Zinc 01 - Altors, page 20
part #1 of Zinc Series
"What forced the Palliums to move from Iodin City to the sand mountains of Cobalt?"
"Xen and Xania Reinhardt." The unimpressed look on his face was amusing to watch. "Xen, rightful king to the Regius was murdered by an Altor after he kidnapped one of our own." The urge to bounce on my seat because of the many questions I suddenly wanted to blurt out was overwhelming. Datura chuckled. "Give me time to explain." I nodded excitedly. "While we don't know how, the queen died as well. The Regius wouldn't have been worried, but the son, the heir to the throne, vanished." He sighed heavily. "Where the Pallium leaders come from a family line that was chosen by the Creatures of Origin, and the Altor Elders are assigned by another Elder, the Regius kings come from a specific blood line. It's impossible to cheat this because they carry a distinct marking on their body that shows they are heir to the throne. This marking is passed from father to son."
"What if both are killed?"
"Then the marking transfers to the queen, and she then rules until she gives birth to a new heir." He answered my next question before I could voice it. "The queens come from a specific Regius blood line as well."
I frowned. "It sounds as though there is a lot of inbreeding."
He shook his head. "We know there are several pure blood families that carry the gene to produce the royal mark. Their last queen came from the Meek bloodline, whereas Xen, the king, came from the Reinhardt bloodline. Their son would have then married a woman from another bloodline carrying pure blood."
"So, this heir carrying the royal mark, he's no longer with the Regius, yet they are still stronger than the Altors and Palliums?"
"It made them weak enough to be forced off grid. Xania, Xen's brother, is steward to the throne until the Regius heir returns to them."
I pursed my lips. "Who did Xen kidnap?"
"Ivy." I nearly fell off the bar stool in shock. "She was still a minor. Xen had her father and mother killed. The outrage from that is said to have been like nothing else before. The Palliums abandoned their neutrality and allied with the Altors. They raided the Regius castle in Iodin City, murdered Xen and freed Ivy."
"But why Ivy?"
"She is part Pallium and part Altor. Her bloodline is high up the ranks on both sides. Her father was an Altor Elder and her mother was sister to the Pallium Leader, Flux." Datura paused. "We know that he took a personal liking to her, but we believe his main objective with her was to try and achieve peace through marriage." I wrinkled my nose in disgust. "Yes, the age difference was so severe, along with the lack of a peaceful approach, it enraged the Altors and Palliums. While the idea of a marriage alliance is far from stupid, Xen had a personal motive behind it. He already had a queen and produced an heir to the throne. Divorce is not something the Regius believe in and cheating is punishable by death. He also knew that forcing the hand of a minor is punishable by death in the Altor rule book. Then last but not least, no Regius king has ever tried to achieve peace amongst all the races. Something was definitely wrong."
Standing, I helped him do the dishes, hoping he'd never stop talking. I should have tried to surpass the discomfort I'd felt around him sooner, because if I had, I would have been able to appreciate moments like these earlier on. It was like a lazy, sunny afternoon on Edge, where Sol and I had nothing to worry about and all we did was talk.
"With the king and queen dead, the heir vanished, Xania moved the Regius royals into the forest, leaving a good amount of the Blue Blood army behind in Iodin City with orders to destroy every Pallium and Altor in sight. The Altors and a few Ranger crews helped evacuate the Pallium base, bringing them to the sand mountains of Cobalt."
"Why didn't they move closer to the Creatures of Origin before?"
"Zinc belonged to the Palliums long before any Civilians stepped foot on this land. Over the centuries their territory was reduced and now all they have left is two bases in Cobalt City that get regularly attacked and raided." Datura sighed. "They're a less destructive target for the Regius than the Altors are." Giving him a towel so he could dry his hands, he nodded over at the couch so we could sit there.
"Can I ask questions now?" He laughed, nodding. "Do you know where the heir is? If you do, are you guys keeping him from the Regius?"
"He is in our custody, yes." Datura answered carefully. "I think the question you'll be more interested in hearing the answer of is, who killed Xen Reinhardt."
I blinked. "Who?"
"Acacia did."
* * * *
Chapter 18: Calycanthus Esquivel
“Poison.”
* * * *
I was lying on my back on the Jansen's carpet with my eyes closed as I listened to Dandelion reading to me. Although my brain had received a serious beating with all this new found information concerning the Altors, Palliums and Regius, I'd had the time to mull everything over for a couple of nights now and I realized that I wanted to be part of all of this. I felt something pull my gut every time I trained with these people. I wanted to match their skills and have their backs when they became true Altor soldiers; to protect those who needed it, to make Acacia proud.
I wondered if Solenum would see the honor I saw in fighting the good fight. Would she understand my need to do this? Would she join me? Lithium Village had always been a bit of a blur. I realized now that I never could imagine myself finishing school, getting a job, possibly fall in love, getting married, having children and just live that life. It didn't sound bad, it just simply didn't sound right to me either. Would Sol have wanted to stay there once we reached our eighteenth birthdays? Why had we never asked these questions before? I couldn't imagine going back to LV once Solenum got here. I wouldn't be able to, knowing all of this. I wouldn't want to.
I heard Datura laugh. He was sitting on the other side of the room playing chess with Jatrop.
"Cali." Dandelion reached down to poke my cheek. "Whenever he's near, the only constant in your attention, is the attention you place on him. Why don't you just admit you're-" Sitting up, I pointed a look her way that was enough to shut her up. For the moment anyway.
"Push me, and I'll never come close to admitting anything." I warned. "And again, whatever is going on between me and Datura is private."
She huffed, rolled over and pushed her face into the mattress. "Yeah, yeah, alright, it's none of my business." She muttered. I smirked in pleasure, glad she was slowly starting to get it. "But-" Her eyes were pleading and her pout was full on. "You can't blame me for-" She whined unintelligibly when I lifted a finger and again, mutely told her to zip it. "You're a terrible gossip, Esquivel."
I shook my head in amusement, "Yeah. Especially because-" Letting out a noise of discomfort, I sat back and grimaced.
"Cali?" Dandelion asked in concern, sliding off the bed so she could crouch in front of me. "You're awfully white."
"Dandi-" I croaked out. "I don't feel good." I groaned loudly in pain as it felt like my ribs were about to collapse and then I was distracted by the nausea in the pit of my stomach. An acid taste sat on my tongue and whenever I moved, I ached. Dandelion was touching my forehead and cheeks, checking my pupils and another set of hands became present on my shoulders. Shortly afterward, I found myself sitting against Datura and Jatrop appeared in my now blurry vision.
"Jatrop, get him a bucket. Datura, bed. I'll fetch Ilex." Dandelion instructed before she ran out of the room, Jatrop on her heels. Datura lifted me off the ground and then gently proceeded to place me on the bed.
"Where does it hurt?" He asked, and I screamed in pain, clapping my hands onto my ears when his voice seemed to have tripled in volume, echoing so loudly that a headache catapulted itself straight into my temples. I felt his hands cover my own, his breath fanning my face, telling me he was close by.
"Tae moi ere et mal." Datura chanted. I frowned when that seemed to help the ache fade. I opened my eyes slowly, wincing as my ribs were still tightening. Or was it my stomach? How did I understand what he was saying? My eyes hooded over while I tried to grab onto the soothing sound of his voice. It was so calming.
"Calycanthus!" I snapped back to attention at the stern warning, trying to nod my head at him. I couldn't lift it though, it was so heavy.
"Bucket!" Jatrop returned and a split second later Datura had gripped my shoulder, tilting my body to the side so I could puke my guts out into the bucket. I sobbed without tears as it felt like someone was trying to tug my organs out through my throat. Datura's fingers twined into my hair, pulling it out of my face so it wouldn't get in the way and I was grateful to hear him humming; it relaxed me.
"Son of a ranger." Jatrop cursed.
"Where is Ilex?!" Datura sneered angrily, but his hands were gentle as he guided me onto my back again. I squeezed my eyes shut when the light in the room hurt and I was thankful to hear footsteps running up the stairs a little while later.
"Move!" Ilex ordered. I could feel his fingers prodding my neck and stomach.
"I thought we'd established Sage isn't his mother." Datura's voice was angry and accusing. "If he's not part Seer, then tell me why he's hallucinating."
"Maybe Vervaine saw wrong." Ilex growled in response. "Only an Altor with the Seer gene enters a state of delirium during the time the blue blood cell poisons the system. They are also the only ones who don't become aggressive when the trigger occurs. They fall asleep instead. Vervaine was knocked out cold for nearly two weeks and nothing but herself could wake her."
"Why didn't you just trigger him the moment he became sick?!"
"Because!" Ilex shouted so loudly, I whimpered in pain because of it. He lowered his voice. "The only way we would have been able to tell that he is part Seer, was to confirm it through the delirium. We never wanted Vervaine to use her gift to find out because you know how dangerous it is for her." I felt Datura place something wet on my head, trying to cool the fever that was taking a toll on me and making it hard for me to concentrate on what they were saying. He was right, I was starting to hallucinate. Whenever I opened my eyes, their faces seemed to melt away, revealing their skulls. Their voices weren't like I normally heard them, instead it was as though several people were talking at once, making it harder for me to concentrate on Ilex and Datura. But I think the strangest thing of all, was that while I was in the most intense pain I had ever felt, it was as though my body didn't matter to me right now.
"But she did use her gift. Why wait for the delirium when normally there shouldn't have been?" Datura was less angry now.
"A Seer with more experience in the gift of foresight can manipulate the visions of another with whom they have a blood connection." Ilex explained.
"And Vervaine is Sage's daughter."
"Exactly. So, we wanted to double check. Clearly, we were right to do so as Cali may be her son after all."
"Say he is her son, it doesn't mean she's using him." Datura was becoming angry again.
"Datura." Ilex's voice was harsh, not leaving any room for discussion. "Seers can't be trusted because their powers are unstable and are known to turn its user insane. It's why Vervaine wears the gloves, why she isn't allowed human contact. If she has one vision too many, it can toss her over the edge and then she'll be so easy to manipulate, the Regius would use her until she was sucked dry of her power."
"But Cali has no idea who his parents are. He has no memory from before the boarding house. He couldn't possibly betray the Altors." Datura placed a hand over my eyes, stopping me from trying to see. He probably knew it pained me.
Ilex sighed heavily. "I know it doesn't make sense." He paused. "All I know is that his father had a child with a Seer. Cali is his only son."
"I see where you're coming from, but you know that soldier's history is unstable. After he fell off the grid and went rogue, we have no idea what he did with his life."
"And none of these details really matter until we find a way to explain Cali's origin. Until we do, we need to treat him with caution and remember that Sage may or may not have a hold on him. If she does, it means he will become a traitor in the near future."
"How do we know that?"
"Vervaine had a vision when she was younger."
"So that too, is uncertain in truth."
"Seers are unstable. It's why we don't let Vervaine out of our sight."
* * * *
Opening my eyes, I wondered if the light would hurt me like it had before I'd blacked out. I wasn't in the Jansen's room anymore, they'd moved me back into my own. Turning my face, I frowned at the bag of blood hanging from a metal pole, a thin tube coming out of it which was connected to the needle stuck in my arm. I assumed it helped in stabilizing the poison. Or maybe it had something to do with this trigger and I was waking up two weeks after the entire ordeal.
Was I a Seer? If I was, that meant I was Sage's son and I couldn't say that knowledge made me particularly happy. Datura had shown me a sketchbook that depicted the high figures in the Regius hierarchy some time ago. Sage was not only Xania's right hand, she had been an adviser to Xen before that. She was the leader of the Blue Blood's army. The little bit of history I'd heard about her made very clear she was evil incarnate. Why had an Altor soldier had a child with her? Maybe that's what they'd meant with him having gone rogue.
I looked away and then froze when my eyes landed on Datura's bare back. I'd never seen him without a shirt before. It was covered in small scars, barely separated from one another. Thin straight lines, each a different length, some shorter than others and the skin that shaped them was lighter. There were three very big ones and they must have been deeper as they had short lines crisscrossing over it, like stitches. What had happened?
He snapped me out of my trance by pulling a shirt over his head before he turned around to face me. He didn't seem surprised to see me awake, simply smiled as he walked over to crouch down beside my bed. I wondered if all Altor soldiers had eyes in the back of their heads.
"You almost died." He sounded heart broken and his grip on my hand was tight. I'd wanted to instantly get him to answer the many questions where it concerned my parentage and bloodline, but the look on his face told me that he needed me to be his friend before being his colleague. He'd really been worried.
"I seem to be okay now." I couldn't be completely sure. I wasn't dead, but neither was I completely healed. The weakness was still present and because I didn't know how long I'd been out for, the confusion wasn't helping much.
"We're pumping civilian blood compatible with yours into your system to regulate the blue blood cell until you are strong enough for the medicine." He explained. "You've been waking at random intervals over the past week. This is the first time you've woken without being delirious."
"The last thing I remember is you and Ilex talking while trying to sedate me." I squeezed his hand, offering him a smile. "We don't need to get into it now, but I will need you to explain things at some point."
"Soon." He promised, releasing my hand and standing. "We'll unhook the IV and see how you handle it." I nodded at that, sitting up with some difficulty, but I suppose that was to be expected. The blue blood cell was still poisoning me. Hopefully the extra civilian blood was stabilizing me enough for the trigger to occur. I was tired of feeling this helpless.
Datura carefully removed the needle and then offered a hand for me to lean on in case I needed it. Which I did. He guided us down to the kitchen and my stomach was real happy with that as it grumbled loudly at the prospect of food. But before we could make it to the fridge, we were interrupted by an obnoxiously loud alarm.
"Oh no." My eyes widened at the horror displayed on Datura's face.
"What's going on?!"
"Iron Island's District Leader notified us that one of her soldier's spotted a Blue Blood tracker. Caltha went to the Coliseum to back up Iris and Ilex and the Jansen's went to scout." He said that all the while guiding me into the training room, locking the door behind us and then dragging me with him to the cabinets that carried the training weapons. "Ilex set off the alarm from outside of the house to warn me that the tracker must have slipped by and is coming." I gulped in fear, my heart beat speeding up.
"I'm in no condition to help myself or be of any use to you." I pointed out, watching him curiously as he pushed a cabinet aside.
"I know. That's why I'm going to hide you and take care of the tracker by myself." I was reluctant to leave him on his own, but I would only be a distraction to him now. He'd have to fight the Blue Blood and keep me out of harm's way at the same time. "This tunnel leads underground and to the Coliseum. If Ilex warned us, then he must have notified them and someone should be on their way to get you. Just keep walking and don't worry about me." He opened the door that had been hidden behind the cabinet, gesturing for me to get in and start going.
"You can do this, right?" I asked, not able to not worry about him.
He nodded. "I will if I don't have to worry about you. Just go." Turning in direction of the tunnel to do as he instructed, I hesitated, looking back. "Calycanthus." He stepped closer, grasping my chin, forcing me to look him in the eye. "They are here because of the price on your head. With your possible connection to Sage, this might be her trying to get you. Even if you were fully trained, I'm still more able to take this tracker on than you are. Now go." He implored.
I reluctantly nodded. "Come back to me."
His eyes widened in surprise. "Always." Swallowing nervously, I reached up to frame his face, standing on my tip toes to-
A shot rang out and we heard the door Datura had lock being thrown open, footsteps telling us the Tracker was already here, in this very room.
"Oh, you make it too easy, Keeper." Datura pushed me behind him, using his body as a shield.
"Rhamnus." He said carefully. "He's not who you think he is."
The Tracker laughed low, twirling the guns in his palms before pointing them at us. "Where would Calycanthus Esquivel be without his dear old friend Datura Lovelace?" He waved his gun, gesturing for us to step out of the tunnel. "He's exactly who I think he is."
