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A long silence passed. I explained nothing, and Quietus said nothing further, feeling his work complete. His eyes, once again, were empty of thought or emotion. He had said his piece, and now only waited for my reaction.
“I thought...” Anna began. “Wasn’t this Xenofall? Wasn’t Xenofall us fighting Askala and winning the war?”
I had to explain everything to Anna and Char. It wasn’t easy; most of what Quietus told me was thoroughly depressing. I stressed that Quietus had not lied to me. Though the dragons railed against it with all their spirit, I was in control and they couldn’t disobey a direct command – at least until Askala had found a way to reclaim them.
Then again, the truth they revealed could be misleading, and the outlook Quietus had painted was incredibly bleak.
“So if we defeat Askala,” Anna said, “They’ll just come back again. In four hundred years?”
I nodded.
“That means,” Char said. “If we win, it’s not really a victory. It just delays the inevitable.”
“That’s right,” I said. “Even with four hundred years, it’s hard to imagine how we could prepare for something like another invasion. Even if we could, would it really be enough?”
“So they attack,” Anna said, “over and over, until they finally win.”
Char shook his head. His blue eyes seemed angry, more than anything.
“Would’ve been nice if the old man mentioned something about that,” he said. “He must have known.”
“I don’t know if he did,” I said. “Or maybe he didn’t want us to think the fight was hopeless. Maybe, even with Xenofall...there’s a chance we can still win.”
They both looked at me, as if I had that answer.
“I’m not saying I know what it is,” I said. “But four hundred years is a lot of time to search for an answer.”
Anna shook her head. “All of this is just so hard to imagine. So, the Radaskim are on that planet, and it’s apparently four hundred years’ travel time away?”
I nodded. “That’s the gist. He said that world was called Tar’Sha’Lak.”
“Right,” Anna said, wincing at the weird name. “This makes the battle so much bigger. So much more...impossible. I’m starting to realize how tiny we are.”
“The Wanderer had faith in us, that we would find the answer,” I said. “Maybe...maybe we’re a lot closer than we think.”
Once again, Char and Anna looked at me.
“What would that answer be, Alex?” Anna asked.
I shook my head, and sighed. “I don’t know. I’m still thinking.”
“Maybe he knows,” Anna said, pointing at Quietus. “You said that dragon will tell you anything, and that he can’t disobey a direct order. Get him talking.”
I nodded. “It’s worth a shot. But...it’s draining.”
Anna grabbed my hand. “I’ll be right here. If you need to break off the connection...do what you have to do.”
I nodded. I turned back to Quietus, who met me with those chilling white eyes.
It was time to find out more.
***
CAN XENOFALL BE STOPPED?
Something like amusement came from the dragon.
Stopped? Do not waste your thoughts on this, little human. You will not even reach Askala, who dwells in the depths of Ragnarok Crater.
There has to be a way, I thought. The Wanderer would not have died if there wasn’t a way.
You understand nothing, Quietus said. We are but thoughts that take mortal shape. We never truly die, until our thoughts die. Your kind has not learned this. If you are a thought, you can live forever.
You mean with the xenofungus, I said. Your memory, your being, returns there.
Yes, Quietus thought. You begin to understand now. You humans thought to do this with machines, but life is so much more complicated than machinery – infinitely more complex, beautiful and meticulous. Life gives endless possibilities for growth, for nurturing, for evolution – machines are hard lines, angles, inflexibility.
Your life is like a machine, I thought.
It is, in its essence, Quietus thought. All life is. To destroy us, you would have to destroy that which could never be destroyed: a thought. Even if all the xenofungus on this world were destroyed, the information is saved on countless other worlds. Thought-waves emanate outward, communicating, storing our beings for eternity.
Maybe you have no hope, I thought. But I do. I don’t believe the Wanderer would die for nothing. That’s why you’re going to help me.
And what is your command?
You and your dragons are to come with me. Immediately.
Quietus cocked his head. You mean...to ride me?
Yes, I thought. Is that a problem?
Yes. The problem is that I should be killing you. Only, I cannot.
I shook my head. You’re going to meet the Elekai.
Quietus hissed. I continued to stare, until at last, Quietus relented.
It shall be as you say.
I turned from Quietus. Anna and Char awaited the report.
“We’re going to the Great Blight,” I said.
“Now?” Anna asked.
I nodded. “You and me. Char, you can go back to Makara and the others and let them know what we’ve learned. When they’re done here, tell them to meet me at the Xenolith.”
“What are we going to do in the Great Blight?” Anna asked.
“Two things,” I said. “One, the Radaskim will hopefully be fully converted to our side by the Elekai dragons. And two...I need answers.”
“What answers? Do you think there’s a way to stop this?”
“I don’t know,” I said. “But I have to think beyond the Wanderer. Maybe the Elekai know something.”
“You mean the dragons?”
“The Wanderer spoke of songs crossing between the stars, a while ago. Perhaps there is something in them – some secret that will help me understand what I’m supposed to do.”
Anna touched my arm. “Alex...I don’t understand any of that, but if you think there might be answers...I’ll come with you.”
“I don’t know anything either, Anna. Maybe Quietus is right. Maybe it’s hopeless. But it’s not hopeless until we give up. The Wanderer believed there was hope, and that’s all I need.”
“Alright,” Char said. “I’m not sure about this, Alex. Just...don’t go doing anything stupid. Though I’m afraid you already are.”
“This is what I have to do,” I said.
“Maybe so,” he said. “But did you have to drag her into it?”
“We’ll be fine,” Anna said.
Char hugged Anna before backing away. It was time for us to depart.
I turned to Quietus. At a wordless command, the large Radaskim knelt to the ground to be mounted. Anna and I carefully climbed Quietus’s right haunch and settled on his back. His back was a little rougher than Askal’s, but not unbearably so. We were squeezed pretty tight between two spikes. Quietus raised his head, letting out a horrible roar. We were so high off the tarmac; Quietus was much bigger than any of the Elekai dragons.
“Do we have to do this?” Anna asked.
The other dragons watched, awaiting my command.
“We need to,” I said. “I have to get these dragons to the Elekai. I don’t trust them to make it on their own. My power might lessen with distance.”
“Maybe,” Anna said.
She wrapped her arms around me, and I gave the order.
Go.
Almost violently, Quietus shot into the sky. He gave two mighty flaps, and we were flying upward. I held on tightly so as not to fall, and Anna held tightly to me. Askal would never have lifted with such power, threatening to shake us off. It was as if Quietus was finding every opportunity to defy me.
As the ground dropped away, the other dragons lifted, forming a V behind Quietus. I realized that Quietus was the leader of the Radaskim dragons, now that Chaos was gone. If I controlled Quietus, I could control those who followed him.
Or at least, that was what I hoped.
***
THE WASTED, BLIGHTED landscape passed below over the next few hours. The air was frigid until we were over the xenofungus, where warm updrafts took the edge off the cold. Even so, without pause, it wasn’t until nightfall that the Elekai Xenolith came into view.
Anna still held onto me, her head resting on my shoulder. She had been sleeping, or tying to sleep, for the past two hours now.
There it is, I said. Land nearby.
You do not want us to enter by the Dragons’ Way?
The Dragons’ Way?
I will show you. You have much to learn.
The Xenolith grew in size as we neared. Quietus flew around the Xenolith until we were on its opposite side.
Command it, human.
I thought for a moment. He wanted me to open the way into the Xenolith.
Open.
Below, the xenofungal floor began to open. Narrow at first, just a sliver of darkness. But the gap widened, until the entire surface of the fungus had pulled back to reveal a pink, iridescent glow, which I knew to be the surface of the lake.
Immediately, Quietus dipped below, stretching his wings as he descended. His dragons copied his movements almost exactly. The entrance rose to meet us. We sunk below the surface of the Great Blight; the air became muggy and thick from the humidity of the ichorous lake.
Quietus glided above the surface, settling on a far, empty shoreline. The other dragons, with flaps of wings, settled nearby, forming a line. They faced the pool itself. Above, the opening closed.
Anna and I hopped down from Quietus, stretching our stiff legs. All I could think about was how hungry I was and how much I had to pee. We’d been riding that thing for almost twelve hours straight.
“I don’t even care if this is holy ground or whatever,” Anna said. “Or if there are twenty dragons watching me.”
Toward our left, the shoreline bent around and was hidden by the wall of the cavern.
“You might get some privacy over there,” I said.
Anna went off while I waited with the Radaskim.
This place is vile, Quietus thought.
It’s your new home, I said. You better get used to it.
Quietus gave his trademark hiss, but thought nothing more.
Mordium, the crimson dragon, just stared with baleful, empty eyes. The rest of the dragons gazed across the surface of the lake, their thoughts unreadable.
Their stench fills this place, Quietus thought, his lower lip curling.
Anna returned from around the bend, and I decided it was my turn to go. I told her to stay where she was; I didn’t want her too close to the dragons while they were out of my sight. She stopped, and I went around the bend and relieved myself after twelve hours.
When I came back, the dragons were pretty much as I’d left them. The cavern was empty of the Elekai. They had to know that we were here, so either they would come, or we would have to go find them.
I stepped into the liquid, and closed my eyes.
Askal.
From somewhere in the cavern, I felt Askal’s consciousness respond.
You bring great evil into our home.
They will become Elekai, I said. The Wanderer purchased them with his death.
Hmm. Even those as dark as these?
Yes, I said. They have not come to realize it.
Their minds are dark, Askal thought. As is their intent. If we appear, it will go badly.
They will not disobey a direct command from me, I said. Is there a way we can make them turn faster?
They must decide for themselves, Askal said. The Wanderer has opened the path to their redemption. It is up to them to continue down that path.
Then they’ll never turn, I said. They truly hate everything. They have no hope and find joy only in killing.
Many things that seem impossible actually aren’t, Askal thought.
Can’t I just order them into the pool?
Willing obedience is better than forced obedience, Askal though. Do you think we began as Elekai?
The Wanderer changed you?
He helped us...remember.
Remember what?
Who we truly were.
That really didn’t help me. I certainly didn’t know anything more than the Wanderer, and I was expected to just step up and do his job.
It’s hard to make them remember when I don’t even know what it is they’re supposed to remember.
You came here to listen, did you not? The Eternal Song still resounds in the stars.
How do I listen?
You must quiet yourself, until there is nothing. Then a Voice will fill the silence...many voices. When you hear them, you will know. And make sure they also hear. The Song is the core of our being. Hearing it will help them remember.
I didn’t really understand exactly what Askal meant, but I decided to give it a try.
“What were you doing?” Anna asked.
“Talking to Askal. He says that I have to listen to the song of the Elekai.”
“And then you’ll know what to do?”
I paused. “I really don’t know. I have to start there, though.”
I closed my eyes, and listened. All I heard were the sounds around me – a dragon padding his foot on the fungus, the drip of liquid in the cavern. It became so quiet that I thought I could hear even the fungus growing. Something about that fungus drew me – I felt its consciousness fill my mind. The feeling was...overwhelming. I realized that this – the collective consciousness of the fungus – was the beating heart of the Elekai. Here were stored all the memories, thoughts, and instincts that guided a race. All the dead who had passed. All the spirits that awaited rebirth. Information continued to be added in a never-ending stream, from the stars themselves...
I realized that this was the Eternal Song of the Elekai.
Now in tune with the fungus, I turned my attention skyward – and I heard it. I could never interpret this information myself, or translate it into words. The fungus was the intermediary, and only through its vast intelligence could I begin to comprehend the soul of the Elekai beaming down from the heavens. There were Elekai, not just on this world, but on many others. There were also worlds that should have been, and worlds now dead. But still, every world had its own Song – all blended with perfect majesty of sadness and joy. It was a Song, never-ending, that I could never tire of hearing.
And I understood, in that moment, why the Radaskim could not win.
I conveyed the song to the Radaskim dragons. It was as if some ripple of energy coursed through them, paralyzing them. They realized the truth, just as I did, that the Radaskim’s quest for the Secrets of Creation could never come to pass. They sought to acquire the consciousness of every race in the universe, and even if successful, they would still come up short.
Because the Elekai held the Secrets. And the Elekai could never be conquered.
The truth was in the xenovirus itself. The dominant gene was Elekai, the recessive was Radaskim. A recessive gene could never countermand the dominant. The Radaskim could never conquer the Elekai, so long as the Elekai version of the xenovirus was in existence – and if it wasn’t in existence, that meant the Elekai were gone from the universe, along with the Secrets.
What these Secrets were, I could never comprehend – something older and deeper than the universe itself, woven into the very fabric of space-time. And, somehow, the Elekai were the key to unlocking it – a key the Radaskim could never acquire.
All of this information passed in a single moment from me to the Radaskim. Their entire philosophy – their religion – existed so that they could find those Secrets to recreate the universe. And here those secrets were, all along, living within themselves, the only place they could never find them.
Unless they became Elekai.
We will do as you say, Alex, Quietus answered at last. The Song speaks a truth higher than any I have ever known. This day, we become Elekai!
With that pronouncement, Quietus gave a terrifying roar, echoed by the rest of the dragons. He stepped forward toward the pool, setting one foot inside at first. The ichor surrounded it, but Quietus did not hesitate, only pressing on until the liquid reached the tips of his wings and rose up to his breast. Then, his long neck descended and plunged into the surface. The liquid frothed and churned about him, becoming cloudy. I realized it was cleansing him, converting the Radaskim virus that formed the essence of his being.
Next, other dragons stepped forward, entering the pool.
“What’s happening?” Anna asked.
“They are becoming Elekai,” I said.
“It worked!”
“They realized the truth.”
Anna turned to me. “What’s that?”
“The Secrets of Creation – the Secrets that can destroy and recreate the universe – they are known only by the Elekai. And the Elekai can never be conquered.”
“How can they not be conquered?” Anna asked. “Haven’t they been conquered on every world so far?”
“I mean, yes, they can be physically destroyed. I was referring more to the xenovirus itself. The Elekai version can’t be conquered by the Radaskim version.”
“Because it’s dominant, right?”
I nodded. “The only way a Radaskim can learn the Secrets is if they become Elekai. But doing so defeats the purpose of being Radaskim. If the Elekai ever die out – the Secrets go with them. That is why they can’t be conquered.”
“And what are those Secrets?”
I shook my head. “You kidding me? I don’t know. I don’t think anyone does. It’s so deep that it can only be understood by the entire collective consciousness of the Elekai, and maybe not even then. Maybe that’s the Elekai’s purpose: they only know the Secrets because they are its guardians. They plant the gardens, that they might understand them more. But maybe with all the gardens in the universe, it wouldn’t be enough.”
Anna was quiet, thoughtful. “So, what you’re telling me is that there is no way the Radaskim can win?”
I nodded. “That’s the way I understand it. I guess...this is how I turn Askala. She must listen to the Song and learn the truth as well.”
“They can still kill us,” Anna said. “Maybe the Elekai will win, in the end, but we’re still just caught in the middle of their war. It doesn’t stop us from dying.”
“That’s true,” I said. “And it doesn’t stop Xenofall from coming.”
“I guess all we can do,” Anna said, “is stop Askala and try to figure out the rest later.”
Knowing that the Secrets were safe with the Elekai didn’t change anything about what I had to do. Like the Wanderer, I had to take control of Askala, probably by giving up my life, just as the Wanderer had. But like the Radaskim dragons, would that only open the door to her redemption, or would it save her entirely? That answer remained unclear.
Quietus emerged from the pool, walking onto the shoreline. His form dripped pink ichor. He didn’t look any different, besides the eyes. They were still white, but not so empty.
I am...Elekai.
The other dragons emerged from the pool. As they lined up along the shoreline, Askal’s voice resounded in my head.
Well done.
I don’t feel like I did much.
We will show our new sisters our home, and they will learn all there is to know about being Elekai.
Wait. Sisters?
Yes – did you not know? They are the daughters of Askala. We are the sons of Elekim. But the dragons are all of one kind.
All this time, I’d thought of the Radaskim as males.
Elekim? He is...
Yes. He was the Wanderer. But now, you are Elekim, little human.
I didn’t know how I felt about that. There was no way I could fill the Wanderer’s shoes. I did not know as much, and to know as much as he did would change who I was. I didn’t want to change, but it was inevitable.
Your friends are coming, Askal thought. Enter the pool, and it will carry you to meet them.
“It’s time to go,” I said to Anna. “The dragons have found their home.”
She nodded. “We’re done then?”
“Yeah. We’ve done all we could.”
The current bore us away from the dragons, taking us through the Elekai caverns. We twisted through tunnels and openings, until at last we reached the familiar shoreline, the one with the tunnel that would lead to the exit. We left the ichorous lake behind and strode up the spiral tunnel, until we reached the door, enclosed with the roots of the Xenolith. The roots pulled back upon my touch, revealing the glowing alien fields that shone in the night.
We stepped into the warm air, to find Perseus parked about a hundred feet away. A moment after our exit from the Xenolith, people streamed off board to meet us. I couldn’t discern who they were in the darkness.
At last, we met halfway there. It was Ashton, Makara, Samuel, Julian, and Char.
“The dragons?” Makara asked.
“They are Elekai, now.”
“Bunker 84?” Anna asked.
“Michael, Lauren, and Ruth are keeping it safe,” Makara said. “Everything seems to have actually...stabilized.”
This had never been the case. We had been running like rats in the maze, just trying to reach the end. We had arrived at a place of relative peace, and the only thing left to be done was...
“It’s almost time, isn’t it?”
Ashton nodded. “We will have the final council on Skyhome. As soon as we are ready...the attack will begin.”
It wasn’t long, now. In a few days, it would all be over. Our last gamble. Finally, we had everyone on our side – Reapers, the Empire, and the New Angels. We even had the strongest of the Radaskim dragons converted to the Elekai cause. All that remained was the final battle, and that could only be decided at Ragnarok Crater.