3.59 You Just Have To Believe

"Kergal is downwind, the truth is they don't know how bad it will be, they've never detonated one before, and there's four of them about to blow!" Vikkar relayed the now very real fears to his tribe, fists clenched. No one had seriously questioned whether the war would threaten Kergal, since ancient times Kergal had served as a place of refuge in the most devastating times, but now Vikkar himself doubted the security of the cave and genuinely feared for his tribe, the weight of responsibility weighing down was too heavy. "I really think Halki's offer is our best option" he urged.

         In spite of the imminent threat, the notion of a spontaneous evacuation was overwhelming for everyone, the elders urged him to reconsider the cave. Vikkar was caught on both sides. The cave was deep, it had been deep enough to protect them from unbelievable cataclysm in ancient times. Would a cove really be safer?

         "Halki's probably the most reliable source there is" Ra-Ku reminded. Ra-Ku had worked extensively with Halki in the past when they mapped out Mount Ekar for the Gold Mines. "He's got a solid ship."

         "Yes" Vikkar's thoughts swung like a pendulum. "The coves around the peninsula would be sheltered from the blast, it's a logical plan." He pointed to Mount Ekar, still standing majestic in the distance. "We're right in the line of fire." He turned towards his tribe once again. "Look at it this way. If the land is destroyed, we'll be on our way to Fomora, if not, Halki will bring us back. It's a win win offer" he reasoned. "Under these circumstances, I think it is best we accept it graciously and head down to the ship. Let's go!"

         Vikkar sounded confident, yet inside he was still catapulting from side to side, the gnawing feeling that something was wrong wouldn't go away, but Halki had the stronger argument. Either way seemed to spell doom as he watched his tribe begin their trek down the hill. Was that in fact the truth?

         "I'm going to stay back, make sure no one gets left behind…" He squeezed Vida tight. "Go on ahead, I'll meet you down on the ship. We'll be alright" he affirmed. "We just have to believe it!"

         Vikkar prayed for salvation as he watched his tribe mobilized down the trail from the edge of the plateau, agonized inside, heart broken already. Turn this place to Hellias? It was a devastating thought. He loved this land, even in winter Lemuria was like paradise, it was impossible to conceive it any other way. No matter which way he thought about it, Halki did seem to have seen the Light, it was a good sign, in spite of the holes, contradictions and red flags. The coves on the other side of Lemuria would be sheltered from the blast. Here they were downwind.

         "You made the right choice" Halki could see Vikkar's stress and offered some support. "If there's anything to come back to, we'll have you back before the Solstice is over, don't you worry!"

          "Why didn't you warn me sooner?" Vikkar grilled, angry, he wanted the whole story now.

         "We didn't know what an atomic bomb was" Halki explained. "At least, I didn't. All we knew was that it was a new kind of bomb, I had no idea what it was capable of."

         "So…" Vikkar was still skeptical. "When and how did you find out?"

         "The Crystal Skull Masons overheard gossip about the bomb in the workshops, then the rabbits in the lab began to show genetic disorders, dead rats were turning up in the mines, after that it was only a matter of time before gossip reached the elders, who knew how to join those dots."

         "Along with the strange plutonium orders" Vikkar was growing skeptical again. How did the elders know? How long and why would the elders keep that sort of information secret? "Did they not think to ask me, the leader of the tribe, about the orders?"

         "I don't know. Perhaps your tribe isn't as tribal as you think it is. Look at all the gen garbage you've tainted it with, not to mention the Nefilim. My god, Vikkar, don't be so naive, you’ve obviously got some compartmentalization going on and you can only blame yourself" Halki advised, coldly.

         Vikkar was really feeling uneasy now, he had suspected shenanigans with the Nefilim ever since he learned of the pyramid bombings. Halki's disclosures were mind boggling, his truth telling hurt, it only proved his legitimate concerns. Halki had woken up. He was defecting the Firmary. This was real. 

         "What about Mu and Anur?" Now he was worried for his neighbors living on the western coast. "Do you think they will be okay over there?"

         "Honestly? I don't know" Halki replied. "And reality? We're out of time to go see." He glanced up towards the moon, inching closer to the sun. "Think about it this way. They have a much better chance of surviving than you because they aren’t downwind. You're lucky I woke up and came to my senses in time to warn you!"

         Hearing Halki utter those words felt almost too good to be true. Vikkar studied his Brother with awakening eyes himself, it was almost impossible to believe, was he really being sincere? Like a long lost kinship rekindled, Halki smiled. His chartreuse eyes seemed to have a soft kindness…

         "Hey, listen. I'm really sorry about the book thing!" He apologized again, it was obviously still bothering him. "You know I was just following orders. Can we be friends again at least?" He held out his hand.

         Friends? Vikkar could hardly believe his ears. Had the courtyard gag been so effective? Atalon's Firmary was in serious trouble if Halki was actually defecting. This was potentially excellent news. If Atalon was going down, Lemuria would finally be free.

         "Friends" he smiled, reaching out his hand, engulfed with feelings of joy inside. Halki clasped his hand tight, sincere, drawing him close for a long overdue, brotherly hug. But as he pulled his brother close, he slipped out an obsidian blade from his sleeve and in a split second, plunged it deep into Vikkar's back, piercing his heart before he could reach for the sword.

         "No-oh!" Vikkar gasped for air, collapsing in Halki's arms, dropping to his knees. Halki let him drop and lunged for the sword. Vikkar, helpless, blood spewing from his mouth, could only struggle to utter his last words.

         "What’s that?" Halki kicked him in the stomach, winding him of his last breath. "I can't hear you!" He mocked, kicking him again. "Why don't you tell Vida" he scorned, waving the sword in the air. "HELP ME VIDA!" He hollered. "VIDA, HELP ME VIDA!"

         Vida spun around when she heard Halki call her name like that, his voice so full of scorn, she tugged at Ra-Ku’s sleeve, angry.

         "Where's Vikkar?"
         But Ra-Ku just pointed back up the trail to Kergal, ordering them all to stop and turn around.

         "What's going on!"

         "He needs your help, didn't you hear?" Ra-Ku touched her cheek, brushing away a lock of her ebony hair, exacerbating her angst.

         "SPIT IT OUT!" She pulled his hand away angrily.

         "He changed his mind" he grinned, amused by her tenacity and pointed up the hill. "GO!"

         "HA-HAAA!" Halki was swinging the sword around with glee. "First you sent your tribe down to my ship, and now you gave me your sword?" He kissed the blade, loudly. "Vikkar, my brother! You are much too kind, Mighty Medel must be JEALOUS of your loyalty to me!" Vikkar's wheezing was getting louder as he struggled for his last gasps.

         "What’s that?" Halki spat in his face, undid the scabbard from his waist, taking a moment to admire the ancient handy work, finally in his hands.  It was beautiful, he could feel the magic in the handle... He smiled, barely able to believe his own good fortune as he held the ancient weapon in his own two hands while Vikkar lay at his feet still gasping and wheezing. "SHUT UP!" With a giant shove, Halki pushed Vikkar over the edge of the plateau, sending his body tumbling down the cliff into the depths of the mountainside below.

         "Ha-HAAAA!" Feeling the rush of victory, he wound the ancient weapon around with all his might, but no sparks flew from the magical sword. He tried again to wield the special sparks, but once again the sword remained as benign in his hands as an ordinary old steel blade.

         The wind picked up, rocking the ship as it stood waiting in the harbor of Kergal. Shivering and wet, Bella huddled as closely as she could to her fellow passengers as they waited for their turn to disembark. Dreams of an exciting future in Dion's Salon were now lost together with missed opportunities of running away to Ebar with a sexy music god. Now she found herself suffering, unprepared for the elements, everything had happened so fast, there was no time to prepare, she had none of her belongings, she didn't even have a comb for her hair. The Panthers assured her everything would be okay, they explained the reality Atlan faced, that the bombs in the mountain would likely leave the island uninhabitable, that they had actually been saved by Halki and the Nefilim. But Bella was doubting her luck, she had seen things they hadn’t seen. She didn't like Torus, it wasn't just the way he treated her, it was the way he interacted with others, too. The more she got to know him, the more she dreaded her fate as his bride, what could be worse? What if's began to consume her mind. If only she had been smarter and escaped the Villa while she could have, if only she had managed to stow away with Mel?

         Once word reached the harbor, Torus ordered the Panthers to unloaded the supplies. He didn't need a whip, his voice was enough to terrify any slave. Malodon kept his eye on the young leader as he organized his new slaves, the talent of command was natural.

         "Look Torus, we even inherited an extra ship!" He gestured towards Vikkar's boat, moored beside them in the harbor. "That's a valuable asset!"

         Torus glanced at the boat, it was old and heavy, he wasn't impressed.        "Once we're up and running, we'll build a brand new fleet and that old heap can be sunk, along with it's history."

         As the moon inched closer and closer to align with the sun, the people in Anur gathered on the lookout hill to watch the eclipse, but the energy wasn't as high as it ought to be, this sacred union of Netu and Luna was polluted with fear and last minute preparations for a potential cataclysmic event.

         "THE ECLIPSE!" A multitude of voices announced it’s commencement in almost perfect unison, cheers and whistles erupted from the villagers as the magical alignment began. Mina glanced towards the Crystal Temple… She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, praying that they would all be okay, praying that Neter was safe in Kergal. It was because of her foresight that Anur was ready for any meltdown, she reassured herself the Crystal Temple was packed with food, wood and wine, they knew the drill should Atalon's bombs actually be as bad as they feared... How bad could it be?

         The eclipse was in full swing by the time the Panthers made it up the hill to Kergal, their eyes so blurry from the light the darkness was relief more than anything. Not only were they having light issues, they struggling under unbearable weight, the cargo from the ship was enormous, they could only focus on making it up the trail.

         "HURRY UP!" Torus snapped like a whip from behind. "THE MOUNTAIN IS GOING TO BLOW ANY SECOND NOW AND IF I DON'T MAKE IT, IT WILL BE ALL YOUR FAULT!"
         "What's going on?" Vida demanded once again as they reached the plateau, Vikkar was nowhere to be seen. Halki was donning the sword! "What did you do to him? WHERE'S VIKKAR?"

         "WHERE’S VIKKAR?" Halki mocked in jest, amused by her bossy tone and clenched fists, unafraid to face him in spite of being completely powerless against his might. "Ku!" he barked. "Take them inside!"

         It was apparent to all now that Halki was the one in charge. He pointed the way inside the cave with the sword.

         "EVERYONE INSIDE, BACK OF THE CAVE!"
         Ku and Ra-Ku led the prisoners into the cave with all the cargo, they were just in time, too. Kergal was the perfect shelter from the storm, it was like a honeycomb, the deeper they went the safer they would be, it was like an air lock inside.

         "BACK OF THE CAVE!" Halki barked, wielding his new weapon.

         "Ha!" As Torus finally made his way up, he noticed the sword wasn't even sparking.