Empire's Son: An Epic Science Fiction Novel Series

Rainus opened his eyes to the glorious sight of the sunrise coming over the jazberry orchard right outside the large balcony of his bedchamber. The arched opening allowed a soft breeze to kiss his cheek as he turned his head to fully take in the dawn's early light, casting its golden reach. It was almost enough to make him ignore the pounding headache. Almost.

The King sat up in his bed to grab a drink of water he'd left on the nightstand. He gulped down the stale water, but it did little to help the pain subside. He set the glass down and rubbed his temples. He must have stayed up too late last night working––again. The late nights were catching up to him, even with the now daily Remaker treatments to stave off the effects of getting older and bad sleep habits.

Rainus took a few deep inhales and exhales until the pain reduced somewhat and then stood up. He slipped on a dark green dressing gown and walked over onto the balcony in his bare feet. He stood there tall and strong, inhaling the golden light of the sunrise and the sound of the cascading waters of the Everdell River. Even with a headache, this was a majestic way to wake up in the morning.

He allowed himself to indulge for ten whole minutes before he turned away and readied himself for the day. Once dressed, and with a light breakfast that was ready for him when he stepped out of the shower, Rainus exited his room to head for his office down the hall.

The first thing he noticed was the two guards at his door. He didn't recognize either of them, but they fell in behind him as Rainus made his way toward his office. Once there, he found Corrix, his aide, waiting for him.

"Where's Jamiss?" Rainus asked as he walked past the bowing aide and into his office.

"He left last night. He said there was an urgent situation that needed his attention, and he should be back within three days," the slim man replied as he shuffled in behind Rainus.

The King turned to the aide, who was hunched over with age. This was a man who was far older than Rainus's one hundred and eighty-seven. Corrix had been Rainus's father's aide in his sire's latter years of reign, and was now close to entering his two hundred and sixtieth birth year. Rainus supposed he should train a new aide and allow the dedicated servant to finally retire, but Corrix had been an invaluable resource to the King over the years, and probably knew more about the Avi-dan Kingdom than Rainus himself. The King would hate to see him go.

"Urgent situation?" Rainus eyed the older man.

"Yes, Majesty. He did not elaborate other than that, I'm afraid."

"Hmph," Rainus snorted. He didn't really need more information. If Jamiss said it was an urgent situation, then it meant one of two things. There was a threat to the Kingdom or a threat to Rainus personally that the Protector was attempting to deal with. The man would be back when it was taken care of, and either Jamiss would inform him of what happened if he felt Rainus needed to know, or the Protector would not. That was the way the man operated, and Rainus had let it be. He already had enough things that required his attention.

"Did you put together a report of why Faquette has a grain shortage for the third time this year?" Rainus asked as he took a seat behind the large vask wood desk at the far end of the room. He took a moment to run a hand over the dark-stained wood, admiring its powerful scent that wafted to him.

Corrix stood in his white servant robes on the other side of the desk with his hands folded on his slightly too-round stomach. "I sent it to your unity ring this morning, Majesty. I also have the notes you asked me to write up to prepare you for the Kings Council next week. And there's a reminder to call the Emperor today."

Rainus looked up at the last bit. "What was I supposed to call the Emperor about?"

His aide shrugged. "You did not tell me. Just that it was something that needed to be done first thing. You did, however, mention that we needed to go over new security protocols for the border beacons."

Rainus eyed the other man before him. That was a strange thing for Corrix to say. While Corrix helped Rainus with all things that were considered Avi-dan business, the aide as a general rule, did not get involved with Rainus's duties to the Vanguard or his oversight of Ethian border security. Those Rainus took care of himself or worked closely with the Guard's Fleet Admirals to accomplish.

"Border security is currently under Admiral Havoreat's direct authority. He would contact the Emperor directly if there were any concerns or new protocols that needed to be implemented," Rainus said.

Corrix licked his lips and gave a little bow, like he always did when he was nervous. "Yes, of course. Perhaps you were just telling me that very thing, and I misunderstood. My mind isn't what it used to be."

Rainus sat back and stared at the man. True, Corrix was probably one of the oldest currently at River Palace, but the man's mind was still as sharp as a youth. It was one reason he was so valuable as an aide. Was age finally catching up to the man?

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"Perhaps," Rainus said as he reached into his own memory to recall the conversation he was referring to, but try as he might, Rainus was drawing a blank. In fact, when he tried to recall the latest memory––pain exploded in Rainus's head, making the King cry out.

"Majesty, are you alright?" He heard the concerned voice of his aide.

Rainus could not respond. The pain was too severe. It was like someone was trying to crack his head open or something. Concern gripped the King. He needed a Remaker.

As always, Corrix was quick to act and was placing a call from Rainus's personal healer. "Caretaker Thaddeus, you're needed in the King's office immediately."

Rainus heard himself groaning as pain throbbed in his head. He attempted to speak to Corrix, but it was just too much. Blackness started to converge on him, and he blissfully knew no more.

***

The pain was still there, but had receded to tolerable levels. Rainus opened his eyes. His vision was blurry at first, but after a few moments, his surroundings started to come into focus. His breath stilled as he realized he was no longer in his office, or even at River Palace. In fact, the room around him was so bizarre, he could not place where he was at all.

Rainus was lying on his back in what looked like some sort of clear gelatinous substance. It covered his entire body, including most of his face. His nose and mouth were covered with some sort of breathing mask that gently blew in cool, clean oxygen. He moved his right arm upward up out of the gelatinous liquid. The air above was so cold it bit at his wet skin. Rainus quickly brought his arm back into the comfort of the warm fluid.

He looked beyond the clear tank he was in to notice the walls, ceiling, and what he could see of the floor were black as midnight except for an eerie green cast that seemed to move and shift within the walls. There appeared to be nothing else that he could see with his limited view. Still confusion filled the King as he tried to recall where he was or how he'd gotten here.

Then he felt it. A moving presence. It was like the icy grip of death was coming for him, but when he turned his head to see what was approaching, his last memory finally surfaced.

He had been on Sora X talking with the invaders to see if they could learn more about the aliens who had entered Ethia and were attacking them. Rainus had tried to probe one of the creature's minds with his telepathic ability, but then it had attacked him.

Rainus's heart seized in his chest as he met the radiating violet eyes of the creature now above him. An involuntary shiver when through the King as other memories came to him as well. This wasn't the first time he'd woken up like this or the first time he'd waken from a supposed normal day at his palace. Rainus wasn't sure how it was being done, but the alien was using Rainus's own memories to recreate situations to mine for information. He supposed they hadn't gotten what they wanted by trying to break through Rainus's mental blocks he'd spent years building up, so now they were trying a different way.

"You are surprising for such an inferior species," the creature above him said. "You have provided a delightful challenge, but it will be only a matter of time before you break. You have already started to do so."

Despair filled him with those words, because he knew he had already leaked information. The proof was in that they had enough to recreate facsimiles of Rainus's day, but they didn't have the stuff they really wanted like the new codes for the border beacons. It seemed even this advanced race was having trouble passing the border laid out around the Ethian Empire nearly a millennium ago. Though being fair, the beacon technology had not originated from Ethia, but borrowed from another race entirely.

"I won't give you what you want," Rainus said stubbornly, his voice muffled through the breathing mask. Speaking sent a fresh wave of pain through his skull, but he forced himself to focus.

The creature tilted what passed for its head, the violet eyes pulsing with an internal light. Its form seemed to shift and flow, like liquid darkness given barely solid form.

"Such conviction," the creature said, its voice like water flowing over rocks in a midnight stream. "Many before you have made similar declarations. All have surrendered their secrets in time."

The creature moved closer, hovering just above the gelatinous tank. Rainus could feel its presence pressing against his mind like a cold fog, probing for weaknesses.

"Your mental barriers are formidable," it continued. "Crafted over decades. But they erode with each session. Already, we have gleaned much about your Empire and your Avi-da, your royal lineage, your military structures."

Rainus gritted his teeth against another wave of pain. He knew the creature was right—each time he woke in this tank; he felt more of his defenses crumbling. The fabricated scenarios were becoming more convincing, harder to recognize as false.

"The beacons," the creature remarked, its shape altering with each word. "How can we disable them permanently? We've attempted to shut them down and destroy them, but without success. They are crafted with superior quality compared to most of your other technology. And the code we used to get in no longer works."

"They're not meant to be disabled," Rainus said, trying to keep his voice steady despite the pain. "That's the whole point."

A ripple passed through the creature's form—something Rainus recognized as amusement. The violet eyes pulsed brighter.

"Everything can be broken, King of Avi-da. Everything has a weakness. You will tell us about the beacons, and once you are done with that, you will tell us everything about your Emperor so that we can finally retrieve what belongs to us."

The creature extended what might have been a limb, touching the surface of the gelatinous tank. The gel around Rainus's body vibrated subtly, and the pain in his head intensified.

"We are patient," it continued. "We have existed for millennia beyond your comprehension. Your resistance is... entertaining, but ultimately futile."

Rainus closed his eyes, focusing on reinforcing his mental shields, but deep down knew the creature was right. He would not last forever. At some point, they would break through and take everything they wanted, and he wouldn't be able to stop them.