The Evil That Came

Part 18 : The Ancients

Matilda watched as an omniscient observer of the past. Yet her feelings mirrored those of the people she observed. 

"Sire Xylan, what do you think of this planet?" Eirn the scholar asked. Matilda could feel the inquisitiveness of Eirn, his calculating interest growing by the second. He wasn't just watching the planet; he was already assessing the planet's qualifications to see if it was worth their while.

"Their planet is so advanced. This is amazing!" Xylan stared in awe as he stood on his ship, peering through his binoculars.

The planet had flying cars zipping around tall, immaculate skyscrapers, their gold facades shimmering in the sun's red glow.

The loud alarm jolted Xylan from his awe. Panic surged through him as red lights strobed across the bridge. Eirn, ever the scholar, remained calm. His hand hovered over the ship's communication console, and he pushed a silent alarm.

Looks like our friendly welcome has taken a turn," Eirn quipped, a nervous tremor in his voice.

Xylan could not tear his gaze away from the holographic image before him. The Waiian guards on the ship, clad in sleek black armor, aimed weapons that glowed with an unknown energy. Warm, pulsing, and buzzing, Matilda could almost feel her chest vibrating from the pulse. Their cold and dead purple eyes locked onto Xylan and Eirn. Matilda jolted at the sight of them.

The holographic image was of a woman, her hair golden, her skin tan, and her eyes as blue as the ocean. Xylan couldn't look away. She spoke in a foreign language Xylan couldn't understand, so the woman bent over her console and pressed a button. Her voice was loud and commanding, "State your business on Wa. Identify yourselves and explain your unauthorized presence in our airspace." Matilda gulped at the woman's demanding presence.

Eirn cleared his throat; his voice strained as he spoke into the console. "Hello, Waiians. We come in peace. My name is Eirn, and I am a scholar from the planet Pui. This is Xylan, our King." He gestured towards Xylan. Xylan, still holding the binoculars with his hands raised, lowered them and stiffened his body, chin high, eyes level with the Woman in command.  Matilda could feel Xylan's heart beating fast and loud.

The woman leaned back and took a good look at Xylan. "I am Queen Lirith. We do not allow strangers into our lands." The woman told the guards in her language to cuff them. 

Xylan's heart hammered a frantic rhythm against his ribs as the guards led Eirn and Xylan to the Waiian ship and marched them into a cold metal chamber. Panic clawed at his throat, making his breath come in ragged gasps. He glanced at Eirn, whose face was pale but etched with a steely determination. Matilda's throat closed at the sight of the cuffs around their hands. Heavy, thick, and cold around their wrists, her mind sped racing, trying to escape this dream's hell.

"We need to explain ourselves, Eirn," Xylan rasped, his voice tight. 

Eirn nodded curtly, stepping forward and pressing his palms against the transparent wall. Outside, the guards stood like imposing statues. As Matilda waves her arms, grasping at the effervescent reel that encompasses her, trying to escape, she stops in her tracks.

As the chamber door hissed open, revealing a tall, statuesque woman. She exuded an aura of power, her gaze sweeping over Xylan and Eirn with chilling intensity.

Before Xylan could speak, a sharp voice filled the room, a language that grated on his ears. Eirn raised his hand in a placating gesture.

"Hello, Your Majesty," he said, his voice strained but steady. "We come in peace. There must be some misunderstanding. Perhaps we can come to an understanding?"