Saving Neba

𝐈𝐕: Earth-shaking, Neba-shaking

"Neba is an alternate dimension?"

"We're nothing different from you - Earthians."

"People on earth don't have a specific name, Crypta." I laughed at his unawareness, "That is if human beings don't count."

"Our people don't have a good history with the Zadios. We don't know where they are or what their next line of action is. They attack us, kill our people, and run back to their hiding place." He stood up and bent his head as if trying to forget something excruciating. "They killed my grandparents with no care in the world. I hate them and the last thing I want to do is see them go away with all their evils."

"How do you know that they will be back again?" I went and stood behind him. He let me touch him so I pulled off his coat and threw them on the bed.

"Why did you do that?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. It feels weird, watching you tell me all this, while I'm doing nothing." He faced me, right as I watched a golden liquid run from the corner of his eyes, and down his cheeks. "And you're crying. And it's golden?"

"It's not the best memory, you see." I pushed him back to the bed so that he was seated. "I already told you, that our symbol is a dragon, Neba."

I nodded.

"Every once in a while, he appears and tells us what we should know. He told us a few months ago that a war would ensue much sooner than we can get prepared for, and that the Zadios are coming much more geared up than in the last two centuries. My father was scared; we could all see that." He laughed, "How are you supposed to feel if the one who is to protect you is scared?"

"That would be - earth-shaking. Neba-shaking, I guess." He chuckled, but there was something more behind that smile. "How did you feel?"

"Honestly, I didn't know what to feel. My father was scared, surely."

"Why?"

He stood up again, the astrology book on the bed long forgotten. "Why, I am the fifth descendant of Laiasona Domroyante. After we'd defeated them, they came back to destroy. The next was his son, who was already too old to fight. Then it was my great-grandfather. Then my grandfather, this time, killed his wife alongside. Father knows. They're coming for him.

"How they've managed to remain hidden, I have no idea. They couldn't have gone that far. If they have, it wouldn't have been so easy for them to trace back to Neba."

"A mole, maybe."

"We considered that. Gathered our suspects, and even tried to put words in their mouths. Innocent people have suffered torture at the hands of the Uktamas. I can't let that happen."

"Wow," I muttered even though I had no idea what, or who, The Uktamas were.

"I can't let that happen, being his first, well, the second son. I have to save him. I have to be the one to protect him. For the past twenty years, he'd trained me to fight. And now, I understand the real reason for all that preparation. I think he knew, even before Neba told us about it."

"Because of the killing of his parents?" I stood up from the bed and made to shut the curtains. All that light made me feel like our neighbours could see me. Me talking to a guy, in my room.

"Part of that, maybe. But the council knows something about the Zadios. They've wanted to stop it for so long now, through papers and treaties. I know it's not going to work. I need to overthrow the Zadios. None of them agrees though."

I caught a glimpse of the snow dropping down to the ground and the people moving around the street before the thick purple roller blind covered the window completely.