The Heart of Dunamis

Dunamis loomed below the ship. Its towering trees tore through the clouds, branches intertwining one another like a work of art. Perhaps she would have taken a moment to appreciate the planets sheer beauty if she wasn't gripping to the edge of the ship for dear life. Maeve's heart thundered against her chest, feet swaying beneath her as the contents of her breakfast nearly made an appearance.

"I can't do it."

"Stop acting like a child," Captain Aloisa grumbled behind her. The captain gripped Maeve's shoulders and shoved her off the ship.

Maeve's scream was lost in the bitter wind roaring past her ears. The wind tore her long hair from her braid, blinding her as she plummeted through the sea of icy clouds, approaching the jungle beneath her at an alarming rate. Her clammy hands desperately clawed at her pack. Her body flipped through the air, mind quickly becoming disoriented. Maeve was certain her stomach would not be able to handle the spinning much longer. Her chest burned, unable to breath as the wind forced its way into her lungs. Her fingers grasped the latches hanging off her pack. Without thinking, she pulled them as hard as she could. The parachute released, her body jolting backwards as it snapped open. Maeve blinked furiously, fighting off a black haze that lurked in the peripheries of her vision, threatening to consume her entirely.

***

Maeve rocked gently back and forth. She opened her eyes, allowing them to adjust to the dark forest around her. The humidity clung to her blouse and trousers, already damp. The foliage above blanketed the sun. How long had she been asleep? Her parachute wrapped around the trees in a tangled mess. She tugged on the latches of her pack, but they didn't budge. Her breathing grew ragged as she furiously tugged at the parachute rope. Her eyes scanned the forest in desperation - the others were nowhere to be seen. She and the captain were the last two to jump. Had she landed so far away that no one would ever find her?

"Help!" She screamed. "HELP!"

Screaming seemed futile in the vast jungle, and a waste of breath, but she was determined not to become bait for the beasts that lurked on the planet's surface. Salvation arrived in the form of a grumpy captain and half a dozen soldiers. Maeve swore when Captain Aloisa emerged from the bushes, she could see smoke pouring out of her ears. Aloisa ordered one of the soldiers to cut Maeve down.

A tall, lean soldier stepped forward - Devland - Maeve believed was his name, scaled the tree with impressive gracefulness, quickly cutting each of the ropes. She dropped to the ground without warning onto a lush carpet of blue moss.

Aloisa marched towards Maeve, scrutinizing every inch of her. Maeve stood there awkwardly; arms crossed in hopes no one would see she was still shaking from adrenaline.

"Why didn't you jump?" Aloisa glowered, eyes narrowing.

Maeve's cheeks grew hot. She curled her arms tighter around her torso, wishing she could melt away into the shadows of the jungle. "I-I-"

Aloisa shoved her shoulders. "Why didn't you jump?" She asked again, this time her voice rising with anger.

Maeve's shoulders shuddered. "I was scared."

The captain shoved her again, this time sending Maeve sprawling into the dirt and foliage. Maeve tried to scramble away from her, but Aloisa grabbed her collar, leaning over Maeve, face inches from hers. She seethed between her teeth, "The only reason you're here is because your father is a powerful man. That doesn't mean you're cut out for this mission." She shook her head, dropping Maeve's collar and backing away. "That behavior will get us all killed."

Captain Aloisa turned on her heel, joining the rest of the group. Turning their backs on Maeve, they spoke in hushed tones. Maeve swallowed hard, biting the inside of her cheek in a pathetic attempt to prevent further embarrassment from the tears threatening to betray her.

Kavi, a scientist who had helped her father develop Lumin-tech, showcased his tablet proudly, revealing a detailed map he had created that he believed would lead the team straight to Dunamis' power source. The screen flickered on and off. Kavi's brow furrowed. His fingers moved quickly across the screen, but nothing happened. Maeve sensed the fear in his voice as he spoke. "Something's wrong."

Captain Aloisa went rigid, her voice cool and calculated, "What is it?"

"It's the forest," his voice quiet. "Whatever energy is fueling this world is messing with our tech."

Maeve looked down at her wristlet. The newest addition to Lumin-tech. It was equipped with weapons, directions, and could even scan plants and roots to determine what was edible and what wasn't. She tapped the screen, but it didn't respond to her touch. Instead, the screen flickered, smoke trickling from its edges. Maeve's eyes widened, ripping the wristlet off as quickly as possible, throwing it to the ground.

Ehren, another solider in the team, spoke up, "Mine isn't working either."

Could they survive this mission without their Lumen-tech? Without Kavi's map, would they be able to find the source - assuming the beasts didn't eat them first?

"Can you get us to the source?" Aloisa addressed Kavi, her voice urgent.

Kavi gulped. "I... may be able to recall the way without my map."

Maeve hoped his memory was as good as the technology he helped her father create.

The captain ordered Kavi to lead the way and the team began their daunting trek through the eerie yet beautiful jungle.

Ehren and Tav followed close to Kavi, Lumin blasters ready. Mallory and Deirdre, two more highly decorated soldiers in her father's army, passed out rations as they walked. Everyone here had never lost a battle. They had all proved themselves worthy enough of this mission. Except Maeve. She rose shakily to her feet, trailing behind the group. Aloisa was right. She was only here because her father was the king. Her father forced her to join the mission because he was desperate for his daughter to be accepted by the people - just as he had earned their acceptance when he discovered the Lumin ore decades ago. Maeve was only here to prove herself worthy to rule her future people. Since her father was the king, Captain Aloisa didn’t argue when the king pushed Maeve onto the ship and waved goodbye. But that didn’t mean the captain wanted Maeve to tag along. Since leaving their home planet, none of the soldiers had spoken a word to her besides off handed remarks - insults they thought she couldn't hear, grumbles, complaints. She wasn't under her father's protection anymore and Maeve lacked the confidence to stand up for herself. They were right. She was quickly realizing how much of a liability she was. What did she have to contribute? She had no weapons. No skills unless embroidery or lettering would help them survive this jungle. Though she was gifted with impressive hearing, it didn't make her extraordinary in any way.

Vines fell in tendrils around the trees. Spores rained down from large flowers growing high above them, their petals opening and closing as they passed. The earth was barely visible under the creeping moss and brambles that made up the ground they walked on.

Maeve had grown up with stories of this planet. There were rumors of an ancient power source hidden within the runes of the planet that was said to be the reason behind the planets thriving forest. With the Lumin ore almost depleted, her father believed retrieving Dunamis' power source was the only way to save his failing technology.

Maeve moved slowly through the jungle, tripping over tree roots and rocks coated in slippery lichen. Maeve attempted to follow Devland's footsteps, who scaled the terrain gracefully. She glared at the back of his head, knowing she looked positively ungraceful - and unattractive for that matter. You're a princess, she told herself. At least try to act like one. Maeve straightened her shoulders, a pathetic attempt to appear more confident and athletic than she actually was.

She jumped at the sound of his voice. He turned his head slightly, glancing back at her. "Did the king force you to come along?"

Maeve's eyes darkened. They may have ridiculed her since they left their planet, but her business was not his own. "I can make decisions for myself."

"You couldn't even jump off the ship," Aloisa remarked. "The hardest decision you've probably ever had to make is choosing what color shoes go with your dresses."

Aloisa's retort resulted in a handful of snickers from the group.

"I can help," Maeve said meekly. Another round of laughing. Maeve dug her fingernails into her hands, cheeks growing hot once again.

"Don't let them treat you like that." The wind rustled past her ear. Maeve's head snapped up, looking around. She glanced behind her, expecting to see someone or something starring back at her. The woods were silent. There were no glowing eyes looking back at her. No whispers in the wind. She shook her head and followed the group. It was just the wind.

As they walked, Maeve couldn't help but wonder if the power source within this planet could actually replace the Lumin ore once it was depleted? Was it powerful enough to sustain the plethora of energy required from the Lumin ore that had industrialized their planet?

Maeve dazed off as they walked, lost in thought. Her eyes weren't following her feet as they walked. She tripped on a tangle of roots, falling into a pool of sand that swallowed her. The sand filled her lungs; darkness overcame her vision. She kicked and pushed but couldn't find the surface. Then she was falling. Plummeting deeper into the abyss - towards Dunamis' core.

***

"WAKE UP!" The voice shouted in her ear.

Maeve's chest heaved, eyes snapping open. Boiling water filled her lungs. She thrashed her arms wildly, following a bright light shining through the water. By the time she reached the surface her lungs were so tight they felt like they were about to explode. She coughed, throat raw, blisters forming on her skin. She quickly paddled towards the shore, crawling onto the jagged rocks.

One by one she watched, Devland, Ehren, Tav, Mallory, Kavi, and Deirdre pull themselves onto the shore, coughing and gasping for air. They had followed her into the sandpit.

Captain Aloisa plummeted from the darkness into the boiling lake. She dragged herself onto the shore, glaring at Maeve. The captain stomped towards her; hand raised. "You stupid, little-"

Maeve crippled under the captain's blow. She rubbed her jaw, feeling a knot already forming.

"No, no... I think the princess has left us directly to the planet's source of power." Kavi looked around in awe.

"Maeve... this way..." A cool wind brushed Maeve's cheek like a ghost, turning her head towards a dark tunnel behind her.

"Did anyone hear..." Maeve's voice trailed off as she turned to the beasts that had captured everyone's attention.

They emerged from the shadows, six sets of sickening yellowed eyes narrowing in on their prey. Fungus grew from their hunched backs, their leathery skin coated in a slimy moss. Their lips were upturned, low growls emitting from their barrel-like chests. Maeve's blood ran cold. She moved slowly towards the tunnel, not daring to turn her back on the beasts. Devland raised his blaster at the beasts but the Lumin ore within the blaster fizzled onto the floor. The beasts sprinted towards him, taking the solider down in a matter of seconds.

Maeve screamed, hands flying to her mouth. She turned, running blindly into the tunnel. The other soldiers tried to fire their blasters but the Lumin technology failed them all. The beasts advanced before they even had time to draw their daggers. Their deaths would only buy her so much time.

"Almost there..."

She skidded to a hand when the corridor opened to reveal a small barren room, the only light emitting from a wall covered in glowing vines. A dead end. She was trapped. A cool breeze wrapped around her arms like a blanket, tugging her closer and closer to the wall of vines.

The vines parted in the breeze, revealing a large, twisted staff melted into the stone, decorated with colorful lichen and a beautifully carved silver ore. Maeve's eyes widened as she looked upon the staff in wonder. Dunamis' power source. The one thing that could save her father's failing technology.

The beasts caught up to her, having finished with the soldiers. They crept towards her, their long fangs dripping with blood. Maeve paled, a shiver running down her spine. She pressed herself against the vines, allowing them to envelop her as she braced herself for their attack. Instead, they sat back on their haunches, circling her. Waiting.

The heart of Dunamis, the source of the planets power, called to Maeve once more. "The power I can give you will finally show everyone you are worth something... you do not have to be scared anymore, princess."

She backed away from the wall and stared at the staff, feeling the pull of its power, beckoning her. She brushed away more of the glowing vines, revealing a button hidden within the wall. It was surrounded by ancient runes burned into the stone. Her fingers trailed over the runes, resting her hand over the button that could release the energy pulsing through the staff. Power the beasts listened too. Power that allowed the trees and plants to flourish. The stone button emitted heat beneath her fingers, warming her body and sending a pulse of energy through her. Maeve gasped and jumped back. For that fleeting moment she felt...

"Invincible?"

The runes on the stone button emitted a soft red glow, luring her towards it once more. Fog circled around her ankles like chains. The beasts moved in closer, growing impatient. Maeve shook her head, hands trembling. She wasn't strong enough to hold this kind of power. "I can't do it."

"Wielding this power will set you free... this is the only way you will earn the acceptance of your people..."

Maeve shook her head. It wasn't just about earning the acceptance of her future people; it was about making her father proud. Showing him she was worth something.

"Maeve!?" A distant voice called.

"Ignore it."

"Maeve!?" The voice drew closer. Captain Aloisa. She had survived the beasts' attack.

Maeve turned, temporarily forgetting about the button. "In here!" She called out. The beasts snarled their fangs, moving to guard the entrance. Aloisa appeared from the darkness, sweat beading her brow, covered in blood and limping. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head and she collapsed on the floor. The beasts pounced on the captain.

"NO!" Maeve shouted at them, desperately trying to push them away. They reluctantly slinked into the darkness.

"You don't need her," the voice whispered. The beasts whimpered in agreement, licking their lips.

Maeve fell to her knees beside the captain, ignoring the voice. Aloisa's eyes fluttered open; a painful groan escaping her chapped lips. As Maeve looked upon the Aloisa's mangled body she almost pitted the cruel captain. But she didn't deserve to die. "Can you save her?"

The voice didn't answer. The breeze returned, turning her cheek towards the button once more. Maeve stood with her head held high and walked across the room. Her fingers hesitated for only a moment before she pressed the stone button into the wall. The staff was released. It hummed with electricity as Maeve grasped it in her hands, its power surging through her, ready to burst, ready to finally be used properly - not just for growing colorful plants and tall trees. The power contained within the staff, now flowing through Maeve's veins, was stronger than any Lumin-tech her father had ever developed. The beasts circled around her, ready to respond to any order she had to give.

Captain Aloisa grunted; her face contorted in pain as she pulled herself into a sitting position. Maeve expected praise. She had found the source; they had succeeded in their mission. Instead, the captain looked upon her in horror, scrambling away as if she had just seen a ghost. Maeve nodded to the beast closest to her. Without hesitation, the monster launched itself at the captain, gripping her collar in its mouth, dragging her back into the room. The beast spit the captain out at Maeve's feet.

"This is hardly time for one of your shenanigans," the captain croaked, sweat beading her forehead. "Give me that staff before you hurt yourself. You don't know what-"

Maeve had endured enough of this ridicule. If obtaining Dunamis' source wasn't enough to prove herself, then Maeve would just have to dispose of the captain. She nodded her approval at the beasts. They didn't hesitate, silencing the captain upon the request of their new master.

"Don't let anyone step in the way of your potential," the heart of Dunamis whispered.

Maeve smiled to herself, ready to demonstrate her control over this beautifully wicked power to her future kingdom.