Planet Ignis | Chapter 16

...greatest teacher Ignis has ever known.

Trother’s love for his students was the foundation of his teaching. Every waking moment, he considered how best to guide them, always thinking of ways to help them grow. Although many now sing my praises, I owe everything to him. Without Trother’s wisdom and care, I would not be here.

When you draw Trother’s card, be sure to make your bishops the cornerstone of your strategy. 

From “The History of Longevity Chess” by Eli, the Flarewalker

Faren took a few minutes to process Trother’s request, his activity slowing as he managed multiple Burrows systems. The council waited patiently, with only faint murmurs filling the silence. Eli took the opportunity to glance at Zawa across the room. She was watching him, and when their eyes met, he tried to smile. She responded with a slight smile of her own, sending a rush through him. But he quickly turned his focus back, feeling a pang of guilt for being distracted. Today’s revelations were too important for personal thoughts.

When Faren finally showed signs of activity, the Burrows’ only screen blinked to life, casting eerie shadows in the dimly lit council chamber. A collective hush fell over the room as the screen displayed a man with strange, blue-tinted skin stretched thin over his frame—Dr. Hitori. Smoke drifted from his mouth with every labored breath. Around him, droplets of water trickled from the cave ceiling, gathering on his skin as machines threaded in and out of his body. His hands moved swiftly over two globes, tapping in an intricate rhythm as he began to speak in the same familiar yet eerie voice they’d heard before.

“Congratulations on finding this file. If the Raptor’s computing power has increased, as I suspect, it’s only a matter of time before he can access this message. Hopefully, this remains outside his reach but within yours. The coordinates I sent earlier were a ruse. They will send the Raptor deep into what should be a Flare Zone for the next few years. That should buy us some time. Everything else in the previous message is true. Hiding one little lie among many truths is the best deceit.”

The man in the video smiled, his face stretched into something unsettling. “Please, bring the Celer mutagen to these coordinates. Once you reach my laboratory, you will find further instructions. Please, hasten.”

The video faded, and the council erupted into discussion. The room filled with murmurs and speculation as they debated the meaning of Dr. Hitori’s message. Brodnir raised his hand, signaling the council to silence.

“Continue, Trother,” said the king, his voice even.

Trother cleared his throat, nodding gratefully at Brodnir. “Thank you, my king. As I suspected, there was a message within a message. But let’s set the video aside for now. Does anything else in the first message strike you as odd?”

The other council members seemed puzzled, unsure of what Trother was hinting at. Eli watched as his teacher scanned the room, his gaze searching each face for understanding.

Hingwid, the captain of the Golden Guard, finally spoke up in her clear, resonant voice. “There’s another part where the doctor seems to… ramble. He keeps talking about turning things upside down, turning the tables, and changing the game. Could that mean something?”

“Very good, Hingwid,” Trother replied, his eyes lighting up. “That’s exactly it. Faren, reverse the encryption sequence and see if there’s anything else embedded within the message.”

Faren’s lights blinked as he processed the request. Eli glanced at Zawa again, and this time she held his gaze longer, her cheeks coloring before she looked down. Eli’s heart raced. He would have to ask her to meet sometime, but only when this crisis passed.

Moments later, Faren displayed a new message on the screen: “Well done again. These are my true coordinates. Hitori Himura.”

The council reacted with a fresh wave of astonishment. Trother gave a slight nod to Brodnir, signaling that he had finished speaking. Brodnir took this opportunity to retake control of the meeting, his gaze sweeping across the room.

“Thank you for sharing your insights, Trother. Council members, we have now verified the authenticity of Dr. Hitori’s message. The doctor has granted us precious time, sending the Raptor on a wild goose chase. The question we must answer is: What should we do with this knowledge? Trother, your thoughts?”

The council had already debated several options, ranging from sending the entire Golden Guard on an expedition to deploying several groups of Oranges to confuse the Raptor. Eli disagreed with many of these ideas, but he waited to see what his teacher and the king would say. Trother and Brodnir were the only ones who had not yet shared their thoughts on the journey.

Eli caught his teacher exchanging a significant look with Brodnir. Were they concealing something from the council? Trother then looked at Eli with a reassuring smile, placing a firm hand on his shoulder before addressing the council.

“We know that the Raptor decimated both the Anaximander and Mendeleev settlements. Faren detected no sign of a battle between a Blue Monarch and the Raptor, which suggests the Raptor somehow neutralized the Blue Monarchs before they could defend themselves.”

Eli’s mind raced. How could a drone outwit a Blue Monarch? His teacher had briefly speculated on a surprise attack before, and it seemed that Trother was leading the council to the same conclusion now.

“Therefore,” Trother continued, “we must take precautions. First, I propose that the king step out of the Globular Throne and move among the people. He should be accompanied by an entourage of batteries, much like a yellow or a lit. This will make it harder for the Raptor to identify and target him if it comes here first.”

The council visibly recoiled at the idea. The Golden Guard’s captain, Hingwid, furrowed her brows, her expression stony as she objected. “Trother, the globe is the most secure location in the Burrows. Removing Brodnir from it is far too risky. And besides, Blue Monarchs are housed in the globe to conserve Longevity. Even if he were with an entourage of batteries, it would be dangerous and wasteful.”

The murmurs of disapproval grew, but Brodnir’s voice cut through them.

“Agreed!” he declared, stepping out of the globe. The council members fell silent as he emerged, his commanding presence filling the room. For the first time, Eli felt the sheer force of Brodnir’s energy. The air thickened, the heat rising as Brodnir released a controlled but powerful Burst. Eli’s skin prickled, and he noticed the council members’ wide eyes as they felt the power of their king.

Once quiet settled, Brodnir gestured to Trother, urging him to continue.

Trother nodded in respect. “Thank you, my king. Secondly, I propose we send two expeditions, not just one. Dr. Hitori has given us a rare opportunity. The coordinates were initially a ruse, designed to send the Raptor away. This allows us to plan two ambushes. If we can split the Raptor’s focus, our chances of survival multiply. We’ll need every advantage we can get.”

The council buzzed with responses, each member signaling their desire to weigh in.

Kawaki, the Yellow Chemist, spoke up. “But shouldn’t we focus our forces on a single location? Splitting them might weaken our efforts.”

Trother raised a hand to address her concerns. “The Anaximander message hinted at the need for multiple Blue Monarchs to confront the Raptor. This suggests a force strong enough to face it head-on. I propose that we gather our strongest leaders from the remaining settlements. They should confront the Raptor at the false coordinates, while a second team ventures to meet Dr. Hitori.”

Brodnir nodded approvingly, signaling his endorsement of the plan.

The council chamber erupted into debate once more, the Yellows expressing their concerns about exposing their king to such a high-risk mission. “What if we fall into a trap?” someone shouted. “We can’t risk our only blue flame!”

The council erupted in voices until Brodnir’s voice thundered over them.

“SILENCE!”

The council members went quiet, surprised by Brodnir’s outBurst. Standing fully out of the globe, his authority commanded the room. His voice seemed to resonate off the stone walls, grounding everyone’s attention. Once the noise had subsided, he gestured toward Trother once more.

Trother continued, “I believe we should summon the Blue Queen of the Centigrades to join Brodnir. Together, they should intercept the Raptor at the false coordinates. As for the team sent to Dr. Hitori’s lab… Eli and I will go.”

Eli was taken aback, his thoughts racing. “Teacher, I…”

Brodnir interjected, his tone decisive. “It has to be you and Trother, Eli.”

The Golden Guard’s captain, Hingwid, immediately protested. “With all due respect, my king, we are equipped and trained for this type of mission. We’re prepared to serve our tribe in such a dangerous journey.”

Brodnir shook his head, his gaze steady. “The Raptor has evolved. In the Raptor Wars, only blue flames could damage it. Other than myself, only Trother the Wise and Eli the Starved can face this threat. It has to be them.”

Hingwid seemed unconvinced. “But why only them, my king? There are other Lits and Yellows in the Burrows—”

“Because they’re not normal lits,” Brodnir replied, a faint smile crossing his lips. “They’re capable of wielding blue flames.”

Chapter 17