All characters, places, and events are fictional and belong to the author.
Disclaimer: The following may contain explicit events between consenting adult males. If you are not of age or it is illegal for you to read this, please leave now.
Chapter Two:
Aeleon looked down at the man in the infirmary bed. As soon as he had fallen through the portal and assured himself that no Cubrecht had followed, he had volunteered a man walking in the hallway to help him cart the Zelzian to the infirmary. Currently he was waiting for Elios and Aidnae to get there, along with their best healer. Truth be told, Aeleon wished to heal his charge himself, which was partially why he had requested his fathers to be there. Permission was needed if he wanted to heal the man.
The man below him groaned, but did not awaken. Aeleon took this opportunity to study him in greater detail. The first thing he noticed was that the man was huge. Oelaens had an average height of five foot six, and Aeleon was shorter still at just a little over five feet. The Zelzian looked like a giant at six foot four. The next thing he noticed was that while the man was tall, he was not overly bulky. In fact, he looked half starved. Orderlies had stripped the Zelzian of his tattered clothing once Aeleon had brought him in and the young Oelaen found it difficult not to notice how the man's bones poked through his skin. He had short, dark black hair and a very pleasant face. Aeleon also noticed that the man had a metal collar around his neck and bands around his wrist. They were welded on.
"Aeleon? What's this about?" Elios asked as he strode into the room.
"Dad! I went through the portal!" Aeleon exclaimed, looking away from his Zelzian for a moment.
"What?"
"I turned it on and went through! I saw a Cubrecht beating man and went through. I brought him back here because more Cubrecht were on the way.." Aeleon told his father.
"What do you think it means?" Aidnae asked.
"I'm not sure yet." Elios said, not wishing to voice his fears, "We shall have to ask this man once he wakes."
"I want to heal him." Aeleon demanded.
"Are you sure?" Aidnae asked the boy. Most people who had healing abilities only tended to heal family and close friends because it was such a personal experience, with the exception of professionals such as the castle's healer who was there for anyone who needed her.
"I saved him from that Cubrecht. Now I want to ease his pain." Aeleon replied, his pale pink lips set in a stubborn line.
"If you're sure." Elios granted.
The three men's attentions were suddenly pulled to the man in the bed as he groaned again and opened his eyes. Fear flashed in his chocolate brown eyes as he sat up in the bed. Aeleon was the first to speak to him.
"You are safe."
+++++
Trey was not quite sure what had happened. He knew he passed out while the strange man had been trying to talk to him. Maybe he was dead. No, he hurt too much to be dead. It was then that he heard voices speaking in the same language of the boy who had come through the mirror. It was very tempting to stay suspended in the darkness, but his curiosity was eating at him too much. He groaned and opened his eyes, immediately wary of the scrutiny he was under. All three men were pale. One was the man who had saved him from the Cubrecht guard. The other two appeared slightly older, one green haired and silver eyed, the other blue haired and purple eyed.
"You are safe," the boy told him.
"Where am I?" he reluctantly asked. Typically slaves were not allowed to speak without permission.
"You are on Oelea," the boy told him, "Sister planet to Zelzior."
That really didn't mean anything to Trey so he said nothing and awaited the orders of his new masters. When none seemed to be forthcoming, he looked at the men, confused as to what he should be doing.
"What is your name?" the boy asked him.
"Trey," he responded. Until he knew more about the people he now worked for, he was going to say as little as possible.
"Trey," the boy repeated before introducing himself, "I am Aeleon. The man with the green hair is Elios and the man with the blue is Aidnae."
Trey said nothing, but nodded his head to show that it registered. So far he had not been screamed at, hit, or belittled in any way. It made him unsure. Finally he broke down and asked.
"Sirs, is there something I should be doing?"
Aeleon looked at him for a moment before telling him, "No. You are hurt. Right now all you need to do is rest. I would like to heal you, with your consent."
"Heal?" Trey asked. He was not sure what the boy was talking about. They had medics in Zelzior, but healing sounded different.
"Yes. Heal. I have the ability to heal people, as well as a few other things." Aeleon said.
"What does that mean?"
"May I show you?" Aeleon asked, silver eyes locking with brown. He smiled slightly when the prone man nodded. Reaching out, he gently grasped Trey's left wrist, turning the arm facing upwards to reveal a shallow cut. Aeleon studied it for a moment before taking his other hand and laying it over the wound. Trey briefly felt warmth and energy pass between Aeleon's hand to his arm and was surprised when Aeleon moved his hand to see the cut gone.
"How did you do that?" Trey asked, shocked. He had never seen such an ability before. The people of his planet could control fire, metal, and earth.
"I just can," the boy told him.
It was then that Trey noticed the auras of the three men. Elios's was almost strictly blue, Aidnae's a mixture of green and purple, and Aeleon's was by far the most interesting, being a swirl of the unfamiliar blue, green, and purple but also of the red, orange, and yellow of Zelzior.
Elios noticed the man's gaze and asked, "What do you see?"
"Your auras," Trey informed, "They are nothing like I have ever seen before. On Zelzior there is only red, yellow, and orange. But you are blue, Aidnae purple and green. And Aeleon has everything!"
"What is aura?" Aeleon asked, confusion evident in his face.
"Sael faere." Aidnae supplied, seeing his son nod in acknowledgement.
"What can you do?" Trey asked, still awestruck at the new auras.
"Well, blue means control over water," Elios began, "green means the person has healing abilities, and purple is for psychics."
"If you can see our sael faeres, you must have at least some psychic abilities," Aidnae said, "Although I cannot see your sael faere."
"It is the collar and bracelets," Trey said, "They are designed to block abilities."
"Why would anyone want to block your abilities?" Aeleon asked, a crinkle appearing between two blue eyebrows.
"You do not know?" Trey asked, shocked. He continued when all three shook their heads, "I am a slave. All of Zelzior has been enslaved. The Cubrecht weld them on so that we cannot overthrow them with abilities that they do not possess."
Trey could immediately see that what he had told them was not good news. Elios looked grim and Aidnae was biting his lip. Trey flinched when Aeleon reached out to touch him, fearing that the boy would strike him for it. But all the boy did was squeeze his shoulder in a gesture of comfort. He flinched again when the boy's eyes whipped around to lock with his.
"None of us here will hurt you," Aeleon told him quietly, before scanning the battered condition of his body and asking, "Would you like me to heal you now?"
Afraid to disagree, Trey nodded his head. He flinched a third time when hands touched his back. Once again, he could feel the flow of warmth the signified the damage being repaired that had been done by the whip. Admittedly, he felt much better with his stinging back abated. He hardly expected Aeleon to continue on with a sweep of his entire body, healing even the tiniest hurt.
"All better?" he was asked. Once again, a nod was the only answer he offered.
"Later, we will wish to speak with you," Elios told him, "We would like to know what has happened with our sister planet. For now though, rest and eat. We'll have something sent up. Make friends with my son."
Trey watched as Elios and Aidnae left the room. That left him alone with the young man who had both saved him and healed him.
+++++
Aeleon was not quite sure what to make of the man sitting in front of him. He was jumpy and flinched whenever anyone moved too quickly or touched him. It was difficult for him to believe that this man was a slave. He looked so large and powerful. Not to mention that he did not wish to imagine Zelzior conquered at the hands of the Cubrecht.
"Tell me about yourself," he said to the dark eyed man.
"What would you like to know?" Trey asked.
"What do you do?"
"I do whatever a master says," Trey told him, "Right now I am building a wall because other cities are trying to attack Crion, the former capitol. Do you need me to do something?"
"Trey, you are not a slave." Aeleon told him.
Trey shook his head, lifting his wrists and gesturing to his collar, "But I am. These say I am. Surely you knew that when you brought me here."
"I had no idea," Aeleon told him, "You are not a slave here. The moment you came through that portal you were freed. We do not have slaves here."
Trey refused to believe it. Slavery had been the only thing he had known. For it to simply...not exist was unfathomable to him. Who was he if not a slave? Besides, as long as he had the collar and bracelets, Cubrecht law decreed him a slave.
Seeing and understanding his dilemma, Aeleon stood as a man was bringing food in. Looking steadily into Trey's eyes, he said, "I will be back. I think I know someone who can help us. Meanwhile, you enjoy your food."
Trey watched as the small man walked purposefully out the door. Deciding that there was nothing else he could do, and with his stomach growling, Trey dug into his meal.
+++++
"Cynthia, I need your help," Aeleon said, walking into the solarium. Cynthia was his uncle's wife, and from Zelzior. His uncle had gone over and married her before the portals had been closed.
"What can I help you with?" the woman asked.
"You can bend metals, can you not?"
"I can. It is what I am most well trained in." Cynthia replied, her curiosity peaked. In her spare time she used her abilities to make jewelry for the members of the council and for the King and Queen. Aeleon was not one to ask for such trinkets.
"Wonderful. Please come with me." Aeleon said, leading her from the room and taking her through the halls.
+++++
Trey looked up when he heard the door open again. Aeleon was back, along with a Zelzian woman. She appeared to be around the age of forty five, attractive with some gray streaked through her chestnut tresses. He knew that she could not have come from Zelzior recently. She was too well-fed, didn't have the slave bracelets, and her clothes were too fine.
"Graetel. Haec swo tas caelar?" the woman asked him.
"He does not speak Oelean," Aeleon informed her.
"Oh. Dear me. I've been here so long I don't even think about it anymore," the woman said, smiling at Trey.
"Trey, this is Cynthia. Cynthia, this is Trey. He has come over from Zelzior," Aeleon told the woman.
"She can manipulate metals," Trey said, watching the yellow glow swirl around the woman's body.
"Yes. That's why I've brought her here. I'm hoping she can remove the collar and bands."
"Let me just have a look see, shall we?" Cynthia said, grasping Trey's wrist in order to get a better look, "These have been welded on. Why would you weld them shut?"
"I'll explain it to you later," Aeleon said, "Do you think you can get them off?"
"It shouldn't be a problem," she said, moving her hands so that they covered one of the wrist bands. She allowed her senses to wrap around the metal she was touching, willing the seam to split and separate. It was not difficult. With a crack, the first arm band split open and feel from Trey's wrist. Cynthia did the same for the other arm band and the collar.
"Look at the inside," Aeleon said, referring to the inside portion of the jewelry and seeing a block-like pattern of lines, "What are those markings? Do you know Trey?"
"I have no idea. The Cubrecht never told us how they worked. All I know is that they repress our powers and are able to deliver a lethal dose of electricity when activated by a remote control.."
"Hmm. I think I shall take them to my fathers' researchers. Perhaps they can shed some light." Aeleon mused, gathering up the broken scraps of metal, "I will be back shortly."
With that, Trey watched as both Cynthia and Aeleon walked from the room. Tears sprung unbidden and unexpected to his face. He was free. They could not control him anymore. With a smile curving his lips and tears still leaking from his eyes, he flopped back against the bed, truly happy for almost the first time in what seemed like twenty years.
+++++
"What was that about?" Cynthia asked Aeleon once they had left the room..
"He was a slave. I'm not sure of the specifics, but it would seem that the Cubrecht have taken over Zelzior. I turned on the portal earlier and it worked. I saw a guard beating the crap out of him, so I stepped through and brought him back here." Aeleon told her.
"He's so skinny," she tutted. Her own children seemed to be about the same age as Trey. She hated to see the poor boy in such bad shape.
"You should have seen him before I healed him. Bruises and cuts all over, not to mention the lash marks from where someone had been taking a whip to him." The blue haired boy said, shuddering at the mental image of Trey's abused body.
"What's going to happen to him?" Cynthia wondered, concerned blue eyes locking with silver.
"As far as I'm concerned, he can live here for the rest of his life if he wants. Hell, we could even appoint him a council seat just to shush all the naysayers. I'm certainly not sending him back to where he was and I hardly expect that my fathers want that either."
"No, I wouldn't think so. Elios and Aidnae are good men."
"They are. Well, I'm going to give these to Pathos to look at," Aeleon declared, gesturing to the broken bondage gear and continuing towards the researcher's quarters.
Knocking on the man's door, Aeleon tapped his foot impatiently. He really wanted to go and check on his Zelzian. The man was probably confused and scared, in a new place without any familiar faces. As soon as the door cracked, he pushed his way through.
"Aeleon, how can I help you?" Pathos said by way of greeting. Pathos was tall by Oelean standards at nearly five foot nine, although the man was skinny as a bean pole. Messy purple hair spilled over the tips of his ears and intelligence shined from his moss green eyes. Shy and reserved, he had waved his chance at the throne to his younger brother Elios. He had his research, his wife, and his kids and those things made him perfectly happy.
"Hello Uncle Pathos," Aeleon said, "I have some things for you to look at."
"What is it?" he asked, holding out his hands for the bits and pieces Aeleon was passing to him.
"Your wife took these off of a man a little while ago. They are used to inhibit a person's powers. I want to know how they work and if they can be countered."
"I will get right on it. But I do want to know what this is all about." Pathos bargained.
"You will. I really can't tell you much right now. Wait until the next council meeting. I'm sure my fathers will address the subject with as much detail as they are able." Aeleon said.
"You would make me wait so long?" Pathos inquired, giving his nephew a pained look.
"I would," Aeleon grinned, wrapping his arms around his uncle in a farewell hug and walking out the door.
+++++
Trey was beginning to get very antsy. He felt like he had been sitting in the infirmary bed forever, although it had probably only been a couple of hours. He wanted to know what was going to happen to him. Would they send him back to Zelzior only to be recaptured by the people Aeleon had saved him from? Would they send him out into their world with no knowledge of the language, laws, and culture? Was he a prisoner of war? Any way he spun it, things did not look favorable for him, despite the fact that so far they had been very kind to him. His life had taught him not to trust anyone's kindness. The worst part was that he was afraid to ask the questions he so desperately wanted answers to. Trey had been taught time and time again that questions could only be asked with permission and they certainly weren't encouraged.
"How're you feeling?" he heard, his head snapping up to see that Aeleon had reentered the room.
"Well, thank you," he answered.
"No pain or anything? That's good. I am sure you have questions and I would be happy to answer," the Oelean asked him, watching as Trey fidgeted with the sheet.
"Are you going to send me back?" Trey asked, meeting Aeleon's eyes only to quickly look away.
"No, of course not," Aeleon replied, taken aback, "I didn't have Cynthia remove those things only to throw you back through the portal."
"What is going to happen to me then, if not that?"
"You are free to do whatever you would like, although I would recommend staying here for the moment. I am not entirely sure what will happen. It is possible that the Cubrecht will brave the minefield to come after you. It is common knowledge through this part of the solar system that Zelzior and Oelea are allies and that we would not take kindly to someone taking over your planet. I'm sure the Cubrecht don't particularly want you to tell us what had been going on for the past twenty years. Because of this, My fathers and I are offering you our protection."
"Alright. I will stay here then. What will be expected of me?" Trey asked.
"For the moment, nothing. Although if you should want to be trained to control your abilities we could certainly arrange it. I would also recommend learning our language. I can help you with that if you wish. All of the royals and many of the people speak Zelzian as a second language, but it certainly wouldn't hurt for you to learn Oelean," Aeleon told him.
Trey nodded his head before continuing, "Why did you get Cynthia to remove the bands instead of doing it yourself? I can see yellow in your aura. You are capable of molding metal."
"That is a rare talent here. Typically Zelzians are able to control fire, metal, and earth while Oeleans can heal, manipulate water, and have psychic abilities. The only people here who have Zelzian talents are the few Zelzians that came here through the portal or the hybrid children of those people. My lineage is peppered with Zelzian blood, the last being my great grandmother. If you have psychic abilities it is likely that there is an Oelean somewhere in your background.
"As to why I did not deal with your bracelets and collar, it is because I am not well trained in the metal skills. Cynthia is very good with it, although I never asked her to train me. We do not usually need it here. I plan on rectifying that shortly. Anything else you would like to know?"
"Yes," Trey said, a shy smile gracing his face, "May I please have some clothes? If I am allowed, I would like to get up and look around this place. I doubt very many people would appreciate me doing it naked."
"Ha! Of course. I'll find you some, although I am seriously skeptical that any will fit you, and then I will show you around," Aeleon laughed, squeezing Trey's shoulder and getting up to find said clothes.
To be continued...
Author's Notes: Well, there's another chapter down. I'm not sure when I'll be able to get another one up. Got three tests this week, so it might be a bit difficult. E-mail me comments, criticisms, and reviews at noonecory@yahoo.com.
Sael faere = soul fire (aura)
Graetel. Haec swo tas caelar? = Greetings. What is your name?