The Battle

Chapter 1-4

“Is that how much we eat a day? I never counted. I just ate.”

“I can only imagine what you eat. Yes, our metabolism calls for that. We burn a lot of calories in a day.”

“I'm going to ignore that remark about what I eat and use the facilities.” I stood and pointed towards the bathroom.

“There are accommodations for you,” he said before I could even ask that question. “Mindalous made sure what you need is at your disposal.”

I nodded politely, then walked over to get cleaned up. I hurried up cleaning my face and attempting to tame my wild mane. I was starving, but then again, when was I not? Then, it hit me. I felt no aches or pains like I did on Earth. First, my strengths seemed heightened when I fought the blue creature and now this. Ether may come with some serious perks.

I cut off the light and headed to the sitting area where Ronin was waiting. A bright light cascaded through the window behind him as he read over a binder in one hand and held a piece of fruit in his other. Sitting on the couch, I began to put different meats, cheeses, and breads to my plate. He barely noticed me.

“How are you feeling? You seem miraculously better,” I asked. When I looked up, he stood right in front of me and offered me a colorful plate filled with an assortment of fruits. I took the whole plate.

“You saved my life, Connor—thank you for that. It means a lot to me.” I was not used to this gentle side of him—only his darker side. But I didn't really know him. “I owe you a lot. I could have easily called for the doctor once we landed but you being here didn't expose us to any questions the doctor might have had.”

“Ronin, bringing me to Ether to hide from your father is what got you into trouble in the first place. Me helping you last night was payback for protecting me, and don't forget the bracelet that saved my life back on Earth. I'm supposed to be dead right now but because of you, I'm alive.”

He clasped his fingers together behind his back. “Last night you were just another excuse Shanuk used to attack. He's hated me ever since we were young lads. He's wanted to be second in command for as long as I can remember. Don't fret; being the prince keeps me in harm's way.”

“Is it that bad here? I'm not trying to be naive but…”

“I should have never said that to you before: you being 'naïve'. And yes, it's that wicked here, but how could you possibly know my way of life? To do cruelty is natural to Ether. A title does not hold much value unless you enforce it.” He spoke so matter-of-factly. His face held no expression, which I'm sure was a product of his upbringing as well. “And in the past, I most definitely enforced it upon the San. Ironically, it always affected me somehow.”

“Because you are San—that I know—and instinctively, we're not supposed to harm one another,” I explained.

“Is that so? I've harmed San, supposedly my kind, as you and Bynder say. Maybe I am San but a tainted one, Connor. Nurture holds a powerful sway.”

“But your father lied to you. He probably had you, I don't know, use your confusion and anger towards us. He forced you to do things against us because he is twisted and you had to, right?”

“Yes, hatred for my upbringing and my father was my dictator at times, which all made hurting the San possible. But looking back now, I would go into seclusion afterwards.” He faced away for a split second, then quickly back to me.

I was about to ask him more about his world but there came a knock at the door. He held a finger up to his lips, advising me to stay quiet. “One minute,” he said from across the room. “Stay here. Whoever it is cannot see you from the door.”

I lost sight of him and heard a male voice. I didn't want to eavesdrop so I got up and peered out the window onto the garden of greenery. When he returned, I noted his demeanor had darkened. “Monlow is summoning me to the Dom.”

“Where?” I asked, glancing at the piece of paper in his hand.

“His palace. I'm to arrive at his throne room at once.” He stood at the top of the stairs and crumbled the telegram in his hands. His tranquility appeared to have been crushed with it.

“Wait a minute. You two have different castles?” That was a stupid question; of course they did. Why would he take me to his place if he lived with his father? “Sorry, ignore that question.” I felt a little embarrassed. Then I thought of the bad conditions in Elonium. Two luxurious homes versus those poor conditions. How unfair was that?

“If you knew Monlow, you would, too. He's watching me more closely ever since I've failed in bringing you to him. I've never failed him before. So, either he is truly confused as to how you somehow continue to elude me, or he thinks I'm betraying him. But ever since visiting Earth, my thinking has changed towards him and when Tanikka started telling me bits and pieces of my past, I've started to see him for what he is.”

“Ronin, you can't go.” I grabbed his arm when he turned away.

“I have to.” He observed me as if bewildered by my reaction and I abruptly let go of his arm. “He will just send guards to retrieve me anyway.”

“If he suspects you of treason, then why hasn't he killed you?” I followed him up the stairs into the other section of the room.

“Monlow is a sadist. He loves to make others agonize, not knowing where they stand so he could come for them at any time. It's more torturous that way,” he said so coldly, without inflection. He then walked into the closet to grab another weapon from his cabinet.

Ronin stood facing the cabinet. He didn't move and I could not blame him. Monlow sounded awful and being in a room with him must have been ten times worse. “No matter, Ronin. Just hold true to the fact that you are San. I don't doubt it and neither should you.”

“Somehow, those words provide me with little comfort.” He held up the blade and stared as if contemplating a decision. After a moment of silence, he looked at me. “How can you be so sure of what I am, Connor, when I'm not? You all say that I am San, but that parasite sitting up there on the mountain gnawed away at my soul for so long, he has infected me with disease. So, I ask you, Connor, how much San is even left in me? What's left of me after he's eaten away at my sanity?” His tone brimmed with resentment.

What being could cause one's mood to change so quickly? Monlow must have been a cruel and insane monster. I needed to say something, anything to Ronin so he would not do anything drastic. “Ronin, this world he built for you, his world, is all lies. It was his anger towards the San, the misery he held against them—that's what he fed you. You did what you did to survive and that meant hurting our kind at times but it ate away at you as well.”

“He's killed his own kind, him being a San himself, so easily by the hands of others. Killed to get the throne, not trusting the innocent, taking from the ill begotten … the list goes on.” Ronin twisted the device in his hand. “Yes, I was pulled in two different directions, so what is left of me?” he asked, standing so close to me. He gripped the dagger tightly as his eyes bore into me.

“Strength.” I refused to back down. “You are no Monlow, Ronin. I don't know what you're contemplating with that knife, but you've managed to survive in an existence that has ripped you apart and yet, here you stand. You're fighting that plague called Monlow and you've found your kin in order to do the right thing. That alone should tell you something. Trust in that. Right now, you must play whatever part you need to in order to survive, then heal later.”

“All I can trust is my anger and need to survive.” He rushed around me and grabbed his long black leather coat, applied his belt, and sheathed his daggers within their holders. Then, he stopped by the door. He glanced back slightly. “Don't leave this room for anything and don't open this door for anyone. Do you understand?”

“Yes,” I said.

“If anything happens, someone will come for you,” he ordered, opening the door.

“Be safe,” I said as he walked out. My stomach turned thinking what it must feel like every day not knowing if it would be your last by your own father's hand.