Return Of The Fontalo
by Linda Rigsbee
Chapter 5
Celyn was awake when her father knocked on her bedroom door. She opened it and looked up at him. His expression was apprehensive.
“I received a message from the Moeder a few minutes ago. Adriaan said Donte has put Purlieu on alert. An alien spacecraft has landed in the sea.”
Celyn put a hand to her mouth. “The shooting star.”
He frowned. “Shooting star?”
“I saw a vision earlier. Kenyon was sleeping and then there was a shooting star.”
He stared at her a moment. “What does that have to do with Kenyon?”
“My vision was immediately before Kenyon arrived.”
His frown deepened and he pushed the door open, looking around her room. “Where is he?”
“Oh Papa. He’s not in here. He’s camping outside the Palace grounds. He was probably asleep when the star…spacecraft went over us.”
“Why didn’t he come in? What were you doing outside the palace at night?”
“I couldn’t sleep. I was on the wall, enjoying the night air, when he rode up to me. Papa, there’s something you need to know.”
He studied her face, his expression concerned, as if he was afraid of what he might hear.”
“It wasn’t Donte in my vision. It was Kenyon. I didn’t realize it until Kenyon spoke to me tonight. He wants to exchange vows with me.”
He studied her face. “Are you sure? All this time you were certain that it was Donte.”
“I know, but Donte never said the things in the vision. Kenyon did. I never saw Donte’s face – I saw him from the back.” She shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. I know now that it was Kenyon. I want to exchange vows with him.”
He heaved a deep sigh. “Get dressed. I’ll have someone go get him.”
Celyn’s fingers trembled as she tied her robe. It was finally happening. They were here. Now what? She started to comb her hair. Donte! She closed her eyes and located him near the camp. He and Rianne were standing in the shadows of the trees, holding hands. They appeared to be waiting for someone. She connected with Donte and flew over the camp. Following his direction, she flew higher. Coming down the mountain were six men in light green uniform. Donte released her. They would be safe with the men. Those were the men who had rescued them in the mountains when the Cabal had captured her. Donte had never explained who they were, but she was certain they had something to do with The Prophesy. They had bowed to Donte. Kenyon and Beier seemed to know who they were and trusted them.
Neirin left Celyn’s room shaking his head. In a way, he was glad to hear that Kenyon was the one in Celyn’s vision regarding the exchange of vows. Still, Kenyon might not be any more willing than Donte. At least he didn’t already have a mate. Had he agreed to Celyn’s proposal because she named him in the vision? It was difficult to imagine Kenyon settling down with one woman.
Clud joined him at the foot of the stairs. “What is happening, Monomi?”
Neirin took a deep breath and let it out. Why did everything always seem to happen at the same time? He clamped a hand on Clud’s shoulder.
“The Prophesy has begun. An unidentified spacecraft has landed in the sea.” He squeezed Clud’s shoulder. “I need you to do two things. The first is to get the militia ready for possible hostilities. The second is to get Kenyon. Celyn tells me he is camped outside the palace walls.”
Clud nodded. “Yes Monomi. We know where he is camped.”
“Good. Bring him to me. Celyn has informed me that it is he, and not Donte, that she saw in the vision.”
Clud’s brows lifted. “She is certain of this?”
Neirin shrugged. “She says he said the words in the vision and that she never saw Donte’s face in the vision.” He gave Clud a wry smile. “They look enough alike to be brothers.”
Clud shook his head and smiled. “I’ll go get him.”
Clud returned a few minutes later with Kenyon. Kenyon glanced upstairs and, when Neirin followed his gaze, he saw Celyn descending the stairs.
Kenyon’s gaze came back to Neirin, concerned.
Neirin smiled. “She told me about the two of you and all I can say about that is that it’s between the two of you. She’s a grown woman.”
Kenyon looked relieved, but obviously confused.
Neirin waved a hand to Celyn as she approached. “Let’s all go to my office.”
When they all sat down, Kenyon looked askance at Celyn. Neirin cleared his throat and was immediately rewarded with everyone’s attention.
“Kenyon, you’re the only one here who doesn’t know. We got a call from Adriaan a little while ago. Donte asked him to put all the colonies on alert. An unidentified spacecraft has landed in the sea 102 miles southeast of Libertad.”
Kenyon stiffened, looking from Neirin to Celyn and back again. “How did Donte know and when did he start giving Adriaan orders?”
Neirin resisted a smile. “Apparently Donte and Rianne were camping when the craft flew over them. Donte said he sensed a presence. He contacted Adriaan and they confirmed it wasn’t a shooting star.” He shrugged. “As for Donte giving Adriaan orders, I imagine he made a suggestion. All the same, I wouldn’t be surprised if we are notified shortly that Donte is in command.”
Kenyon lifted his brows and whistled through his teeth. “I wouldn’t want to have his responsibilities right now.”
“Nor I,” Neirin said, “but I feel confident he can handle it.”
Kenyon’s gaze shifted from Neirin to Celyn and back again. “Where is he right now? Where were they camped?”
Celyn spoke before Neirin had the opportunity. “They are in Lochfowk. The little green men came and got them.”
Neirin grinned. “I bet they wouldn’t be impressed with that description.”
Kenyon leaned back in his chair; his expression distant. “The Premier Infantry. You might be right about those orders, King Neirin. He’s supposed to be their commander now.” His gaze settled on Celyn. “If we’re going to exchange vows, I have a feeling we’d better do it now.”
Celyn looked at Neirin and he waved a hand in dismissal. “Go ahead. I’ve said my piece. I imagine Donte will need you soon enough.” He frowned. “Let him know about Kenyon as soon as you can. You’ve tortured him and Rianne long enough.”
Celyn looked at Kenyon, suddenly shy. Neirin stood. “Get out of here, you two.” Kenyon stood and offered a hand to Celyn. She accepted it and they both walked out the door without comment.
Neirin shook his head. “I wonder how that will work out.”
Clud shrugged. “They met earlier and…my guess is that it will work out well between them.”
Neirin frowned. “Where did they meet – at the wall?”
Clud nodded. “Yes, that’s where they met.”
Neirin gave him a suspicious look. “And then where did they go?”
Clud shrugged again. “They stayed right there by the wall, talking and…until he sent her back.”
Neirin scowled at him. “Talking and what?”
Clud stood. “They were kissing and hugging. They weren’t doing anything wrong.”
“Inside the wall?”
“No, outside the wall. We were watching. They were never in any danger.”
“Not in any danger, but did it occur to you that she belonged to Donte?”
Clud smiled. “As you said; she is a grown woman now.”
Neirin eyed him for a moment, trying to determine if he was being insubordinate. Finally, he let out a long sigh. “We have more important things right now. Has the militia been notified?”
“Yes Monomi. They are preparing for a mission if needed.”
***
When Chait’s medallion went off in the middle of the night, Donica sat up in bed and listened to Adriaan’s voice. Her mouth felt suddenly dry. It was actually happening – right now. Chait looked astonished. After he turned the medallion off, he looked at Donica.
“The Lochfowk militia has been trained to subdue colonists, not fight a technologically advanced invasion. Our militia is small and we don’t have the equipment required. What is Donte thinking? We don’t even know what they want. They may be friendly. His belief in The Prophesy is going to get us all killed.”
“Maybe he simply wanted to alert us so we wouldn’t be surprised.”
“Where is Donte right now? He shouldn’t have taken Rianne off into the wilderness like that.” He frowned. “How did he know about the craft?”
Donica avoided his gaze. He wouldn’t want to hear again about Donte’s superpowers. Each time she mentioned it, he thought she was comparing him to Donte. He had been upset when he came home and realized Donte and Rianne had been there. At first, she thought he was upset that he missed them, but no. He was upset because he thought Donte gave them the wrong idea about what had happened at the meeting. He wouldn’t believe that, other than to say everything was all right, Donte had said nothing about what happened. Whatever happened, Chait obviously felt humiliated.
“I don’t believe it,” Chait said. “Why would they come back after all these years? Donte is imagining things again.” He flopped back down on the bed.
Donica stared at him. “You’re not going to alert anyone?”
He frowned. “I’ll tell them in the morning. What difference does it make? We couldn’t defend ourselves against them if they did come. After all, they made us. They probably have some legal right to us.”
“But they abandoned us.”
“We don’t know that. Maybe something happened and they had to leave. They did leave three ships to take care of us.”
“But they tried to kill all the Mascots.”
“That’s what Donte said; only he conveniently lost the files.”
Donica gasped. “Are you calling Donte a liar?”
He sat up. “When are you going to grow up and realize your brother is no different than anyone else?”
She didn’t reply. Donte was different than everyone else. Soon enough Chait would find out. Hopefully he wouldn’t wait too long to be convinced. In any case, the spacecraft was far away. Maybe Chait was right. Maybe they had only come back to see how the colonies were faring. Even Donte didn’t know why they were coming back. The Prophesy said he would lead them all to freedom. Chait was right about one thing. They had little chance against the advanced civilization that had created them. How could they possibly fight another planet?
She lay down on the bed. “I’m afraid.”
Chait drew her close. “Everything will be all right. Things will probably change, but they have every reason to want us to live. They may even want to bring more people here.”
Whatever the situation, they couldn’t do anything in the middle of the night. She snuggled close to Chait. “I love you.”
He kissed her. “I love you too.”
***
Akira was with Quade, taking a break at the hospital when he received the call from Adriaan.
Quade’s gaze found Akira’s as he talked to Adriaan. “When did this happen?”
“About a half-hour ago. I understand that the Premier Infantry is on the way to pick up Donte and Rianne. Donte asked us to alert all colonies.”
“Where are Donte and Rianne?”
“Lochfowk. Apparently, Donte had gone there to help Chait with a problem.”
Quade looked relieved. “Who is in command now?”
There was silence for a moment. “We were discussing that. So far the consensus up here is Donte.”
“He has my vote.”
“We’ll be asking for input from all the leaders.”
When Quade concluded the conversation, he stood. “I need to notify our militia and contact Donte.”
Akira stood and kissed him. “Do what you need to do. I’ll let everyone know you’re unavailable as a doctor for a while.” She sighed. “Sima said she wouldn’t be surprised if some day all of the leaders reported to Donte.”
Quade nodded. “It’s only temporary. I can only pray that he will be alive when it’s all over.”
She gazed up at him. “And yet you support his role.”
“This is bigger than us. Donte has worked hard to prepare for this possibility. He knows things none of us know and he will be…probably already is…the commander of the Premier Infantry. I can’t think of anyone who even comes close to having his qualifications. I don’t think any of the leaders would argue with that.”
“Except Chait.”
Quade frowned. “Do you think Chait will challenge his authority?”
“Probably.”
Quade shook his head. “Donte will set him straight.”
Akira smiled. “I have no doubt of that. I’d even like to observe it.”
Quade laughed. “I don’t know what Chait did to get on your bad side, but he probably deserved it.”
Quade left the hospital with no more indication of concern than he would show if he was going on a medical emergency. Sometimes she wondered if Quade, Donte or Kenyon even felt the turmoil inside that everyone else did. On that note, what would happen when the colonists discovered what was happening? Would they get hysterical? Maybe it would depend on how their leaders reacted. If that was true, Bergen would have a problem with Donte in Lochfowk. He had probably already taken care of that, though. No doubt there would be announcements in the morning. With the militias being activated, word would get out before then.
Akira returned to work. There was nothing she could do about it at the moment and people needed her now. No matter what happened, she had no intention of getting hysterical.
***
Nieke woke in the middle of the night to someone pounding on her cottage door. She slipped a robe over her nightgown and answered the door. Bram and Anouk came in; both talking so fast that she couldn’t understand what they were saying. Bram was saying something about The Prophesy and Anouk was talking about a shooting star.
Nieke shook her head. “Wait. Slow down and only one of you talk at a time.”
“I saw it,” Anouk said. “It came right over us. I thought it was a shooting star, but Donte said it was a spacecraft. All the colonies have been put on alert.”
“Where is Donte?”
Bram seized the moment to speak. “He and Rianne are camping in Lochfowk. That’s why they saw it.”
If Donte said it wasn’t a shooting star, she was inclined to believe him. She didn’t know how, but he seemed to know things like that. Donte didn’t get all worked up and jump to conclusions. If he said it was a spacecraft, she was certain he had confirmed it.
Nieke frowned. “Where is it – the spacecraft?”
“Damian said it was 102 miles southeast of Lochfowk, in the sea.
“Did it crash?”
Anouk looked at Bram and shrugged. “I don’t know.”
Nieke took a deep breath. “All right. Let’s not jump to conclusions. If Donte said we should be on alert; that means he doesn’t have a plan of action yet. He only wants us to be ready. Wait while I get dressed and we will…calmly…notify all the militia members.
Nieke went to her bedroom and dressed in her uniform. She had no idea what the rest of the night might bring, but she intended on being prepared.
In a way, she was glad to hear Donte and Rianne were camping. She had always wondered how Rianne could stay calm in the face of Celyn’s vision. At the Celebration it occurred to Nieke that Rianne was avoiding Donte. They were never together until the last romp, and then he had to go get her. More than likely, the vision had created tension between them now that Celyn was nineteen. And yet, Celyn had spent the entire evening with Kenyon. Was she trying to make Donte jealous? Good luck with that. When it came to romance, Donte saw only one woman – Rianne. If they were camping together, maybe they had worked through their problems. She hoped so. They belonged together.
She returned to Anouk and Bram. “Let’s go.” She headed for the door.
Anouk spoke behind her. “Damian said that Donte might be leading all the colonies and the spaceships.”
Nieke turned and looked at Anouk. “When?”
Anouk shrugged. “I don’t know. He didn’t say. Adriaan asked him if he would accept Donte as his commander and he said yes.”
Nieke continued out the door and to the barn, where she saddled her equine. She couldn’t imagine anyone who would be against that, unless it was Lochfowk. Obviously, the spaceship commanders were already in agreement. If this was The Prophesy, who would be better prepared than Donte? IF it was The Prophesy? Was there actually any doubt? Whether the spacecraft crashed or not, the commanders on the spaceships would know it wasn’t their spacecraft. Who else could it be but The Fontalo or the Parliament?
Regardless of who it was, they couldn’t be certain that they were hostile. Donte knew something, though. Donte could sense things like that. No doubt that was why he had been named as the Anialwch Connection in The Prophesy.
Nieke leaned down from her equine and opened the gate. “Let me talk. We don’t want to get everyone all stirred up.”
***
Kafil sat up in bed when Halisi’s medallion sounded an alarm. Halisi grabbed it and answered. Commander Vidal of the Spaceship Azar quietly informed Halisi that they were being put on alert because an unknown spacecraft had landed in the sea northeast of them. Kafil crawled out of bed and dressed while Halisi talked to the commander.
“Donte has requested that all Colony leaders be alerted and that they have their militia ready if needed. We don’t know where the spacecraft originated, but we do know it is not one from the Purlieu fleet, so that means there is a spaceship out there somewhere.”
“I understand,” Halisi said in a tone that was equally calm. “We will be prepared.”
“We are asking all the leaders to confirm a commander in event of hostilities. Donte has been nominated. Do you have a preference?”
Halisi looked at Kafil and drew a deep breath. “I have no objection to Donte.”
Kafil smiled. It was a good choice and further indication that Halisi was letting go of the past.
When she disconnected her call, she looked at Kafil. “As you heard, we need to get the militia ready.”
Kafil nodded. “It sounds like The Prophesy has begun.”
Halisi shrugged. “Something has happened. We’ll have to wait to find out exactly what has happened before we get too excited about this.”
Soft Science Fiction
