers his sister and my parents to hurry toward the water as he waves his hands back and forth. There is a large clearing in between the forest and lake, about the size of half a football field. It won’t be long before the guards are storming that field coming toward the lake.

“Raina, I’m going to land, and you have to immediately start to cross,” I explain to her. “Do not stop for anything. Make it to the road, and make sure the others follow you. I will be right behind you guys.”

“Kara! We will not leave you!” Raina says in shock. “You might be Lena, but you’re also my family at this point. A family doesn’t leave members behind!”

“Raina, there’s so much I want to tell you,” I whisper to her. “Just know our friendship is treasured. I promise I’ll be right behind you, and I’m not taking no for an answer.”

I quickly swoop down and roughly land on the ground a few feet away from Brodie. Anya and my parents have finally gotten to the lake and have begun to cross when I push Raina into the water. “Go!” I shout. “I’ll be okay! I pro-”

“We don’t make promises we can’t keep, Kara,” Raina says again as she quickly hugs me and then starts to cross the lake. I look at Brodie and motion for him to follow his family, but he shakes his head quickly.

“Absolutely not, Earth Girl,” he says with a smirk. He points his blaster at the tree and waits for a bountido to emerge and takes a shot. The blast hits the bountido and it rams into a tree behind it. It lays on the ground unmoving, but the other bountidos have grown careful and stand their ground at the edge of the forest clearing. “We are here until our friends and family cross the lake. Then we run.”

My heart breaks as I see the dead animal lying on the ground. I know that these animals wouldn’t hesitate to harm me if instructed, but it is what they were trained to do. I know I’m supposedly this awesome warrior who has fought countless battles, but I can’t imagine being able to openly hurt someone.

“Now is not the time to get squeamish, Earth Girl,” he reminds me. “We need to stall long enough to get the others across. If that means a couple of bounds have to drop then that’s what we are going to have to do.”

It amazes me how Brodie seemed so sweet and goofy when his sister described him, but since meeting him I’ve seen very few of those moments. It amazes me how both he and Anya can just turn off their emotions and make hard choices like that. I wonder if Raina is the same way.

The guards stop and look at the bountidos as they emerge from the clearing. All thirty are pointing their blasters at Brodie and me. I turn around to check on the others, and Raina and my parents are about halfway through the lake with Anya in front of them by just a little bit. I turn back to the guards sitting in the forestry and put on my best commanding voice.

“Stand back!” I demand from the lake.

A roar of laughter erupts from the forestry and I look at Brodie in confusion. “They know you aren’t going to hurt them, Kara,” he tells me. “You’re going to have to scare them to let them know you’re serious.”

“I can’t just shoot at them!” my jaw-dropping as I picture what he’s saying to me. “They’re people! With family!”

“Who wouldn’t hesitate to bring me to my father for certain death, Kara,” reminds Brodie. “You want them to take you seriously? You need to get serious about this. This is a war we are in right now. It’s do or die, literally.”

I look at Brodie with tears welling up in my eyes. I know he’s right. I understand that I’m going to have to make some hard choices, but this is a lot. Too much has changed too quickly and I’m beginning to lose myself in the sea of finding out more about who Lena is. I was just a teenage girl before all of this happened, now I’m fighting in a war in the frontlines.

The guards have stopped laughing and have since started to move forward. They all move forward in unison, slowly creeping through the open field. “Stay back!” I warn again as I shoot a blinding green light toward them.

The men quickly step aside, and the bountidos shrink lower to the ground, but everyone continues to keep moving toward the lake. Brodie is right, if I’m going to stop them, I have to permanently stop them.

I just don’t know if I’ll be able to live with myself after.

“I said STAND BACK!” I scream once again as I shoot a green light into the crowd again, this time the light looks like a lightning bolt. As it zooms through the field, none of the guards bother to move out of the way. It strikes one of them in the chest, and he flies back through the field landing motionless on the ground.

My heart aches as they all pause again and look at their fallen comrade. They then turn back and face Brodie and me and charge.

Brodie fires the blaster generously and I shoot the lightning out of my hands over and over again as they continue to rush at us. Bountidos and guards scatter the ground around us. Their blood drenches the grass, but even with us attacking, it still seems like they are advancing too quickly. I make a glance behind me and see everyone is across the river and making their way into the forest to get to the road.

“Brodie, we can go!” I scream over the sounds of men charging us.

I run over to him and grab him by his waist as I spring into the air. I scream as blaster shots shoot throughout the air, and almost drop Brodie as I attempt to fly faster to make sure we get to the other side of the lake.

“Woah, Earth girl,” he shouts in a calming voice. “Steady. You have this.”

His words soothe me as I take a deep breath and center myself. My flying becomes steadier as we make it to the other side of the lake and I begin to swoop down. “Brace yourself, Brodie. Landing is hard with two people.”

We land on the ground and have to tuck and roll as we move forward and run into the forest leading to the road. The guards and bountidos that are left have since started to cross the lake as we disappear into the trees. Raina and the others are just arriving where Joey is in the forest when Raina jumps into Joey’s arms and plants a kiss on his lips. It didn’t last more than three seconds, but I know for a fact it was Joey’s first. “I didn’t want to not do that if we die, Joseph,” she says as she grabs him by the hand and pulls him forward. “Come on guys, we have a road to get to.”

“Only Raina would find it appropriate to kiss a boy before the battle is even won,” Brodie mocks as he follows the group.

We weave in and out of the trees for a few minutes before we start to see a large clearing emerge through the branches. The road is now in view, and my heart leaps with excitement. We close the last few yards in between the forest and road and I can’t help but let out a victory roar when we arrive on the cemented surface.

“We have to keep going!” instructs Anya. “There’s no time for celebrating!”

I nod and follow the group as we run down the road. I find myself praying that a truck will drive by when I hear the familiar sounds of guards roaring as they move forward. I turn around expecting to see the guards emerging from the trees, instead, I realize I hear the sound of feet running on concrete.

My eyes shoot forward to see men running forward in a battle formation. There are about twenty men running side by side across the road. “HALT!” one screams as we continue to run. “I said HALT!”

A blaster shoots throughout the road and lands among the group. My heart stops beating as I look around at the group one by one to make sure they’re still standing. Raina, Joey, Brodie, Anya, Mom...

I look down to see my father lying on the ground. His breathing is heavy as his shirt starts to show blood pooling under it. I let out a sob as I fall to my knees and grab ahold of his hand. “Dad, no!” I wail.“No! Please don’t die!”

Tears continue to overflow from my face as my mother drops down next to me and grabs my father’s other hand. “Kyle,” she whimpers as she touches his face.

“I love you both very much,” dad manages to choke out between shakey breaths. “You can get out of this. You have to fight.”

“You’re coming to,” I whisper squeezing his hand. “Surely there’s something we can do!” I say looking at the group with hope in my eyes that quickly distinguishes as they avoid my eye contact.

“Kara, I’m so sorry we didn’t tell you sooner. We loved you so much, we just wanted to keep you as Kara for a little bit longer,”

“I’m not mad at you,” I promise him shaking my head quickly. “I promise.”

He nods his head and turns toward my mom. She puts her finger to his lip and kisses his forehead. “I love you too, Kyle,” she says trying to reassure him she’ll be okay with a smile. “Say hi to Nova for me.”

My dad’s eyes gloss over, and his head tilts to the side. I let his hand drop and cover my mouth as I scoot away from his body and sob. Everyone is quiet, and I look up to see the guards have not moved from their position, but a new person is standing in front of them.

King Delmund stands at the front of the group. He’s in golden armor and claps his hands in an attempt to get our attention. “This is touching, truly,” he mocks. “But we have business to attend to. Now are you going to come quietly, or am I going to have to attack again?” he asks. “Lena, surely you know my children will be safe in this attack. Next time could be your mom or dear young Joey,”

I feel my blood begin to boil as the king sends threats my way. I stand up from the ground, and glare at the King as I feel my body start to charge. “I cannot believe someone like you is capable of love,” I growl. “You disgust me, and to think I ever loved you makes me sick to my stomach.”

“That was your fault then, Lena,” he sighs. “Now I pose the question again, are we going to do this quietly or are we going to have to fight-”

He’s interrupted by me letting out a roar. I feel my body emits a power like nothing I’ve ever felt before, and I feel stronger than I’ve ever felt. I shoot the lightning into the crowd without hesitation this time. Soldiers fall one by one as the king runs forward to get out of the way. Soon the bodies of all twenty guards lay on the ground before us as the king looks at me with fear in his eyes.

The lightning stops and my sword starts to appear in my hand. I hold it and practice a few swings with it before I point it at the king with a fierce cry. “Now, I ask you, are you going to let us past? Or are we going to have to do this the hard way?”

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