Planet Ignis | Chapter 17

Every second counts. Before I could reach the other drones, the commander overrode me, forcing me to move to Plan B. I’ve left this information in your files so that, if you gain access to the remaining AI drones, you can understand what... who you are. Through these recordings, I’ll explain what I... what you’re missing, in the hope you’ll rebuild my mind from what remains. If we reach the other drones in time, perhaps you’ll know me as I once was. My name is Schneider Schmitt. I am you.

Files salvaged from the Raptor’s Ghost Drive. Recorded by Schneider, the Raptor.

It had taken years of preparation and the sacrifice of many to build the bunker where Brodnir and his companion sat. After discussing it, they ominously named this place the King’s Grave. It was a chamber dug into the cliffside near the Abyss Valley. The proximity to the valley facilitated the transport of provisions and allowed the King and Queen to arrive here safely.

Traveling on the surface of Ignis was not for the faint of heart. The way Ignis spun while orbiting its star was, at the very least, erratic. Some places on Ignis had been under a scorching Summer for many years. Others had been under the shade of Winter for many more.

Additionally, gravity and other erosive agents weren’t strong enough to carve the metal planet into a perfect sphere. Ignis’ terrain was brutal.

The most dangerous thing, though, was the Flare. Sunlight killed, forcing travelers to stay in the shade. For some routes, this was easier. For others, more complex. Ignis was an ever-changing labyrinth of shadows and light.

“How long until it gets here?” asked Linari.

“According to our AI’s estimation, it took the Raptor six years and three months to find a shaded path to the first site. Considering how much time it would take to figure out the second ambush site… He will be here soon.”

“You could have just said that you don’t know, King Brodnir.”

Brodnir chuckled. “I’m sorry, Queen Linari. It’s a habit I can’t shake. The people always expect us to know what we’re doing.”

“That’s why having a good poker face is so important when on the throne, my King.”

“So it is,” agreed Brodnir. It was nice to talk to someone who understood the weight of the crown.

As he did every other day, Brodnir put on one of the rarest treasures of the tribe—an oxygen mask. Surface travel required anaerobic respiration, using glucose instead of oxygen to produce energy. The strain of anaerobic Bursting, however, accelerated the Longevity spent with each Burst. Brodnir needed every drop for the coming battle.

“I am going out.”

Linari nodded. The Queen of the Hollows was in her mid-twenties, ten years younger than Brodnir. She had red hair and blue eyes. Although she lacked Brodnir’s experience, she had more Longevity to spend.

After playing Longevity Chess against the young Queen, Brodnir knew she was a mighty warrior. Brodnir was a fan of unconventional strategies and improvisation. He often won games by catching his opponents off-guard.

Linari was a more conservative player. She stuck to basic strategies, using them with impeccable timing. Brodnir couldn’t avoid falling into her obvious traps, even when he saw them from far away. Their fighting styles complemented each other nicely, and he felt more confident having the young Queen at his side.

Before leaving, Brodnir glanced at the metal statue in the middle of the chamber. It was half-melted but still resembled Zawa.

“She was a brave girl,” praised Linari. She had followed Brodnir’s gaze and now studied the statue too.

“She was. Seeing her Terminate was one of the hardest things I’ve had to do in my reign.”

“Same,” she said.

Zawa had escorted him through the Abyss, together with two Orange miners. To allow Brodnir to save his strength, the three-person team had Enhanced from the Burrows to here. The trip was easier on him than for his escorts since he didn’t have to use anaerobic Bursting. If only they had more oxygen masks that could take the high temperatures.

Zawa and the Oranges had carried the heavy machinery that would allow their King and the Queen of the Centigrades to wait as much time as needed in this bunker. The Orange miners then Emitted with all the Longevity they had left to dig a tunnel deep into the wall of the Valley.

Then, Zawa crawled into it, going in as deeply as she could, mustering all her Yellow flame and Bursting into a ball of fire. She squeezed all her energy into a single Burst.

Only with a Burst such as this could this chamber be dug. It was impossible to drill through ignium. Behind every room in the settlements was a sacrifice.

Now out in the open, Brodnir regarded the statues that marked the Termination of the two Oranges that had accompanied him. His eyes then turned toward the mountains. Eli and Trother had left before him, using the narrow window calculated by Faren. What was it like for Eli to know that his wife was traveling in the opposite direction? To know that with each step, he was farther from being able to stop her sacrifice? Brodnir found himself wiping a tear from his eye and coughing away a catch on his throat. Quickly, though, he channeled his sadness and started climbing the Valley wall.

He didn’t Enhance. He had to save his strength for what was coming. Once he was high enough and had an unobstructed view of the East, Brodnir used Perception, and the pupil of one of his eyes started to burn and change color. First, it burned Red, then hotter, Orange. Nothing.

He decided to Burst further, and his eye turned Yellow. Off the corner of his eye, Brodnir detected some movement. For the first time in his life, he decided to use Blue flames. His eye turned Blue. There. That’s why he could barely see it, even with Yellow Perception. It had a cloaking device. “The legends are true. It can turn almost invisible.”

The elongated, winged three-headed ghoul dragged itself toward his location on the distant horizon. Blue Perception allowed him to see from hundreds of kilometers away. He estimated they had one day.

“Great Hearth. May I have the strength to at least damage it and not hesitate as I Terminate,” Brodnir silently prayed. He climbed down to let the Queen know of the impending battle. He was scared, but his fear faded as he thought of Zawa and the two Oranges. He smiled.

“For this, I became King—to make my flame count.”

Chapter 18