Chapter 31 Conquest of Chimera

Chapter 31

Conquest of Chimera

   Saturated with photonic energy Kian’s essence, his true self, his consciousness was overwhelmed. If this was a Lunan upgrade, it was more curse than gift. But then the Lunan’s had already proven themselves quite sadistic. He could not stop whatever was happening to him only hide from it until it was finished. That would take time.

   Shrinking from the sun’s brilliance and his new ‘ability’ Kian finally found a dark place in his mind, dark enough to filter out most of the blinding light streaming through every cell of his body and make his transformation more bearable.

   Power and perspective; he needed that more than air.  Moments crept by. His body hung high in the sky. His wings fully extended his arms and legs dangled from his limp torso as he soaked up the suns energy slowly completing his transformation. Power over the Lunan’s new gift and the perspective to make the most of it would come later. All he could do was curl up in his head and wait. He did not wait alone.

  Kia and Lucius scanned the morning sky searching in vain for any sign of Kian.

  “Is he lost,” Kress asked Kia as she gently stroked her right ear, giving voice to Kia’s greatest fear.

  “No Kress, He can’t be. They would never let that happen.”

  “Then the bigger question is, are we?” Peter replied as he hovered by Kia’s right ear.

    Lucius, unable to hear Peter or Kress reached around, massaged the back of his neck, and for the first time noticed how much damage Kian had done to the great oak doors.

 “Oh my, look what your husband did.” He said as he scurried up to the pile of splintered timbers strewn across the ground like toothpicks. “Huh, I don’t see any blood. I think we can assume he suffered no injury, more than I can say for these doors.”

   Kia smiled shifting her gaze away from the sky. “We don’t know that Lucius, there is after all many kinds of injury.” Her words were prophetic…

    The sun was nearly overhead when a large shadow grew even larger over the pile of splinter wood. Kian was back, but not really.

  “Kia,” he yelled as entered the gloomy building.

  “Kian,” Kia yelled as she ran through a swirling cloud of gleaming dust mites and into the building’s sunlit doorway. Kian flung his arms out as he ran to meet her but just as his hands touched hers an unseen force knocked her to the ground.

  Kia conscious but dazed stared up at him as she pushed her elbows back and lifted her head. “Kian, why do you do that?” She asked, her eyes swollen with shock and confusion. 

 “I didn’t, I didn’t. I promise I didn’t do anything.” He pleaded glaring at his hands as if they were smoking guns that he wanted to drop and never touch again.

  “What’s the commotion,” Lucius asked easing from the back of building with Kress and Peter buzzing about his head like horse flies.

  “Don’t know,” Kia sobbed, “Don’t know. Kian, do you?”

  “The Lunans,” Kian yelled, “those bastards!”

  “What,” Kia asked slowly rising from the ground.

 “They changed me Kia. I’m a weapon. Wayferra’s only hope and the Lunan’s dirty joke! Kia,” he whispered, “Kia don’t move unless its hurts. I have to try it again. I have to be sure. This, this can’t be true, can’t be real. Please, let me touch you.”

  “Of course Kian,” She murmured as she drew near him, held out her right hand lifting her index finger as he stepped toward her, and raised his hand.

 An invisible something lashed from Kian’s right fingertip and struck her fingertip with such force it almost broke her arm. Squealing she stumbled back, not bothering to hide her horror and pain.

  ‘Now do you want kill us…’

  The Lunan’s words squirmed in Kian’s brain like worms. “Oh yes,” he said dropping to his knees.

  “To what,” Kia asked, “oh yes to what,” she asked rubbing the pain from her arm as she backed away from him.

  “The Lunan just spoke to me, he wants me to kill him and his so called people. And I intend to do just that, but I have to save Chimera and I have to keep you safe. If I can’t touch you, I can’t heal you.”  

  Kia sank away from him as Kress and Peter flew to her.

  “We will find a way Kia,” Kress said. “We will.”

 “I can’t be in two places at once,” Kian said more to his self than to the others. Chimera needs a Sentry that never blinks. And I need Kia.”

  “Kian I’m here,” she said easing toward him again, but stopping just as the air around her began to vibrate letting her know she was getting too close.

  “No Kia, if I can’t undo this you can never be here.”