Seek the key to the world in Mountain’s Breath.

Jim couldn’t open his eyes. A voice spoke somewhere in the edge of darkness. Somewhere in his mind. “What? Who’s there?” He replied.

You must seek the key, came the reply. Remember these words, Jim. Fire, earth, water, sky. Deep in the earth, the key does lie. And with the key, the four must turn. The old made new, from what was burned.

The voice continued its singsong words. The floodgates open. The world begins. Our chains are broken, darkness ends. Through loss and sorrow, guilt and pain. A long lost soul returns again.

“Jim, can you hear me?” the voice asked. “Hey guys, I think he’s about ready to wake up. Look at his hands. Nice and squishy again!”

He could hear the echo of footsteps on a wooden floor approaching. His ears caught a hint of mechanical humming. It was a sound he recognized. I’m on an airship again, he thought to himself.

He rubbed his eyes, removing what felt like a week of crust. It took him a moment more to open them. As he did, the familiar faces of General Vachir, Lieutenant Colonel Sandra Mason, Taruh, and Henry resolved around him. They all looked worse for wear, except Henry of course. He was his usual cheery self.

“What happened?” He asked. His voice was gravely as he broke into a fit of involuntary coughing. “Did we make it?”

“No,” came Henry’s reply. “We all died. This is heaven. Perhaps you’d care for a chilled beverage? No? How about a cloud of your own or perhaps a nice harp to play for the next..ohhh five or six hundred years?”

Jim chuckled and shook his head, “No, what I meant was, did we stop them? The Alliance and the Prophetess’ soldiers.”

Henry’s shade darkened. Turning to Vachir, he replied, “It’s probably best if you take this one, General.”

Vachir shook his head, “I’m not a General anymore. Just call me Vachir.” Next to him, Sandra too was crestfallen as she added, “And you can call me Sandra. No need for titles at this point.”

Jim sat up slowly. Mercifully, dizziness or nausea never came. I’m getting better at this whole ‘coming back from the dead’ routine, he thought. After performing a quick check for wounds, he asked, confused, “What do you mean? What happened and how long was I out?”

“For about a day,” Vachir replied. “And, as to what happened, well, that will take a while to explain. Before Sandra and I even made it to you, the right flank and the center had collapsed. The Alliance was rolling down the line and slaughtering everyone as they went. It seems, they had no interest in taking prisoners.”

A brief anger crossed his face before he continued, “The left flank was the only sector that held...for what little good that did. After you went down, the Prophetess sent in her primes and other, more powerful awakened acolytes. They came on...hundreds of airships. It was a massacre.”

Vachir turned away in frustration and walked to a nearby window. Sandra continued the account, “Our armed forces were annihilated. What few remained have retreated to Hurria to make a last stand. The Federation has only hours, perhaps a day left.”

The room was silent. Each of them still had the horror and shock of the previous day’s battle written on their faces. Even Henry observed a silent moment for the fallen.

Jim took a deep breath and asked the question he wasn’t really sure he wanted the answer to, “Did you see...did…” He paused to collect himself, “I saw Alia’s fighter destroyed. Did you see where she crashed? Please tell me one of you at least tried to recover her body.”

Taruh stepped forward. Something in his expression told Jim, he was heartbroken. It suddenly occurred to Jim that Taruh’s brother had been stationed near the center line. “You have to understand, Jim,” he began, “There was no going back. The Priests on those airships lit anything up that moved. Hell, they killed scores of Alliance soldiers too. There was no way to go back and look for anyone...including my brother.”

A familiar voice replied from behind him, “Besides, why would they go back for me? I didn’t need saving.”

Jim’s heart stopped. Time seemed to stand still as his eyes welled up. He turned to see - YES! She was alive! His love, his life, his whole world. There she stood, battered, burnt, and beleaguered but, he didn’t care. To him, she was the most beautiful sight that had ever blessed his eyes.

His heart broke with joy, sadness, and relief all at once. Jim had always been a quiet person. A private person, careful to keep a barrier between himself and others at all times but, there in the cramped belowdeck of The Herald, he ran across the room and embraced the woman he loved. Their tears fell freely on each others shoulders as they cried.

Finally, he’d figured it out. Alia needed rescue...and so did he. In a dark and savage world of hopelessness and cruelty, he had something beautiful. Something perfect. Fate had brought them together again. It dared not try to separate them now.

***

Vachir walked the length of the Phoenix. The large fighter looked cramped in the small launch bay of The Herald. Designed to hold three small interceptors, the bay was hardly big enough to accommodate the obsidian tinted monster.

“She’s one hell of a fighter,” Alia commented from across the small bay. “Sharan wasn’t kidding when he called it the ‘chariot of the gods.” She walked over to where Vachir was inspecting the battle damage. Along the left side of the wing, a large section of the artificial feathers had been burned away, exposing some of the black crystal structure underneath.

“I still don’t understand,” Vachir wondered aloud. “How could anything survive the combined fire and lightning of so many awakened primes and acolytes. No offense but, you should have been vaporized.”

Alia chuckled and replied, “You aren’t wrong. However, the Phoenix here does more than just focus awakened power outward. The connection goes both ways.”

Vachir’s eyes went wide with astonishment, “You don’t mean-”

“Yes, I do mean,” she replied. “This is going to sound really cliche but, well, for lack of a better term, I was recharged.” They both shared a brief moment of laughter. The sadness of all that had happened still weighed heavily on their hearts though and the room was again quiet.

Vachir shifted the conversation, “So have you told Jim about our...uhh. Well, I’m not entirely sure what to call it. Task? Trip?”

Alia laughed and replied, “Oh please. Just go ahead and say it. I said something cliche. Now, it’s your turn. It’s only fair after all.”

“Very well. Have you talked to Jim about our...quest?” he asked, resigned.

Alia giggled genuinely this time and replied, “Ha, a ‘quest!’ I think you’ve been reading too much fiction. To answer your question, no, I have not talked to him about our noble quest, brave Knight Vachir.”

Vachir rolled his eyes. There was no other way to describe the task Emat had laid out for them. It would be nothing short of a quest, a tremendous one at that. They had much to do and, at the rate the Prophetess’ forces were burning across the land of Ruin, little time to do it. “I don’t know how we’re going to find this thing,” he said, sighing. “But, we all have a bit more free time now to look.”

Vachir was fighting a battle within. Dismissing himself, he headed for the topdeck. They had a long journey north ahead of them. At least, at the wheel of the ship, he wouldn’t have to look back toward the city he’d abandoned to the darkness.

***

The white walls of south Hurria hospital glowed bright orange. Through the cracks in the curtains, firelight poured beams of warm light into the abandoned ward. Outside, the cries of children and screaming women echoed through the streets. Gunfire and explosions rattled the windows of the empty ward.

Hurria was burning.

The entire ward had been evacuated but, one bed remained occupied. Its occupant was still breathing. His chest rose and fell with each breath. He continued to sleep, unaware of the horrors unfolding on the streets just under his hospital window. On the clipboard hanging from the end of his bed, the information sheet was left blank, save a small line at the top where the patient’s name was written.

It read: Sasha Rodchenko.

Another explosion rocked the alley below the hospital wing. Suddenly, the windows shattered inward and sent glass across every corner of the room. Smoke began to pour in, bringing with it the stench of gunpowder, blood, and death.

Below, more gunshots rang out, silencing the screaming women. The hospital fell eerily silent. Nearby, the crackle of fire was growing to a roar. Smoke billowed through the windows, thickening with each passing second. His room would be burning soon.

Suddenly, his eyes opened. Sasha had awoken.

***

Night had fallen quickly. It seemed in these dark times that the days grew shorter and shorter. Jim knew it was all in his head of course. It was spring. The coming days would only get longer. Regardless, the looming evil that crept up from the south seemed to prolong and darken the night.

This night though, the sky glowed an unusual shade of orange. Stranger yet, the glow intensified in the southern sky. Jim watched from the stern as their small airship bobbed above the grey clouds below. At five kilometers up, the air was cold and thin. He drew in his desert cotton overcoat and fought off a chill.

“Do you suppose any of them will make it to safety?” He asked. Next to him, Alia and Sandra watched the same glowing horizon with dark expressions. Sandra was the first to reply, “Yes. We have to believe Vachir’s warning made it through. I doubt we’ll ever know for sure though.”

“That’s another thing,” Jim added. “How is it we escaped? Especially you and Vachir. Not that I’m not thankful you’re with us but, shouldn’t you have stayed behind to defend the capital until the civilians were evacuated? Isn’t that some sort of military...code or something?”

Sandra shook her head. Jim couldn’t quite tell in the dark but, he was almost sure there were tears in her eyes as she replied, “We never returned to Hurria. After Henry and Taruh hauled you out of the trenches, one of the troop transport trains evacuated us all to Nalhaya. From there, we boarded The Herald and fled north.”

“But, I don’t understand,” he asked, confused. “How could we leave all those people to die? Sergeant Grell, the Prime Minister...Sasha? How could you -”

“Abandon our post?” Sandra replied. “That’s what you mean, right? How about, betraying those who trusted in us? Why do you think? Because of you.”

Jim was confused. “Me? What are you talking about?”

Sandra replied with emotion rising in her throat, “You, Alia, Vachir. All three of you damned awakened primes. Your lives are more important than those of my countrymen apparently.” Before Jim could reply, she stormed off and disappeared down the stairway to the gundeck.

Alia put her arm around Jim’s shoulder and squeezed. “I’m sorry, Jim,” she said with a sigh. “She’s mad at the whole situation. Not you personally.”

Jim pulled away and turned toward her. “But what exactly is the damn situation and, why am I always the last to know?” He asked, angrily. “We lost Sasha...again. Not to mention the others. We just...abandoned them all. How could you?”

Alia was set off. She slammed her fist on the wooden railing and whispered through grit teeth, “Don’t you think I know that?! Sasha may have been your friend but, he was a member of my crew. He was my responsibility. So were every single one of the other awakened crew we lost yesterday.”

Jim was quiet as Alia vented her own frustration toward him, “You never even asked about them did you? No, you only care about your one friend in your one little world! Well, I’m responsible for the lives of every crew member. All of my crew on the front lines died yesterday by the way, including Taruh’s twin brother. How and I going to explain that to the rest of the crew when we return?”

She took a breath and turned back to stare at the southern horizon. It continued to glow. They were over a hundred kilometers north of the city. Jim could only imagine what kind of fire must have been raging to be visible from so far away.

Finally, collecting herself, Alia continued, “Jim, there’s a...prophecy, for lack of a better word. And, before you go telling me not to believe in fairy tales, it comes from a very reliable source. A very old Ll’tal who, so far has been one hundred percent right in everything he’s predicted.”

“Emat?” Jim asked. “What does he have to do with all this?”

Alia grabbed Jim’s arm and replied, “Back when we’d first boarded The Herald in the Black Forest, Vachir pulled me aside. He was pretty upset. He insisted, after our names were cleared in the Federation, we should get as far away from their territory as possible. He said he’d had an...experience with a Ll’tal named Emat. Ring a bell?”

“Yeah,” Jim replied. “They call it the Ge’tal. Roughly translated, it means ‘transference.’ It’s more or less a transfer of knowledge and words. Like carrying on many conversations in the span of a few seconds.”

Alia nodded and continued, “Right, well, Vachir had one of those Gre..guht. Whatever. I’ll paraphrase the conversation to say, he spoke of many of the experiences we had and some we haven’t. It was all vague of course. It wouldn’t be much of a prophecy otherwise. Gods forbid one of these mystic types just tell us the time and the place something is going to happen.”

“Or who has the best hand in a poker game. I could use a power like that,” Jim replied with a grin.

Alia laughed. The last of her sour mood evaporated. Placing an arm around his waist, she replied, “Well, he spoke of the Phoenix, the front lines, even the Prophetess’ airships. Of course, he used very...Emat type words such as ‘bird of fire’ and ‘trenches of sorrow’ and ‘chariots of awakened evil.’ Sometimes, I think that old Ll’tal has a flair for the dramatic.” They both laughed.

Jim turned to Alia and asked, “But, why us? I mean, why are we so important?”

Alia grabbed Jim’s hand and the begun to stroll the small topdeck of The Herald. “Well,” she replied, “Emat spoke of a key. The ‘world key’ I think. Supposedly, it has the power to stop the Prophetess. Nothing else can.”

Suddenly, Jim was dizzy. He stopped and leaned against Alia.

“Whoa there big guy! Are you ok?” she asked.

Jim’s head was swimming but, he remembered it clearly. “Alia, this isn’t the first time I’ve heard of the key. It’s like remembering a dream but...Just before I woke up, a voice spoke to me. I thought I was just dreaming but, perhaps not.”

Alia replied, “No doubt it's more of Emat’s smoke and mirrors. I really wish he’d forgo all this mystery.” Sighing, she added, “How in the hell we are going to find this supposed key is beyond me. I don’t even know where to start looking. For now, we are on our way to the Liberator. From there, well...I have no clue where to start. Perhaps-”

Alia stopped. Distracted, she replied, “Is something funny?” Jim was smiling as she tried again, “Please, do share. I don’t see anything funny about searching the entire planet for a tiny-”

“Mountain’s Breath,” he interrupted.

“Huh?” came her confused reply.

Jim smiled and added, “The key is in Mountain’s Breath”

Alia raised one eyebrow and asked, “And how exactly did you come across this little tidbit of information? Are you a prophet now too?”

Jim shrugged and replied, “Well, I am pretty amazing.” He was rewarded with a punch in the arm and a laugh. Jim smiled and closed his eyes. “Shh,” he instructed. “Mighty Prophet Jim knows many a great secret.”

Alia rolled her eyes and replied, “‘Mighty Prophet Jim’ is going to be sleeping alone tonight if he doesn’t start coughing up some information for ‘Irritated Captain Alia.’”

He nodded, “Fair enough. It’s going to sound a bit crazy but, here it goes.” He recited the words still fresh in his mind, “Fire, earth, water, sky. Deep in the earth, the key does lie. And with the key, the four must turn. The old made new, from what was burned. The floodgates open. The world begins. Our chains are broken, darkness ends. Through loss and sorrow, guilt and pain. A long lost soul returns again.”

Alia stared at him with surprise and replied, “Maybe ‘Mighty Prophet Jim’ wasn’t so far off.”

Jim chuckled and shook his head, “No. I’m sure it’s another one of Emat’s overly dramatic predictions. Most of it doesn’t make much sense but, I think I have a grasp on part of it.”

Alia motioned for him to continue. “There is mention of fire, earth, water, and sky in the prophecy,” he continued. “Well, I don’t think it’s coincidence we have a prime of fire, prime of earth, and prime of air on this ship. As far as I know, the Prophetess has plenty of primes of fire and air but none of earth.”

“Which makes you a hot commodity,” Alia replied as she squeezed his arm. “Well, that skinny parasitic whore needs to understand, your spoken for. She can’t have you.”

Jim shrugged, “Well, here’s the thing and, you’re probably not going to like it. I think...we need her.”

Alia leaned back and stared at Jim, bewildered. “How do you figure?”

Jim repeated part of the prophecy, “Fire, earth, water, sky. Well, the only missing piece is water and, she’s the only water awakened in existence. Somehow, we have to capture her and force her to help us use the key so we can...you know...destroy her.”

“Right,” Alia replied. “The prophecy could also just mean literal water, fire, earth, and water. So, let’s not go knocking on her door just yet.”

Jim smiled and grabbed her hand. His dizziness had passed and, they continued their late night walk. On such a small airship, it didn’t take them far. Finally, they ended back up at the aft railing. The orange glow on the horizon had nearly faded into the night.

Over the Horizon, the broken moon started its ascent as it did every night, casting long shadows on the dune tops far below. As he watched, Jim spotted a landship, much like his own. The small vessel dipped and rolled over each dune as its rode the evening winds to its next port of call.

Jim counted himself the luckiest man in the world. He’d been that sailor down there, rolling along the dunes in his tiny vessel, alone. Day after day he’d roamed the wastes, scratching a living from the scraps of society. Little did he know, just above him, a greater fate awaited him.

How many times, he wondered, did Alia Rychist and her crew of awakened pass overhead and look down on his tiny ship? Watching the small landship as it continued toward the horizon, Jim knew, he would never return to that life. Whether he lived a day or a hundred more years, his place was here.

Home was not a ship. It wasn’t a house or a cave. No.

Home was Henry and his indomitable optimism.

Home was Vachir and his unbreakable sense of right and wrong.

Home was Sandra Mason and her unflinching loyalty.

Home was Taruh who now needed family more than ever.

Home was Sasha who Jim hoped against all odds had survived.

Home was Alia Rychist, the most wonderfully complicated woman he’d ever known.

Home was here.

Alia squeezed his hands, pulling him from his thoughts. “There’s one other prophecy that Emat shared. Would you like to know it?”

Jim replied, “Definitely. ”

Alia smiled. “He said I would one day bear children again. He didn’t say when of course but...well...I’m pregnant, Jim”