The Realm Protectors - Chapter 41: Chapter 41

The air smells like sand and dirt as I walk back towards the line of cars. The Otherworld side of the Dunia gateway opens up into the middle of African, between two plateaus; far from the nearest civilization. The plateaus themselves broke from the force of the explosion, causing horrific rock slides into the valley between them. The scar from the gateway isn't even visible under all the rubble. The sun beats down on my face and neck, sweat dripping down my back. Someone put up a tent between two cars, offering some shade.
"There you are," Someone runs out to greet me, pulling me into the shade of the tent.
"Mom, I can walk by myself." I tell my mother. She rolls her eyes.
"I'm aware." She says, before pulling me into a hug. "You seem so stressed, honey."
"I am," I sigh. My mom rubs my back in soothing circles, her head a good few inches below my eye level. She likes to joke that my birth father must have been a string bean, with the way I grow. I always laugh it off, saying that we'll never truly know for sure.
"I know you're worried about the Realm." Mom leans back to look at me.
"So many people have died," I tell her. "It's only a matter of time before someone dies here in the Otherworld too."
"I'm sure you guys are doing everything you can." Mom assures me. Her eyes lift to my face, tracing around my eyes. "Your tattoos are coming in."
"It's from coming here every week when another gateway collapses," I sigh, removing myself from her embrace. I almost regret it after; until these past couple months, I hadn't been able to hug my mom since I left the Otherworld my first sect year.
"You guys will catch Gray," Mom assures me. She goes to the cooler in the corner and grabs a bottle of cold water. She tosses it to me. "It just takes time to catch criminals like that. Besides, didn't you guys find a list of all his next plans?"
"Yeah, Avani managed to salvage it from the cabin." I say, remembering the piece of paper she showed us only a few hours ago. She and Nikolina were both covered in gateway dust and limping slightly as they walked into our massive room in the Serikali. Ciana had demanded to know what happened right away. Avani told us that they had visited a cabin in the woods where Gray had apparently been staying. Senator Aita had stayed at the gateway, and when they discovered that it was being attacked, it was too late. There wasn't anything left around the gateway. Nile and Enya questioned them intensely, asking why Avani hadn't told them about the cabin before they left. Avani said that she hadn't thought anything would happen. Nikolina promised to make sure everyone was notified about big news like this in the future.
"Then it should be easy to track him down," My mom says, pulling me from my thoughts.
"He'll probably change the plans now." I argue. "I bet he noticed his secret little cabin got ransacked."
"I'm sure you'll figure it out." Mom sighs. She stands next to where I sit in the dirt and ruffles my hair. "You always do."
"How can you be so optimistic?" I ask her.
"You were chosen for a reason, Faris." She says to me. "I believe in you and your friends."
Someone enters the tent, a man in Stellune tunneler robes. "It's time to go." The man says.
I stand up and brush the dirt off my pants. "Let's go then." Mom grabs my hand and gives it one last squeeze as the tunneler chops his hand through the air, opening a tunnel back to Dunia.
"Believe in yourself, Faris." She tells me. I nod and let go, stepping through the tunnel. Space, stars, and planets swirl around us in a sickening display before we're spit out in front of the Serikali. I thank the tunneler before heading inside, saying hello to Kathe. He mumbles a hello back, pivoting back and forth between his many computer screens at the front desk. I climb the stairs quickly, going all the way up to the top floor. Our rooms are in the canopy of the forest, allowing us the peace and quiet that comes with distance from people. Ciana's not a huge fan of it – she peered out the window when we first got brought up here earlier and stumbled away.
"I don't like heights." She had said with a shiver. Enya had snorted a laugh.
"Wait 'til you see Aria's capital." Enya patted her on the shoulder.
I emerge on the top floor and open the door to our rooms. They're arranged in a circle around the main meeting room, eight doors decorated with carvings of each element. A futon couch is pushed against one of the walls, meant for the Grandshield to sleep on. Tucker clearly is still not happy about this, because he's still laying on it with a murderous expression on his face.
Nile is staring at another stretch of blank wall, where pictures from the cabin have been pinned to the bark. String connects a couple of random pictures, in a pattern only Nile seems to be able to see. A couch was turned to face his fun little puzzle board. Nikolina is sitting on the couch, facing Nile and tilting her head in confusion. Avani is also sitting on it, but upside-down; her legs hand over the back of the couch and her head hangs over the seat.
Enya's leaning against the wall adjacent to the board, Ciana sitting next to her. My eyes catch on Ciana, who seems to be playing with the light filtering in through the leaf ceiling.
"Faris, you're back." Carter says, walking back into the room. He and Lyra must have been out on the balcony. Ciana turns to look at me, offering me a small smile. My heart jumps at the sight.
"The gateway wasn't near any civilization," I say to the room. "Everything is under control there. Caused a bad rock slide between two plateaus, though."
"At least no one else was killed." Enya sighs. I nod and sit down on the arm of the couch. Avani is kicking her legs back and forth dangerously close to my head. I swat one of her feet away from my face. She sits up and kicks me in the side of the head.
"Ow," I complain, holding the side of my head. She snickers and flops back down to her upside-down position.
"What'cha see, Nile?" Avani asks.
"A bunch of information that these people should not have access to." Nile replies in front of us, clearly not pleased. He steps closer to the board and holds a piece of paper emblazoned with the black star and crescents.
"That star gives me the creeps." I say. "And what even is Nox?"
Nikolina shrugs. Her hands are tangled in her hair, as if she had been running her fingers through it to calm herself. "The black is clearly a symbol for darkness, but I'm not sure about the N-O-X. Maybe that's the name of their group? The Nox?"
Nile nods. "Precisely what I was thinking."
"This attack doesn't make sense to me." Enya huffs from her spot against the wall. "Every other attack has been on our last day in the country. Why do they suddenly decide to attack on the first day we arrive?"
"Maybe they're trying to hurry up and finish the job." Ciana says, her voice uncharacteristically dark. We all spin to face the door when a knocking sound comes from behind it. Avani's eyes flash green before she waves her hand. The door opens at her command.
"Come in, Nesrin." She says.
Nesrin walks in, wringing her hands nervously. "Please excuse my interruption, your Highnesses. Have you heard anything from General Neem?"
Avani rights herself, sighing. "I'm sorry Nesrin, but we haven't gotten any news of survivors. Senator Aita is most likely gone."
Nesrin makes a sad noise, like she's being strangled. She nods slowly, bowing her head. I stand and place my hand on her shoulder.
"You have our condolences, Nesrin. We know how hard it is to lose a close mentor." I tell her.
She sniffles, nodding. "Many thanks, Arch Stellato." Enya and Ciana stand up from the wall, approaching Nesrin as well.
"We know it's probably painful to think about right now, but is there anyone that Senator Aita appointed to take her place someday?"
Nesrin nods again. "I've been apprenticing under the Senator for almost five years. When the Mork gate collapsed and the senator and his family were killed, she told me that if anything were to happen to her I was going to be the next senator." She sniffs, dabbing at her nose with a handkerchief. "I suppose it's time."
Ciana pulls her into a hug. Her tattoos shimmer slightly as she says, "You'll do an incredible job, Nesrin." Nesrin nods, burying her head into Ciana's shoulder for a second. She takes one more deep breath before letting go and straightening to her full, impressive height. I have to look up slightly, she's so tall.
"I must go. I have to tell the rest of the Serikali that I will be stepping into the role of senator." She bows to us one more time before walking out the door, shutting it gently behind her. Ciana sighs gently when the door is shut, turning back to face us.
"Poor Nesrin," She says. I pat her on the shoulder before cringing inside. This is real romantic, isn't it, Stellato? I think to myself. Ciana turns her brown eyes to me.
"She'll be alright," I assure her. "Nesrin seems like a strong woman." Ciana nods, smiling slightly. My heart stutters a little at the sight before she turns back to the others. My eyes catch on her tattoos, glowing softly with gentle sunlight. She was pretty before, with her fall-honey eyes and silky hair, but the tattoos add an ethereal nature to it, making her look like a princess of the sun.
"We should figure out our next plan of attack," Carter says, interrupting my thoughts. I realize that my hand is still on Ciana's shoulder. I pull it back a little too quickly, and she shoots me a strange look before turning back to Carter. I feel my neck flush.
"According to Gray's schedule, the attack on the gateway of Aria is supposed to take place on the first day we're there." Nile picks up the crumpled piece of paper Avani salvaged from the cabin.
"Should we leave early to make sure everything is secure?" Avani asks.
Enya shakes her head. "We've spent a week in every other country. We can't cut Dunia's time short. People will see it as a statement, and not a good one either."
"I also still have to go check out Dunia's school." Carter pipes in.
"That's probably what the Nox are trying to make you do," Tucker rumbles from the couch. He doesn't even open his eyes.
"You're awake?" I ask. He opens his eyes and glares at me before shutting them again.
"I think they're trying to put a divide between you and the people of the Realm. If you start chasing attacks, the people of the Realm are going to start thinking you're unorganized, or that you aren't prioritizing the people enough, or some other stupid reason to hate you kids." Tucker finishes.
"So what do we do?" Lyra asks.
"We inform Aria's senator to up their security tenfold," Enya says, looking at Nile. "Evacuate everyone in a two mile radius, just in case. They managed to get past a swath of Dunia guards, so they either must have some nasty tricks up their sleeves, or they're extremely powerful."
"Or both," Nikolina says darkly.