The Games for Gaiathal (Part 3 of 'A Tale of People and Apples Trilogy')

Chapter 19: Home

As they approached the familiar landscape bordering Orconia City in under two hours, both their eyes moved to the horizon to the west.

Despite the sun fully in the sky, dark clouds and blackness which were hand-in-hand descended from the western horizon, the bite of the sunlight losing its grip with each moment. Red sparks and streaks of lightning shining at the black clouds, the absence of thunder more chilling than if a clap arrived at their ear drums.

The Dark was close, and with it, darkness.

"Faster, Luka. We're close, but they're closer," Eeva said into his ear at his helmet, Luka obeying.

As he did so, a red behemoth thumped its way into  green tunnel of trees Luka turned into, swiping its great black claws at them, both of them ducking and avoiding its attack by inches as they left the monster in their tracks, Luka swerving around it.

"The Dark?" Eeva shouted, looking back at the monster which just about intercepted them.

"No. A Remainer. Although, they no longer remain in the Ring. Maeve and Goddard are right. The Ring is broken."

Eeva tightened her grip on him.

"Luka... how are we going to get to the Trees after?" Eeva asked, worried. "Getting through the Dark and destroying the Marrow is one thing... coming back and heading to the Trees..."

"We'll worry about that after we've destroyed it," Luka shouted to her, as the dark golden walls of Orconia City began to come in view through the whizzing forest.

With a twist of his hands at the handlebars of their hover bike, Luka and Eeva exploded through the brush and into the opening just before the walls of Orconia City. Directly to his right was the forest he sprinted from when he tried to stop Lleyton from accessing the city so long ago, half of the friends he was with now dead.

The black clouds hung just over top of the West Orconian Forest, where Eeva first discovered and saved Luka. No doubt were the Dark directly beneath, descending upon the Gifted-made walls of Orconia City like sharks swimming straight for spots of blood in a pond.

As they drove through the clearing, Eeva brought forth the key to Orconia City and pressed the centre button upon the disc. The front gate to the empty city began to open, Luka and Eeva keeping their breakneck speed and turning and driving inside along the main street of Orconia City. Eeva pressed the button again to shut the door behind them as they sped past Aimos's golden facility, both knowing the steel barrier would do little to slow the Dark.

They left the Field on when they left, but both Eeva and Luka saw the black clouds slowly spread seemingly to the very walls of the city. They prayed the Dark were lagging further behind. They prayed they wouldn't even have to see them up close.

"Turn right, here," Eeva said as they sped past the Square, Luka braking and turning swiftly to the street she had instructed to turn into.

The bike only ripped through the street for a couple more minutes, kicking away the eery dust of the empty pale red bricked city streets. Eeva squeezed on his shoulders to indicate him to stop, and he twisted the handles back which did just that.

He looked to his right, and saw a very ordinary, orange-brown and clay home which was skinnier than it was tall with only two stories, dead plants and flowers at the perimeter of the home which once were probably beautiful.

"Calysa's home?" He asked, taking off his helmet and placing it to the handle of their hover bike.

Eeva did the same and tied her her golden hair back, leaving the shields at their tiny vehicle. "Yep."