CHAPTER 7

MYSTERIOUS KEVA

In a small building in the secret city of Keva, the Old Ones sat and talked over the troubling problems facing them and their city, one of which was the sudden disappearance of their young king, Shamar. They were concerned because he had suddenly gone missing. They were even more concerned that they could not find him. That was most unusual for their mind powers usually could easily track any person within their range. So obviously Shamar was somewhere out of the realm of their usual mind powers, which was unusual and called for a new and concerted effort by all the Old Ones together. They feared for their young king’s safety.

Those of Keva cared little for the other people or cities on the planet Ares. They knew of no other beings aside from the Greens who they stayed away from, and the Winged-men whom they loathed with a blood feud vengeance. As for most of the green people, those of Keva realized that other humans on the planet were as yet still too barbarous for them to make contact with. They were still too warlike. There were also too many of these other green people, too many clans and tribes, and too few Kevans to deal with them. They found themselves severely outnumbered, even among the other Greens, their own kind. Moreover, none of the other Greens had as yet achieved any of the mind powers that those in Keva possessed. These other Greens were looked upon as mere children as far as the Old Ones of Keva were concerned.

Even so, they did keep track of events and some things that had recently happened in the world were proving quite interesting. Those of Keva were taking note.

The Old Ones of course had heard of the defeat of the Zaran Winged-men by an army led by an outworlder by the name of Jon Kirk, and they approved of that outcome. They watched the struggle of the new empire of the green people with interest, and its new emperor, who was said to be from another world and not from Ares at all. That was something that the Old ones found could be interesting, but it seemed improbable.

However, not all Kevans knew this information. It was held as secret knowledge allowed for only the Old Ones and leaders to hold within their hearts and minds. Shamar, though he was the king, had mind powers that were limited, weak, for even though a king he was still very young and not as powerful in this regard as even a single one of the venerated Old Ones. However, while the young of Keva did not possess the worldly wisdom and experience of the Old Ones, he was developing his powers at an astonishing rate. Aron The Eldest was most pleased with the king’s progress. He was impressed with the young man’s leadership and bravery as well.

Aron The Eldest, was the oldest of the Old Ones of Keva and the most venerated man upon the Great Council. He was a bold man of strong character and vast wisdom that he had attained over many centuries. When he stood up at the meeting of the Great Council all there looked with respect upon his venerable visage eager to hear his words.

Aron stood tall and spoke slowly with great power in his voice, “My friends, we must find Shamar, as well as the two abducted men from Tarcos, this Jon Kirk and his general, named Zaor. I think you will all agree with me that it is in the best interest of Keva to aid these men and to see to it that Tarcos does not fall to the Winged-men horde. Though we do not have enough arms nor men to make a difference in any conventional battle, it is time we used our mind powers to support the green cause. We can meld our minds together which would increase our power and range, and that can make a substantial difference in the outcome of this battle, and in the coming war. To ignore this call and not to help the Greens at this time I am sure will come back to haunt us.”

“Sire”, another of the Old Ones spoke to Aron, a younger and less senior fellow named Lanus. “We have a new threat that has come to a head in these abductions of Shamar, Kirk and the general named Zaor. This new threat I insist should be our primary concern and they must be dealt with right away. They are a greater danger.”

“And what might that be?” Aron asked carefully.

Lanus stood stately, calm, “Blues from the eastern continent of Vognar. They are here now, exploring, most likely for conquest. We must deal with them soon. They have flying ships, heat beams and somehow they have attained the cloak of invisibility. We need to discover the secret of all these weapons. And soon. In doing so, we shall also find Shamar and his companions I am sure, and then they can be released.”

“Yes, I agree. I think we are all in agreement with that, Lanus,” Aron replied to the group of Old Ones, each of whom sagely nodded their heads in the affirmative.

Of course Aron had known about the coming Blue threat, but he wanted another to bring it up in council—far better the call for action against the Blues come from an opponent of his than from himself. For that would mean bloody war and mass death, and his beloved city of Keva would be in the middle of it. Aron wanted all factions of the Great Council to be behind this war and his playing Lanus had ensured his support. Aron was not only a powerful leader, he was a great politician and he knew people well.

Aron The Eldest sighed, then spoke up loudly, “So it must be, so it shall be done.”

* * * *

I saw the door to my cell suddenly open. I could see no one was there, but Zaor and Shamar each had the feeling that there were invisible beings entering our cell. We stood motionless, waiting. Soon we seemed surrounded by a host of invisible enemies.

Shamar softly told me that he was sure there were five of our captors in the cell with us now. I could see no one of course, other than my two companions, but the invisible men were surely there among us now. Shamar said that we should remain motionless and not try to fight them, they were all well armed and watching us, looking us over carefully. They were feeling secure in their invisibility since they knew we could not see them.

“They are invisible and they believe they are invulnerable,” I said softly.

“They may well be,” Zaor growled in annoyance.

“We’ll see about that!” I whispered to my companions, each nodding knowingly as they knew what I was thinking and prepared for action.

Shamar accepted my plan of action, softly whispering, “I can make out only light images of them, insubstantial blurs, but they are here now among us. It would be unwise to fight them.”

I nodded, even though it rankled, it seemed the prudent course at the moment to hold off on an attack.

Zaor had been surprised by Shamar’s admission of his apparent mind power knowledge. I was not. Being an Earthman, I had heard all about extra sensory perception, so-called ESP, and other physic phenomena. Yet I was impressed by the fact that Shamar and so many Kevans had this mind power, which they all seemed to take for granted. He just seemed to know things that were impossible for anyone else to know.

“Soon…” Shamar whispered in warning. “Look!”

Suddenly five armed warriors mysteriously appeared in front of us. They just suddenly became visible, now allowing us to see them. I wondered how they did it. They apparently had materialized out of thin air. It was uncanny and eerie. It set us all aback for a moment.

I looked at these men carefully and with great interest. They seemed to be human in every form and feature, apparently human in every way—their only difference being their dark blue skin and dark black or bright white hair. These were obviously fighting men and well armed, and they looked exceedingly dangerous. They were also quite confident in their prowess. They did outnumber us five to three. However, I did not think it such an unfair advantage now that my companions and I could see them clearly. Their visibility might be the death of them, but I thought it better to hold off on any attack or break for freedom until we found out just what we were dealing with here. Who were these mysterious Blues and what was their game? I had to find out.

“I am called Vaar,” the golden clothed leader of these blue men said in a deep commanding voice. He had dark blue skin and dark black hair in long braids. He was well armed. “Follow me. Soon we will be in Vognar. Our Supreme Leader wishes to question you for information.”

“That is good, Vaar, because I want to question your leader for information as well,” I said boldly.

“Hah!” Vaar just laughed. “You are the Jon Kirk?” “I am Jon Kirk,” I replied.

“The off-worlder?” “Yes.”

Vaar looked at me curiously, then motioned us to move out. “Your leader will learn nothing from us,” Zaor growled boldly, defiant. I could see he was ready for action.

Vaar shrugged and just motioned us out of the cell, “We shall see.”

I signaled once more for Zaor to hold off on any attack for the moment. I needed to find out more information about these mysterious Blues before I acted.

Our hands were bound and more guards joined Vaar and his men. We were then quickly marched out of the invisible ship. That ship suddenly became visible to show us a massive airship of some type well suited for war, bristling with barrels for some type of gun or canon.

We were led away from the ship, across an open flat area and soon we found ourselves entering a large city. It was the capital city of the Vognar Empire, the land of the much feared Invisible men. Here we were taken through the streets to another impressive building that appeared to be some kind of palace, and we were locked away in another prison cell down inside the bowels of the building.

Once we were locked in our new cell and our guards had left, Shamar, spoke up, “We are in the hands of a very dangerous group of people. These are people I have never encountered before, but I had heard tales of their existence. They are Blues, also called the Vognars and I am sure now that we have been taken to a strange continent far off to the west of Cos. These Blues may prove to be more dangerous than our hated enemy the Winged-men.”

“What do you mean?” Zaor asked curiosity getting the better of him. “Tell us about these people. Everything you know. Who exactly are they?”

“We have been taken to the mysterious western continent of Ares, the continent west of Cos, known as Vognar, named after the blue-skinned race who dwell here. These blue peoples of Vognar— Vognars—or Blues, as they are sometimes called—are strange to me and most Kevans, but there is rumor of them in the ancient histories,” he continued thoughtfully, shaking his head back and forth to indicate he was troubled. “From what contact I have had with Vaar’s mind, I can see these blue people are very warlike and violent, and it seems they intend to invade the eastern continent and enslave all the green people there. They are a vicious and deadly people and are ruled by a monster in human form.”

Zaor laughed defensively, “They could never defeat all the Greens, and they could never control all of Ares.”

“I wouldn’t bet on that,” I replied with a curt nod of my head at Shamar. “With their laser weapons, invisibility and those airships they might just be able to do anything they want to do. Unless we stop them.”

* * * *

Sahn Jor left the city of Tarcos with a small party of warrior honor guards to meet with King Grusus and the Winged-men on the open plain before the city of Scresa. He was of a mixed mind to make terms for peace with these savage brutes—but he knew that peace is made only by talking with your enemy. He was brave enough to make a try for peace. It wasn’t easy or pleasant for the green man to do this, or for him to meet with his hated enemy, but he felt he had to take the chance and do what he could for the innocent and helpless people under his control. If he could buy them some time, it might be worth it.

Sahn Jor knew that if a strong leader like Jon Kirk were here, he was sure he would have some great plan ready that would defeat the enemy, but Sahn Jor was no Jon Kirk. He was just an administrator and not any kind of great warrior or general. He had to come up with some plan that he hoped would work to save the city and his people. He knew he had to do something to save the green people of Tarcos.

It came as a stunning surprise to Shan Jor that the talks actually began, and more surprising because the winged monster Grusus seemed unnaturally respectful and even somewhat understanding in their preliminary discussions. The Zaran spoke respectfully and with some decency—at least for a Zaran. This reaction was even more of a shock to Sahn Jor than if the winged monster had just murdered him outright—which the green man had considered could be an actual outcome when one met with any Zaran. But such was not the case this time, and no threats were offered. He was certainly perplexed, astounded, perhaps even hopeful now. It was all most strange.

Sahn Jor wondered just what game this winged creature was playing—or was he playing a game? The winged leader proclaimed he just wanted peace and even seemed to take the green man Shan Jor into his confidence about how important he felt peace was to both races. It was most unusual. The green man remained suspicious of course, for he had heard terrible rumors, but he had not yet had confirmation of the atrocities done by Grusus to the people at Tor and Scresa. Of course, he had not seen any of the results, nor heard evidence from any survivors. That was because there were no survivors, and he never saw any prisoners. With hope upon the horizon he almost refused to believe the wild rumors of war and atrocity. He hoped those rumors proved to be just rumors, and nothing more. But his inner voice told him the rumors must be true. That meant he knew he had to ask Grusus about them—and that might mean trouble. Even battle. But he had to make the attempt to learn all the facts. Although he hated the Zarans, if he could bring peace to Tarcos by dealing with their leader, Sahn Jor would do so. He would deal with all the devils in the Afterworld themselves to bring peace and save the people of Tarcos.

The more Sahn Jor and the Zaran talked together, the more Grusus tried to put Sahn Jor at ease. The Zaran even reluctantly admitted to some massacres by his troops, when the subject was brought up by Sahn Jor most delicately. The Zaran leader did not deny them as Sahn Jor thought he surely would. He did not become enraged. Instead, the Zaran told the green man in all seeming candor how his warriors had slipped his rein, done the deed without his orders. He said he even regretted the blood-letting. He told the green man such violence had been useless and stupid and had been done without his permission. Furthermore he told Sahn Jor that the Zarans who had done the killings had been punished and were now dead. While Grusus admitted it was well known that Zarans ate human flesh—and that his warriors were in fact hungry for food—he said he had ordered his warriors to feed only from local animal stock—and not the green people.

Sahn Jor hardly knew how to react to this admission, but he still did not believe the Zarans, for it seemed something was not right here. However, if he could broker a peace that saved Tarcos from attack, then it might all be worth it. He felt he could overlook much if peace were the result. He knew he would have to overlook much and the realization made him sick. He knew Jon Kirk would never accept such a situation, but he was not Jon Kirk—and Jon Kirk was not here to lead him.

“It is much for me to consider,” Sahn Jor stated carefully to the winged leader, thinking of the murdered green people of Tor and Scresa. However, it did seem that Grusus was willing to come to some kind of deal. It was uncanny.

“You have to believe me when I tell you I did not order these actions against your Greens, I am regretful at this situation,” Grusus told Sahn Jor, who had never even contemplated the thought of a Zaran apologizing to a green man, but this came close enough. “The entire situation saddens me because it was unnecessary.”

“I appreciate your candor, Lord Grusus,” Sahn Jor replied carefully.

The large Winged-man nodded his head and flapped his large leathery wings in acknowledgement.

Sahn Jor and his small group of advisers hardly knew what to say or how to react to this information when they met later to talk things over. They had never heard the likes of such words before from any Winged-man, much less one of the enemy leaders. Of course it could all be a ruse or lie—and it probably was—but what if it were not? Perhaps there could be a new era of understanding between these two races? If so, should not Sahn Jor try to make it happen? So the talks continued and negotiations began. As the talks continued a peace plan was eventually arranged and finally a treaty was drawn up.

Three days later a treaty of peace was signed. All in all, for a time Sahn Jor was overjoyed that he had brought peace to the city of Tarcos. The terms of peace were that while the Winged-men would spare Tarcos from any attack, they would not withdraw from imperial territory claimed by the Green Empire. At least not yet. The entire affair left all uneasy with the details. For when were the Winged-men leaving? Where were they to go? At least for now the people of Tarcos had been spared and felt safe, they had been saved from the winged monsters for the moment, even though the monsters had not withdrawn from around the city as the treaty had stipulated. Sahn Jor could still see the huge enemy camp just beyond the horizon. Silent. Waiting? Waiting for what? There was peace for now, but it seemed to be a stalemate that could blow up at any time. Sahn Jor never trusting of the enemy, wondered just what the enemy plan might be. He sent out spies and scouts to see what could be found out. Many were never seen again.

* * * *

Venerable Aron The Eldest, once again spoke to the Kevan Council of Old Ones, “Plans are now set in motion to find our king, Shamar, as well as this Jon Kirk and General Zaor, and then bring them to us. By melding our minds our enhanced vision allows us to see much farther than we have ever seen before, and now we will find out where they have been taken. It is far away. I am sure we will reach them soon. Meanwhile, the new Zaran leader, Grusus, seems to have eased his hunger for empire and revenge for the moment. He has entered into terms of peace with the First Minister of Tarcos, Sahn Jor. It is peace of a kind, but knowing our enemy, I fear it is peace only for the moment, and ill begotten. However, today Tarcos is safe, so that is a positive development.”

“What are we to do about the advancing Blues, Aron?” Lanus asked thoughtfully.

“Under normal circumstances we would not interfere deeper without dire consequences drawing attention to ourselves, but I fear we have no choice. While we of Keva can not afford to antagonize these blue-skinned Vognars without serious repercussions against our own small and defenseless city, we can not allow them to conquer the land of the Greens. In short, we must attempt to bring down these Vognars and their allies the Winged-men, but we can not do it alone. We need a united strong empire of the Greens to help us—and that means Jon Kirk must be set free to unite the green people and lead that fight.”

* * * *

Later that day the Old Ones of Keva grew silent, sitting in a circle of psychic resonance, their minds melding together in deep thought. The manner in which they increased their mind power was exponential and allowed them to enter minds far away and in some manner, to control those minds.

The minds of the Old Ones were now ranging far and wide, across the dark dread Serpent Water to the unknown land of the Vognars far to the west. It was the homeland of the mysterious Blue people, who had been able to tap some of the ancient Ares knowledge that had been lost to those of the present day. Now they had created ships that flew through the sky and controlled the power to make themselves invisible.

Aron The Eldest spoke up, “My brothers, do you see what I see in their minds?”

The One Ones nodded grimly in agreement. They saw war and bloody murder coming to all of Ares if these Blues had their way. If this So-called Supreme Leader Okvon was victorious he would not rest until he found and destroyed Keva.

Aron stood tall and fierce, “Now you know what I know. We have no choice and we must act, and we must do so soon. We are running out of time.”

All of the Old Ones nodded once more in agreement, even dire and argumentative Lanus. All of the leaders there knew there was no choice for Keva now and they must join in the war and use their mind powers to bring about victory for the Greens. Or die trying.

“So it is decided?” Aron The Eldest asked, looking at each of the Old Ones for their thoughts.

“So it is decided,” each man answered back as if one voice.