The pair flew towards the sea for a while, following the memory of a flickering light on the cliffside. When they landed Nash sat for a while to rest while Kory went to the precipice to search. Sustained flight always took a toll, and there weren’t many opportunities to practice. Practice would have been nice. Night wasn’t far off, and it was too soon to tell the dangers it held. The more Nash learned about the troubled history of this planet and its inhabitants, the less she wanted to be here.

  “They’ve been gone so long no one remembers they exist. And didn’t those old records say to look for deposits under bigger structures and settlements? The only thing being in the middle of nowhere spares us is what else is in those ‘settlements.’ But even if we keep ourselves safe for now? What’s the point if we don’t bring back what we’ve been sent for?” Nash thought before rising to take a long hard look at the friend in front of her. “Does she know I’m reading about this place? I shouldn’t be here.”

  Over the sea beyond the cliff, violent thunderclouds gathered, breaking up the sun’s weary light. With no regard for the weather or any other sort of danger, Kory sauntered along the edge of the bluff until she vanished below it. Fear supplanted doubt when Nash lost sight of her. “Where are you?” She cried as she willed her tired body to run.

  “Stairs!” Kory called from beyond the rock’s edge. As Nash approached she saw a hand waving over the side. She stopped running to catch her breath.

  “What?” She gasped, hands on her knees. Just ahead Nash saw her friend elbow her way back over the threshold.

  “There’s stairs! Or something like them…” she trailed off. “Maybe it’s a path that goes to where we saw the light!” She sat down with her legs over the edge, eager to jump back into the unknown.

  “Wait, do we know what’s down there?” Nash asked.

  “I mean…” Kory, more than a little vexed, only gave Nash half her attention. She never could tell which questions were traps. “…Isn’t that why we’re here?” They both knew the real reason. They also both knew how little they understood their real objective, and how much of a shot in the dark this detour was. Nearby, the thunder roared a bit louder.

  “There could be something, or someone, dangerous down there. Light doesn’t come from nothing.” Nash called.

  “There might be?” Kory scratched her head as the gathering winds carried her short hair skyward. This tedious interrogation didn’t bother her, in fact, nothing really did until she heard the sound of a rock falling nearby. In an instant she turned and spied a pair of eyes on a fearsome head peering from around the bend below. She screamed, darted back to the safety of the plateau, and flung a bolt of electricity at the visitor. He disappeared, only to return a similar greeting to her, with an equal lack of precision. Nash rushed forward, forgetting her exhaustion, and projected a force field around herself and her friend. Doubts aside, this person was the real barbarian, not Kory.

  Beyond the precipice the stranger’s hands appeared again, gripping the rock. They were gruesome and covered in hair. At once, a frightening thing in the shape of a man launched himself over the edge of the cliff and landed before the newcomers. Outside the force field he postured aggressively, clad only in brown rags and his own tangled, black hair. He straightened up to his full height and yelled something unintelligible as sparks danced at the end of his outstretched fingers.

  Nash almost stumbled and dropped the veil of protection when she saw in the attacker the same features she’d beheld her entire life in the face of her friend. The ruddy complexion, flat, black eyes, and palpable undercurrent of dark energy lurking just below the surface. “He could be Kory’s brother… I’m going to die today.” The weight of this notion produced in her an unyielding resolve which bolstered the force field. She would need it. By now the storm churned overhead, as if the sky itself goaded the two savages on.

  For the second time Nash’s concentration was nearly broken, this time by a mangled response to the assailant. Though she didn’t know the language, she was sure Kory hadn’t done it right. “What’s he saying?” she asked, her arms trembling above her.

  “I think he said, ‘Don’t come around here no more… or was it anymore?’”

  “What did you say back?”

  “Maybe I said: ‘not here to fight?’ or something like it.” Kory said. “I don’t think he gets it.”

  “Wait, maybe he does!” Nash responded through ragged breath. Just outside the field the man lowered his hands to his sides. His eyes narrowed this time more in curiosity than hatred; far from a perfect guarantee of safety, but it would have to do. Thoroughly spent, Nash dropped her arms and fell to the ground, the force field falling with her. As her vision blurred, she inhaled the hot dust of the foul planet. It tasted of iron. Around her slumped form the rain began to fall.

  #

  Inside the blessedly solid cliff walls the warmth and light from the little fire smothered the cold rage of the storm outside. Nash slowly regained consciousness. Her pulse quickened and she was careful not to open her eyes or move so as not to alert the other two. A blanket, or something like it, was on her. It was hot, scratchy, unpleasant smelling, and wholly foreign.

  Beyond where she laid, two voices carried on in some guttural, uncivilized speech. Was the difficult pattern due to Kory’s unfamiliarity with her native tongue? Or was it just an ugly language on its own? Their attempt at communication was littered with awkward pauses and repeated phrases. As she listened to them, she took the time to become as familiar with her surroundings as possible. To her front she felt the heat of a fire. Behind her was the dull roar of the sea and the storm. Her body ached and her head was pounding. She knew she was badly dehydrated from the efforts of the day. But what could this unlikely host offer to fix that? Saltwater? Rain? The poorly charred flesh of some unappealing creature pulled up from the deep? What horrors awaited her as soon as…

  She opened her eyes but a smidge and stared directly at Kory, hoping to will into her friend’s mind the urgency she felt to leave. It took a moment, but soon enough Kory glanced haphazardly around the room and saw Nash, lying just where they’d left her, under a pile of furs, and no longer asleep. “Well, hi!” She exclaimed. Nash inhaled sharply and said nothing in response. “Don’t be shy, come on over.” Kory patted a dusty rock next to her. Nash ignored the invitation and sat up where she was, coughing through the dust and smoke, staring down the strange man.

  He sat on the opposite side of the fire. Nash felt a little of her instinctive caution melt away. In this light he looked more serene than savage. The true age of this specimen was surely obscured by the thick hair and beard covering most of his face. It was safe to assume he was anywhere between twenty and forty years old. His coarse hands were calmly folded over his forearms, instead of threatening her with the wrath of the skies. And yet, those same dead eyes looked out from beyond the heavy brow. Were they more menacing on a man? Or had Nash gone numb to the empty terror in Kory’s every gaze? In her mind, the second prospect was worse, so she put the whole notion away, even if it felt so useless to remain. She should run. Yet, every inch she raised herself up off the cave floor reminded her how much weaker she was, and how much more prudent she needed to be to compensate for the lack of strength.

  “We’re going to take him with us!” Kory insisted, smiling.

  Nash pushed herself to a seated position and half-wheezed a response. “Absolutely not. No.”

  “Yeah, but now we know he’s fine!” Kory smiled even bigger.

  “Is it fine that he tried to kill us, or that he lives… lives in a cave of all places?” Nash argued.

  The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

  “So, he just hasn’t seen people in a while because his whole family used to live here and then they, like…died a couple years back, so us not even being from around here was weird for him… but he’s fine now! And besides, we already let the Earthling come,” Kory fired off in far too casual a cadence.

  Nash took a few more seconds to think. It wasn’t as if the stranger expected anything. She doubted he even knew what Kory was proposing. “The Earthling wanted to leave his location, and he’s at least capable of cleaning himself, among other things. Does this guy even want to go? Do you even know his name?”

  “Yeah, it’s Zol.” Kory rolled her eyes. “If you like, we can call him something more fashionable back on Cel-”

  “We cannot take him to Celhesru.” Nash insisted. “Look at him!”

  Zol sat there, unmoving, his eyes fixed on the fire. He muttered something conciliatory under his breath. Almost a year had passed since his solitary ‘lesson’ from a teacher long retired, but now it seemed too real to ignore. He didn’t have enough evidence to determine which of the priest’s warnings were true and which were baseless superstition, so he decided to test the theories by carrying out the old man’s final command. For however much he knew, and for however less he said, Zol was determined to learn all he could. What he couldn’t shake was that odd warning about ‘purple devils.’ Was this one of them, right here in his own home? This cranky, average-looking woman was purple, sure. But a devil? Who could say?

  #

  The next day after the foul weather and debates subsided, Nash and Kory flew back to the craft with their new acquaintance. They must have been a sight indeed. Three people screaming through the air of their own volition; one, a steady beam of violet, joined by two horizontal bolts of lightning. On they soared through the glowing dawn, as the parting storm clouds and rising sun converged to bathe the world in transcendent light.

  “He needs something to do. This will distract him.” Nash thought to herself. She had much to explain to the Human, who with any luck hadn’t panicked and taken the ship away. “This can be his special project while we figure out what our next move is.” The heat was on. Not only had they not found what they were supposed to, but the straggler they collected had not the faintest idea where to look. The one who sent them wouldn’t be pleased, but perhaps they could stall. Certainly their guests wouldn’t mind another stop or two along the way.

  Nash was pleasantly surprised to find the vessel exactly where they’d left it the day before. Kory had neglected to inform their new companion that someone else was already on board. This would prove to be vexing for Zol, as he didn’t even know what a spaceship was, much less another type of person. The purple woman was more than enough for him to process.

  Upon their arrival, the bay doors lowered to reveal an oddly silent Greg. He looked weary, a little disheveled even, as if his sleep the night before had been less than ideal. There was no time to sympathize with him. Nash got to work straight away explaining what needed to be done.

  “This guy,” she motioned to Zol. “As you can see, needs a little help.”

  The Human stared right through them. It took him a moment to summon a response. Somehow his damning discoveries about the cosmos and the nature of physics of just a few weeks prior paled in comparison to the things he’d experienced since being ‘rescued.’ He looked at his strange companions, took stock of the wild man they’d brought back with them, then opted for the comfort of sarcasm. “Help with what? We have a tee time at 8:00 on Sunday or something?” He joked. In actuality he had no idea what day it was.

  Nash sensed her opportunity to delay before returning, all while keeping the newcomers busy. She was about to answer Greg when Kory surprised her and replied.

  “Man,” Kory sighed in contrition. “We haven’t been, you know, a thousand percent honest with you or anything. But whatever help you can offer we’d be happy to take. The truth is, we could use some ideas.”

  “Don’t give it away!” Nash thought. But Kory didn’t give it away. She looked straight ahead, imploring the Human honestly. He bought it.

  “Yes, of course. I’m so sorry guys, I don’t know what my deal was.” Greg ran his hands through his hair and resumed his usual demeanor. “Y'all have been more than cool, so here, come on, let’s figure this out.” He jaunted down the ramp and guided the suspicious Zol into the ship, talking all the while in a language the caveman couldn’t understand about things he wouldn’t care to.

  “I should go make sure Zol doesn’t try to kill him,” Kory said, following close behind the two men. Nash smiled to herself, knowing no amount of civilizing could rid one of that impulse.

  #

  Harder still than convincing Zol to shower was the monumental task of explaining to the Earthling that everything he’d witnessed was completely normal and that, naturally, he shouldn’t breathe a word of it to a single soul. Like anyone with means, he’d travelled for leisure beyond his native planet before and had encountered Iolites like Nash here and there. What he had not witnessed was the power laid bare on this recent excursion.

  It was an open secret amongst their own kind that as many as a tenth of all Iolites possessed the gift of telekinesis. They could move physical matter with their minds, and as far as anyone could determine it was not hereditary in any way. There was no telling when the gift would surface within a family. Researchers of centuries past attempted to deduce the source of the power with no luck. In their stead came the social scientists, leaders, and those who wove the fabric of cultural belief. Over time they imposed the overarching view on Celhesru that those with the power should not acknowledge or use it for the sake of those who did not have it.

  “…thousands of years ago the people who even built our civilization in the first place were the ones like me.” Nash hid little of her resentment as she explained to Greg the role she played in everything. Why bother staying stiff-lipped about it if he already knew the important part?

  They sat around the small table in the ship’s living quarters, enjoying a much-needed cup of coffee or two. Somewhere further back they heard the rough chatter exchanged between Kory and Zol as she tried to impress upon him the importance of personal hygiene in the world he’d soon enter. Perhaps she would succeed where Greg had failed.

  “I completely get it, discretion at all times, you won’t hear a peep from me,” Greg assured her, longing for yesterday when he’d only had his own secrets to keep. He gripped the cup tightly in spite of its heat, while reminding himself to make eye contact with Nash. It was plain to see she was tired, but perhaps just enough not to notice his slight fear. “And that explains you, but what is going on with them?” He glanced behind him.

  “As far as I know (granted I only know four of these people, including the one we just picked up) they are all like that,” said Nash.

  “You know four? Who are the other two?” Greg asked, rising to refill his coffee. He knew he didn’t need more, but it was something to do.

  “Kory has a mother and little sister, Mia, back on my planet. I’m technically an only child, but I feel like Kory and Mia are my sisters too the way we all grew up together.” Nash offered her empty cup to Greg to top off. He took it without a word and added just a splash of cream with no sugar, the way she had made it for herself. He only needed to see someone’s coffee preference once to know how they liked it.

  “I don’t suppose she’ll tell me how her family got to live in your neck of the woods, will she?” Greg placed the mugs back on the table and retook his seat.

  “Maybe not, I’m not exactly sure myself, but Mia might open up if you take her shopping at some of those fancy Earth import stores.” Nash rolled her eyes. “I mean, we’re close and all, but she’s always been more interested in things than people. Though it might be worth a shot if you’re looking for answers.”

  Greg loved this line of discussion, that Nash assumed he would stay with them on their travels. Of course, he would meet Kory’s sister on Celhesru. Where else would he be? In fact, nothing sounded better to him at that moment than a decadent little shopping trip with a woman who had no idea who he was. He could explain all the fancy trappings of his culture to her with no recompense needed save for her rapt attention. The thought was downright pleasant, distracting to be sure, until he snapped himself out of the delusion and realized Nash was continuing to explain something he should have already asked about.

  “ – they’re all like that… electric.”

  “You know, that’s fascinating,” Greg responded. “I wonder if their anatomy resembles that of an eel.” Non-sequiturs referencing animals were a uniquely Earthling specialty Nash would learn in time, even if it grated her now.

  “You obviously don’t want to get near them when they’re… well, you can see for yourself the danger. I still don’t know how this allows them to fly, it clearly hasn’t been studied, but my first guess is that the high amounts of concentrated energy can manipulate the atoms around them, generating enough physical impulse for flight.” She elaborated. “She and I don’t get a lot of practice though, living where we do. That’s why this place was so vital for us to visit. It’s remote.”

  “Is that the only reason you came to this planet? To test out these powers you can’t use in the civilized world?” asked Greg. The question was one Nash half expected but wasn’t yet prepared to answer. She peered closely into his eyes, hoping to communicate something that couldn’t be said. Then she changed the subject.

  “Never mind this planet. We’ll go to Earth next.”