AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“And you were always frigid.”
For a few seconds, it was as if the differences that had built over the years, forcing us to grow apart, were no longer there. Our closeness had been a point of pride to our father. Ravat had idolized me, following me everywhere I’d gone, learning every aspect of becoming a warrior. Then the competition between us had become fierce, our need to best the other snapping our friendship.
“Maybe the best Vektorian win,” he said in our clipped language. “For the record, I believe it should be you.”
Studying him, I could almost see the young Vektorian in him that I once had been. “You are a formidable opponent.”
“You know what’s funny, brother?” he asked. “I never understood why we couldn’t rule the universe together.”
He had a good point. “It’s not for us to decide.”
“No, you’re right. That doesn’t mean I’m not weary of the battle between us.”
This was the first honest conversation we’d shared in a long time. “True enough.”
I nodded then pointed toward the door, allowing him to make the entrance first. By no means was the gesture one of respect given our father’s penchant for playing games. Often one of his creatures had been freed briefly to confront one or both of us.
This time there was nothing but quiet inside the cavern, the thick walls preventing any sound from filtering inside the oversized space. He was also nowhere to be seen, which surprised both of us. I glanced around the room, realizing he’d been working on several crude paintings, a hobby he’d picked up from a recent visit to several solar systems, the every quarter of a century journey only completed ten months before.
Since then, he hadn’t been the same.
After glancing toward Ravat, I took long strides toward the only other location in his cave I knew he could be.
My father’s beloved garden.
“I hate this place,” Ravat said quietly.
It was at least something we had in common. “Agreed.”
The protected green space was covered by a massive, structured dome, preventing our dangerous weather from destroying the plants he’d nurtured from seeds discovered on various planets. I had to admit, he had what I’d heard in some cultures was called a green thumb. As I walked into the heated environment, I took a deep breath, preferring the sweltering heat, unlike my brother who hissed as soon as we walked in.
I laughed at his discomfort, surprised to see our mother on her knees deadheading something called roses. They’d been brought from Mars, a planet in a distant solar system considered forbidden. However, Ternan Soltar went wherever the fuck he wanted to.
After waving to our mother, I continued to try to locate the powerful beast, noticing he was standing in front of a vividly colored plant. The gorgeous group of what he called flowers stood almost five feet tall, the petals indicating an unusual species, the base of the flat surface vivid crimson while jagged-looking spines adorned the edges.
“Ah, there you two are.” He was spritzing the plant with a liquid. Then he reached into a jar, grabbing one of our more aggressive insects, tossing it into the center. I’d been fascinated when I’d watched the carnivorous act the first time, the insect almost impossible to kill yet this plant devoured it within seconds. “A beauty. Yes? Droseraceae Dionaea Muscipula. Otherwise known as the Venus flytrap, a very rare, nearly extinct species I was lucky enough to obtain during my last galactic adventures.”
Our father was considered a celebrity of sorts, his planetary visits usually ending in being gifted something of extreme importance. The end of a drought or infestation. The forceable cease to a war. The cure of diseases. He was selective and so powerful that an entourage of two thousand of our soldiers traveled with him to keep him safe. Meanwhile, I’d done everything I could to ignore basic duties as required by one of the man’s prince sons. That had been a bone of contention between us.
He stood back, the smile on his face unusual. Then he placed the bottle on his gardening table, moving to the other side and sitting on the edge.
“I won’t waste your time, my sons. It is the year the quest begins.”
“Then the rumors are true,” Ravat said through clenched teeth.
Our father glared at him. “Our enemies are chomping at the bit for me to retire. They have no understanding how powerful my sons have become. However, you must take these next steps with caution. There are many threats against us.”
Ravat glanced in my direction. It was unusual for our father to express any concern. He was far too arrogant and self-confident.
The quest, a story told eons before, a requirement set in stone from the beginning of time. We’d been raised hearing what our requirements would be, but maybe we hadn’t believed it would come so soon. If ever. It had seemed our father refused to give up his power.
“The threats are mostly frivolous,” I said in passing.
Our father exhaled as he’d done so many times when I was a boy, annoyed that I didn’t grasp something educational he was providing. “Your strengths will be necessary as we move into a new era.”
“Why now?” Ravat snarked as only my brother could do. “It can’t be the threats. They are mindless.”
“Yes, son. Now. You have both recently turned one hundred in Earth years. And no threat should be taken lightly.”
