D. MacHale - The Soldiers of Halla

I was the first to speak again. “You said that Saint Dane made a mistake.”

Uncle Press looked up at the sky. I followed his gaze. Was I imagining things, or were there already fewer color-charged clouds floating by?

“Halla has fallen,” Uncle Press said bitterly. “The nature of mankind has turned. Even with Third Earth still in doubt, Solara should be dark. But it isn’t.”

Aja said, “Of course not. Ravinia may dominate the territories, but there are still people out there who haven’t given up. Their spirit must be feeding Solara.”

“That’s not it,” Uncle Press countered. “Halla is in chaos. For those few who lived through the Ravinian revolution, life outside of the conclaves is brutal. Like I said, survival is their only goal. They forage for food. Disease and despair are rampant. They live in constant fear of being attacked and killed for what little they have. There is no joy. No working toward a better future. That’s the kind of spirit that now feeds Solara. Think of the Flighters on Veelox. Their existence has become the norm. There is little positive spirit coming from Halla anymore, which is exactly what Saint Dane wanted.”

Siry asked, “So then, what is keeping Solara alive?”

Uncle Press answered, “There is a strong, focused source of light. Of hope. It’s like the last trickle of water in a dried-up oasis. It isn’t much, but it’s out there somewhere. It’s real and it’s keeping Solara from crumbling.”

“What is it?” Aja asked.

“It’s Saint Dane’s mistake,” Uncle Press answered. “On Second Earth, as the Ravinians were about to take power, they made a single dramatic purge of thousands of their enemies. A massive group of those who opposed Ravinia were sent into a flume.”

“The Bronx Massacre,” Alder said.

“Seventy thousand people went into that flume,” I said.

Patrick added, “History said it was a mass execution.”

“That’s what most people believed. Seventy-some-odd thousand people became victims of Ravinia in order to intimidate those who dared oppose them. It was diabolical, but it worked. Ravinia soon controlled Second Earth.”

“So what was the mistake?” Patrick asked.

“Saint Dane used those people to help him gain power on Earth, but if he truly wanted to be rid of them, he should have killed them.”

“So… he didn’t?” Patrick asked hopefully.

“No. I believe they are still out there living in exile. These were the only people in Halla who, as a group, were brave enough to stand up to Naymeer and try to put an end to Ravinia. I believe they are still alive. Somewhere. They are the last significant source of positive, spiritual energy that is keeping Solara alive.”

“Where are these people?” Siry asked.

“I don’t know,” Uncle Press answered. “We have no way of knowing. Are they on one territory? Or scattered over several? How many are left of the seventy thousand? What kind of shape are they in? Wherever they are, I believe they represent the last living beings of the old order who have not been corrupted by the Convergence. Their strength of spirit is proof of that. Without them, Solara would cease to exist, and the darkness would rise.”

“And what about Third Earth?” Patrick asked.

“The Travelers are the last hope for Third Earth. The exiles are the last hope for the Travelers. If we want to stand up to Ravinia on Third Earth, we are going to have to rely on the positive spirit of the exiles to continue energizing Solara, which in turn gives us the ability to maintain our physical selves and to travel. If something happens to the exiles, game over.”

“Then they must be protected,” Alder said.

“Yes,” Uncle Press said quickly. “But first we have to find them and ensure their safety before turning our sights to Third Earth.”

I guess it came as no surprise to any of us that it was going to come down to Third Earth. The final territory. What was Saint Dane up to there? We had no idea. But unless we found the exiles and kept them safe, it wouldn’t matter what he was doing, because the Travelers wouldn’t have the ability to stop him. Finding the exiles and protecting them seemed like the right thing to do. The only thing. But there was one other reason that I believed in the plan. I didn’t share it with the others because, in the long run, it didn’t matter to anyone but me. I kept my feelings to myself. They energized me. They gave me confidence. Of course I wanted to find the exiles and have one last shot at Saint Dane. But there was another reason. A personal one.

Finding them might also mean finding Mark and Courtney.

Find them,” Uncle Press announced, all business. Siry looked shaken. “But, how?”

“I can’t answer that. I don’t know. You each have more knowledge about your home territory than anyone else. Use it. Return to your homes and track down the exiles. But I have to warn you, things have changed. Everywhere. Saint Dane’s Convergence has seen to that. It will be dangerous.”

Siry said, “But that shouldn’t matter. Not if we have the power of Solara to protect us.”

“You do,” Uncle Press replied. “But if you do not use it wisely, you will do more harm to Solara than good. Resist the temptation to use your powers as a tool, except in the most dire of circumstances. Solara can’t stand to be depleted much more.”

Elli asked, “If we locate the exiles, what should we do?”

“Do all you can to ensure their safety, then come back here. All of you. We will reconvene as a group and determine our next step based on what you’ve found. Hopefully by then, we will have determined what Saint Dane is doing on Third Earth. Maybe our only course of action will be to keep the exiles safe. If that’s the case, so be it. The one thing I do know is that their spirit can be the nucleus of a revived Halla. It has to be. They are all we have left. No, that’s not right. We have them… and you. This is the final mission of the Travelers. One way or another it will soon be over.”

Aja said, “And what happens to us when this ends?”

Uncle Press sighed. “The better question is, what will be left of Halla and Solara when this ends? That answer depends on all of you.”

Alder spoke up. “Then we should get to work.”

We shared looks. All of us knew what we had to do, sort of, but it didn’t look as if anybody knew how to begin.

Spader was the first to admit it. “Uh, not to be a bother, but how is it exactly that we’re supposed to travel? I’m a wee bit unclear on that.”

Uncle Press smiled and answered, “It’s easier than you can imagine. No, that’s not right. It’s exactly what you can imagine. Focus on where you want to be and take a step. The spirits of Solara will guide you to where you need to be.”

Spader scoffed uneasily. He didn’t believe it was possible, and I think if we took a poll, he wouldn’t be alone. It couldn’t be as easy as that.

Could it?

“Not that I don’t trust you, mate,” Spader said. “But that sounds a bit wonky.”

“Try it,” Uncle Press answered with confidence.

Spader looked around, chuckled nervously, closed his eyes, took a step forward…

And disappeared.

Elli gasped. I think we all took a step backward in surprise. Before anybody could comment, a rumbling was heard in the sky. Above us, another cloud went black. The rumbling continued, and Spader reappeared, taking a step out of nowhere.

“Hobey!” he shouted, his eyes wide. “I was on Grallion! I was truly there!”

The rumbling grew louder and another cloud went dark.

“You see?” Uncle Press pointed out. “But those two trips cost Solara. That’s how important it is to use this power sparingly.”