Spirit Unbreakable

“What do you mean mine?” Reniko asked, she was trying to push Malik out of the way and realized that switching places with him wasn’t going to give her the answers that she needed.

“I mean that this whole document is about you. It’s talking about the gene manipulation that you underwent before you went to Earth,” Malik said. He was rapidly scanning the document for more clues.

“So you’re saying that my parents put me through a similar treatment? But they were masking the development of my wings,” Reniko stopped suddenly and went back to the computer terminal displaying the Rük DNA. “If that’s true, these nucleotides are actually masking something.”

Malik looked over at Reniko, pausing in his study of the document before him. “Masking what exactly?”

“I can’t know that for sure, not until I isolate the part of the DNA strand that they are located in,” Reniko replied.

“How long will that take?”

Reniko sighed. “Well I think we’ll have more free time to spend together,” she replied.

“That long?” Malik replied. He couldn’t hide the smile that was forming on his face.

“I’d say a few days.”

Malik turned back to the document to read the last vestiges of it before he left with Reniko and frowned when he read the last sentence.

“That’s odd,” Malik said.

Reniko was behind him immediately taking up her earlier position at his shoulder. “What’s odd?”

“Well this last sentence, if I am translating it correctly, says: ‘the results are consistent with the other subject.’”

“Other subject?” Reniko asked. Malik turned to look at Reniko and they both stared at each other. “Does that mean that there is another Levanith out there? Maybe back on Earth, or here on Vespen?”

Malik shrugged. “Dertrik didn’t mention anything about another Levanith on Earth. Maybe he or she didn’t make it to Earth. They could have died in the invasion after the treatment was tried.”

“But Malik, if this Levanith didn’t die in the invasion, if they were sent to Earth like I was, it would mean I’m not alone.”

Malik looked at Reniko with growing concern. “You’re not alone, Lyss. Why would you say that?”

Reniko looked away for a moment and then back at Malik. She was trying to hold back the tears brimming in her eyes. “I know that everyone has always been here for me, that you all are right by my side, but… I don’t know how to explain this. I feel isolated from everyone around me, they all look at me like something lost and found again, something irreplaceable, a relic, the last of my kind. It’s unnerving sometimes to realize that there isn’t another soul in this whole world that can understand fully what I feel, because they don’t have to live with being a failed goddess, they don’t have to be a human who can fly. I have no one to tell me what to expect from my life, what’s to come in my future because there is no one here that has experienced being a Levanith. It’s terrifying to think that I will outlive everyone that I love. I don’t want that. It would be a mild comfort to have someone else that can help me understand what I’m going through, that in some sense is going through the same thing I am.”

Malik got up from the chair and took Reniko in his arms, holding her tightly, fearing that if he let go she would fade away from him forever, withdraw from this world and isolate herself completely.

“Well, it only makes sense for them to send along another Levanith, Lyss. I mean you have to propagate the species somehow.”

Reniko tensed in his arms and pulled away, a frown forming on her face. She slapped him playfully and then finally laughed. “Of course that would be your response to this.” The smile on her face made him feel a lot better. They both felt in their hearts that his words couldn’t be far from the truth. There would be no point in sending Reniko alone. The question remained, however, why hadn’t Dertrik told them about another Levanith? And if Dertrik didn’t know, what had happened to Reniko’s other half?

Dertrik was on the training grounds with some of his new students when he saw Reniko and Malik climbing the steep steps down to his position. He shouted some instructions and left one of the more promising students in his stead. He walked to Reniko and Malik, meeting them at the bottom of the steps.

“Well this is unexpected,” Dertrik said.

Reniko sat on the last step and looked up at Dertrik. She looked solemn and so he sat next to her. Malik took up residents slightly above them.

“We found something unexpected in the archives,” Reniko replied.

“Unexpected? About the Rük?” Dertrik asked.

“No, it was about me. Well sort of about me. We found a report that mentions the procedure that was done on me to repress my wings. At the end of the report it mentions another subject that had the same procedure done.”

“Another hidden Levanith?” Dertrik asked. Reniko looked at him and registered that his shock was genuine.

“You didn’t know? I thought maybe there was another Levanith sent to Earth,” Reniko said.

“I don’t know the full history of the Shidenen. My father was the history keeper. My brother might even know something about what you are talking about. Then again, the other Levanith may never have come to Earth with you and my ancestors. They may still be here on Vespen unaware of their heritage.”

“But if they were on Vespen would they still be here?” Malik asked.

“It wasn’t so long ago really that I was sent to Earth, at least to a Levanith. Their life would still just be beginning,” Reniko said. Her voice was quiet. Malik sensed her withdrawing and moved his hand onto her shoulder in comfort. She eased with his touch.

“The question is, if they are on Vespen, how come they haven’t made themselves known? Could they really have forgotten who they are? Wouldn’t they wonder at the length of their life?” Malik said.

“I wonder,” Reniko replied, “whoever this person is, maybe he lost his memory when his wings repressed with the drug.”

“Why would you think that Reniko?” Dertrik asked.

“Well, I don’t remember much about my past.”

“I think that was more a side effect of staying in cryostasis for such a long period of time. Memory loss isn’t uncommon. More so the younger you are,” Dertrik said.

“You think? But the only other alternative is that this person went to Earth along with me,” Reniko looked hopeful and dejected at the same time. Even if this other Levanith had indeed survived to Earth, she had no way of getting back to Earth to find them.

“What we need to do right now is talk to Skylar. He was learning the history of the Shidenen from my father before we left Earth. We should go and talk with him.”

“Where is Skylar these days?” Malik asked.

“Well about two months ago he went to Savonly to study the archives there and recruit some of the younger disciples to make a pilgrimage to the archives in Reflaydun,” Dertrik replied.

Reniko gave Malik a sideways glance, her face was clearly readable. She had on a look of horror. Malik seemed to reflect her reaction. “I wish he would have told us he was planning this,” Reniko finally replied.

“Why?” Dertrik asked. Now noticing their expressions he started to feel uneasy.

“Well it’s just that Reflaydun isn’t really nice about its initiation. I mean –” Malik stopped and rubbed his hand where the black tattoo Reflaydun had left as its mark was. “Maybe it’s playing nicer, but I’m not entirely sure it has learned all that much in the empathy department. It has quite the security program on it.”

“What happens if those that go there don’t pass the test?” Dertrik asked.

Reniko bit her lip and grimaced. “I’m sure that they will be fine.”

“What happens, Reniko?” Dertrik demanded trying to keep his calm before the Wayann, but also all too familiar with her to keep up enigmatic pretences.

“Well nothing all that horrible. It’s just that Reflaydun had every intention of keeping Kruok confined there for all eternity.” A flash of the unhappy events surrounding her time in Reflaydun went through Reniko’s mind. She could clearly remember the blood that pooled on the floor, a bright crimson in stark contrast to the crisp white, when she had executed Kruok. “But, Malik and I both have unrestricted access to Reflaydun, so I’m sure we can vouch for anyone who is up there.”

“Maybe we should go up there,” Dertrik said. He looked back at his students and realized they were all staring at Reniko instead of continuing with their training. He sighed and wandered close enough to his students that they could hear him clearly. “Training is over for today, classes are postponed for now. I will inform all of you when they will resume.” He watched as some of them looked resigned. However, none of them spoke, only bowed and made their leave. He silently wished that Reniko was around for all his classes, they were definitely better behaved in the presence of their Wayann. Dertrik turned back to Reniko and Malik who were both standing now. Reniko gave a stifled yawn and looked at Dertrik with a frown.

“Why are you training with them so late?” Reniko asked.

Dertrik shrugged. “Do you remember anything of your training at all?”

Reniko made to respond, but her mouth hung open with no sound issuing forth. She did remember her training, quite well, and so instead of responding to Dertrik, she just smiled and laughed.

“I bet they will be relieved for the delay,” Reniko finally said. She could remember all too fondly the ‘hunting’ exercise that Dertrik had put her through. Dertrik hunting her. She had not slept for three days on that training exercise and it was fatigue that finally let Dertrik catch her. She remembered waking up tied to a tree with no one in sight and sighing in frustration. When she had finally freed herself, Dertrik was nowhere in the vicinity, and she had to make her way back to his estate weary and feeling defeated. However, when she came back, Dertrik had had nothing but praise for her efforts.

“It was an endurance test, to see how well your stamina is,” he had told her. “When my father put me through it, I was caught within a day and half.” She had never felt more relieved or loved her bed more than she did that night.

Reniko looked at Malik and mouthed the words, “I will tell you later,” and turned back to Dertrik.

“I guess we will meet up in the morning,” Reniko replied.

“Are you sure you can arrange that?” Dertrik asked as he followed Reniko and Malik back to the palace.

“I’m sure that Orric can handle things around here, but if not, well, with him I can be in two places at once,” Reniko said. Her link with Orric was a true gift. Oftentimes, when she had urgent business, he would be her envoy in the council meeting, their minds linked so that she could give direction through him and still be occupied with other tasks. She wasn’t sure how she would survive as a leader without his constant assistance.