The Metal Firefly

   The convertible shifted sideways before Dew set it on auto-pilot as they shot out of the Kadakha skies on their way to Regent. 

   “Shall I put us in stealth mode?” asked the computer as Dew ran up to the upper deck. 

   “No need,” said Dew, “just slide the top.”

   “You got it.”

   “Thanks, Alo. There’s supposed to be a meteor shower!”

   Dew pulled out the recliner but didn’t sit. She stood below the spaceship’s glass roof, looking at about three lonely stars that had gone out a little too early. The strips of cloud drifted so that they looked like they were making way for them and the dim thickened. Dew knew. She knew that the minute the stars were no longer visible, they would have been out of Regent and on the border of Serultina. 

   Serultina. She knew what was waiting for her there. 

   There was nothing she feared nor loathed more than the monster that was hiding within its sand tombs. 

   Serultina.

   She still carried with her the turmoil of the last time she stepped foot on the cursed planet. 

   Alo knew this and slowed down, cruising gingerly on the most amazing spot in the Regent Interskyways. A few more stars showed up and Dew can now see the Blue Asteroid. Now, that… That was a fun place. But I’m not heading there. She sat on the recliner and pressed on the orange button to order a Tequila Sunrise. It came up in a few seconds and she took a sip. It was starting. 

   They were still deep in the horizon since Dew decided not to go through hyperspace so she can only watch it as if she was on top of one of the control towers in her city. Still she had a clearer view with the help of Alo’s magnification feature. The yellowish grey rocks flew over her illuminating the stars they left behind them even more. The skies were now thick with stars and Dew knew it would only be a matter of minutes before the sky’s show was over and she would have to face her own. 

   There had been an accident, they said. The tombs that were supposed to be sealed, never to reopen again had somehow freed themselves from the spell. There can only be one mage she could think of who was capable of making such a thing happen. What she couldn’t think of was a reason why she would. Elridge was a powerful woman. A little stout and short but powerful. But the tombs had cost her two of her students and the love of her life, Ashla, in her one encounter with the monster. And though Dew had known her to be one of the most vengeful mages in the world, Elridge was not a fool. No one can defeat the monster. They both knew that. Perhaps her rage had taken over her? Impossible. So who would be behind this? Or what? 

   The last of the meteors had passed and the stars slowly disappeared. Dew sighed and motioned to close the top but decided not to. She would have to face this. This time. No more hiding. Now what did the Braithwaif Monster want from her? And why her? Why was she chosen? She had failed massively on the last mission because she didn’t listen to Elridge. They were finally floating in the heavy Serultina skies and they stopped in Plath for the rendezvous. 

   One by one, spaceships appeared most of them emerging from stealth mode. Not everyone had the privilege of a safe passage as Dew and Alo. They saw the tower’s signal and they went back into their ships to make their landing at the Plath Interplanetary Deck. 

   What did the metal firefly want? Would she be trapped again in its sticky dune waters? These were the thoughts going on about Dew’s head as she stepped down her craft to join the rest of the group. Master Avery was waiting for them at the entrance. She lifted her staff and motioned for them to follow her in. Dew trailed behind noting every member of the new crew. There was the golem, Richter from R-14, the fire-breathing hulk from Cazakstan, Mistress Reeze, the witch from the Golden Kingdom, and a few others she didn’t recognize. One of them had a wand almost like hers tucked neatly in his tunic belt and one was carrying what she could only guess was a laser gun. She counted eight but didn’t know what the other three were carrying or what species they were. 

   The Plath Interplanetary Deck looked just like the sky ports in Dew’s planet only grander and… well, shinier. Master Avery led them to a wooden elevator at the end of the middle station. 

   “Behave yourself now,” she said to the fire-breathing hulk, “or we’d all suffer a most painful fall.” He answered with a growl.

   “How far down are we going?” said Richter, the golem. His voice was as cold as he looked. 

   “You will know soon enough.”

   By the 10th level down, Dew started to suspect they were headed to the sacred circle where the high mages convened but they stopped three floors above it. They went into a room with metal walls through a metal door. Protection from the hulk, Dew thought. She heard that he had quite a temper. 

   “Welcome to Plath,” said Avery. “We do not have time for chit-chat. We never did. You all know why you were called here--”

   “Err master?” said Dew before she could stop herself.

   “Yes, Dew,” she said, almost exasperated.

   “My question is why us or well, why me? You know…”

   “Yes, I am aware of your failed mission, sister. As does everyone around here.” Dew blushed but didn’t protest. “You all know what you are called here for. Now to answer your question my dear, dear, Dew, each of you was chosen because I know of your motivation for accepting your tasks the last time we were here. In this predicament, I mean. Yet here we are again. And though those motivations may have changed, I am also a seer and I know that each of you have the heart to see this through no matter the history of your last encounter with the Braithwaif.”

   “You mean you know we are ready for the sacrifice,” said the guy with the laser gun. “I don’t think that remains to be true for me.”

   “As for me,” said the witch, Mistress Reeze. 

   “Well then,” said Avery, “let me tell you another thing we all already know. Whatever life in which you believe you can return, consider it blown to ashes if we... you don’t--”

   “What I’m saying is,” said Dew, “there are other more capable individuals who would make for a great crew. Now I don’t speak for all of us but for myself.”

   “Then leave. Unlike the previous mission, this one you choose to partake freely. This, you can leave whenever you wish, ever it comes to…” Avery trailed off. 

   “It’s that bad, huh?” asked the witch. 

   Master Avery sighed. 

   “Come with me.”

   She led the crew to the control room where they watched, each with painful flashbacks, the havoc that was taking over Serultina. The sand tombs were opened. The citizens were running about, some of them dying as they burned to the ground. The monster had managed to close all teleportation stations and no one could escape. Plath was near the Regent border, in the outskirts of the planet so the chaos hadn’t reached them… yet. They were to stop the madness by facing the Braithwaif once again and one by one, offer him their propositions in exchange for peace. The monster, vile as he was, was a diplomat they said. But one that was very hard to please. 

   “Still here, Dew?” said Avery. 

   “Question.”

   Avery sighed. 

   “Is Elridge coming?” 

   “Glad you asked. For that is first and foremost, your task. You are to convince her to join the crew and help her through it all.”

   “Help her? Have you gone mad? Only one person can face Braithwaif at a time--”

   “The strategy will work. If you listen to your orders this time around,” Avery said sternly. “I trust you have learned this?”

   Dew stood up and thought about leaving but sat back down. 

   “Good. Now we’re running out of time. And just to save you from wasting more of it let me just call each member by name. You will stand up, answer and ask no questions and once I am done with all of you, you are off.” 

   The hulk’s name was Coldrun, the guy with the laser gun was called Marlon, the wizard’s name was Riorden, Camilla was the name of the lady with glittery blue skin, and there were two ordinary humanoids from their own planets named Wesley and Hail. Dew was the ninth and if she could get Elridge, she would be counted as the ninth as well, they were told. And off they flew. 

   They didn’t split this time. Each of them was given their own quarters in the Amaryllis. The flower ship was not as big as the last one but it had all the necessities and more than enough protective gear, so they were assured by the Mother of Mages, Master Avery. Their first stop was to drop off Dew in Elridge’s tower. From there, the two of them would rendezvous at the tombs should Dew be able to convince her to join them. 

   “Did you do it?” was Dew’s first question to her friend when she welcomed her to her main hall. 

   “You know the answer to that,” said Elridge. Her voice spoke of power despite Dew towering just a little over her. “Why in Serultina would I do such a thing? Me of all people.” 

   “I don’t know El,” said Dew as she threw herself in Elridge’s lounge chair. “But are you coming? We need you. I need you. In fact, I don’t think any of those folks stand a chance. We almost had him--”

   “Almost,” said Elridge sternly, “is the operative word. No, I didn’t do it. But I might consider your offer.”

   “I… didn’t make any.”

   “If you agree to give up the Mithridale to me once this is over, I will do everything in my power to take down Braithwaif.”

   “No one can--”

   “I know that. But I know how to stop him. This time, I am certain.”

   “I own the last of the potion and it would last me only long enough until I retire. You are making me doubt you, Elridge.”

   Elridge laughed coldly. “If I wanted the most powerful potion to combat my inability to focus, what is so absurd about it? Wouldn’t you want it if it weren’t with you?”

   “It’s not that. It’s almost as if…”

   “What? I would open the sand tombs for this? I want what’s yours but that doesn’t make me a fool. If I had a deathwish, this is not the way I wish to go.”

   “You said you know of a way to stop him…”

   “That is enough.” Elridge took a breath. “I will accept your offer only…” She walked close to Dew so that their faces were almost touching each other, “if you sign the binding vow.”

   Dew walked to Elridge’s glass wall overlooking the city. They were still in Plath. 

   “You’re after my drugs.”

   “Yes, we’ve made that clear. Now do you want to save Serultina or not? I believe your friends are waiting and are counting on you not to fail this time.”

   “They’re not my… Alright, fine! But saving Serultina isn’t at all my top priority.”

   “You want something from me?”

   “Yes. Your return scepter.”

   Elridge gasped. 

   “You want my only armor. I want yours.”

   “Did you plan this?”

   “No, of course not. But now that you’ve opened the gates to negotia--”

   “Why do you want it?”

   “There is something I want to change and,” Elridge tried to speak but Dew put a finger on her friend’s mouth. “If I succeed, none of this would need to happen.”

   “If you succeed, then I cannot have the Mithridale!”

   “I say it’s a fair deal. All the more that I can ensure you will in fact stop Braithwaif.” 

   The two sealed the deal with their wands, signing their agreement in each, their flesh. Elridge and Dew rode on her flying rug and off they flew to the sand tombs. 

   The party was apprehensive of their late arrival but they briefed them of their plan as efficiently as they could. Once they initiate contact, the Braithwaif will stop wreaking havoc to the planet, momentarily to entertain each of their proposals. They all agreed for Elridge and Dew to come last, each accepting their fate that it was only by their failure that he would be open to Elridge’s proposed agreement. They cannot close the tombs this time. They either die or everyone else does. 

   Coldrun came first, voluntarily thinking that he could burn the metal firefly to death. His offer was rejected and he ended up being the one in ashes. One by one, they faced the monster with Mistress Reeze coming right before Elridge and Dew. 

   “Listen,” she told them, “I did not come here to see or well, not to see us fail. I know I cannot win though I will do all I can but if you really want to put an end to this, you must give up everything.”

   “What does that even mean?” said Dew.

   “Wait,” said Elridge, “if it’s that simple--”

   “I see you understand,” said Mistress Reeze.

   “If it’s that simple, then why can’t you stop it?”

   “Because I cannot do what I am asking you to do. I too, have a signature in my flesh. That much I can say. I must proceed now. Remember what I told you.” And the witch took off in her broomstick into the doors of the sand tombs. 

   Elridge and Dew stepped into the half-opened boulder of the giant sand castle. It was fortified by the mystical waters that the Braithwaif produced with his chromium tongue. The metal firefly awaits in his throne. 

   He had horns as sharp as the tree gates in Elridge’s tower and Dew had only noticed it then. Braithwaif laughed as he flapped his metal wings, shimmering with the glow of stars he had devoured before the tombs were closed. 

   “You again!” he growled at the two of them. “Let’s see. What nonsense do you have for me this time?”

   “Braithwaif,” said Elridge. “I hereby offer you my dear friend, Dew in exchange for the peace in Serultina and the rest of the galaxy.”

   “What?!” said Dew. 

   Braithwaif rubbed his chin. “Ah, another trick. What makes you think she would agree to this, little lady?”

   Dew thought about it. Mistress Reeze told them they had to give up everything. 

   “Why should I take her?”

   “I have the last of the Mithridale,” said Dew, in Elridge’s surprise. “Take me and all of it will be yours but it’s not for you to take. I will consume the potion and do your bidding. Each and every time.”

   “I see the vow you have made inside your skin. That means your friend doesn’t get what she wants and you don’t get her scepter, after all. I do not understand this trickery.”

   “It’s no trickery,” said Elridge. 

   “Both of us know what we want.” Dew nodded at her friend. “Take me and you will rule Serultina without destroying its people. Now imagine what kind of king you would be.” 

   With this, Braithwaif flapped his right wing and threw Elridge flying out of the tombs. The sticky waters from the ground started rising, wrapping Dew motionless in mid-air. The metal monster extracted the potion from her robe and as he marvelled at it, started opening its cork. He knew only mages can consume it but he was King now. The rules of magic don’t apply to royalties in Serultina. He took one gulp of the Mithridale and in an instant, Dew was freed from the sand waters. She ran out as soon as the tombs started crumbling and the last thing she heard was the metal firefly’s cry. She found Elridge unconscious just outside the opening and lifted her onto the rug. Her return scepter was broken on the ground. She left it and flew them off back to Plath. 

   As she and Alo passed Regent on her way back to her planet, she watched the stars, now thicker after most of what Braithwaif had consumed had returned to their corners of the sky. Nothing will ever be the same again.