Page 13 of Amaros
“We’ll all be vulnerable until I’ve established my base,” Amaros said.“My knights and I will create defenses that will hide our location from our enemies.”
“How will you find your friends?”Zoe asked.
Amaros shook his head.“I’m not sure.Usually, we all arrive in the same general area at the same time.It seems Fate has scattered us this time.”
“Who is this ‘Fate’ you keep talking about?”Gracelyn asked.
They were heading away from the city that lay ahead, which pleased him.Their base needed to be secluded, so civilians wouldn’t stumble across them.Amaros turned at the next road Zoe indicated before responding.“Order and Chaos are the two entities that control every universe and dimension,” he said.“A being called Anarchy is the right hand of Chaos.Fate is the right hand of Order.She’s the strategist who is tasked with attempting to save each world and its inhabitants each time war breaks out.”
“Sounds like an awesome job,” Grace said sarcastically.“How many dimensions are we talking about?”
“There’s an infinite number of them,” the knight said.“War between the two entities comes in a five-thousand-year cycle for each world.Two opposing champions are chosen and they draw their warriors to them.Once one of the leaders and their soldiers are killed, the other side wins.”
“I saw you fighting in hundreds of wars,” Zoe said.“If each cycle begins after five thousand years, how long has this been going on?”
“How old is this planet?”Amaros said, trying to hide his bleakness.“We’ve been battling each other long before humans appeared.We were fighting each other when dinosaurs first roamed the earth.Our battles became more complicated after humans appeared.Chaos uses them as pawns, deriving joy from their destruction.Civilizations have risen and fallen in the blink of an eye to us.”
“Holy crap,” Grace said in awe.“You must be billions of years old.”
“Is he, though?”Zoe mused.“The wars only seem to last a few years or so.Once it’s over, they all go back into stasis like some kind of cryogenic sleep.They don’t age or change at all.”
Amaros nodded.“We look exactly the same now as we always have,” he said.“Only our clothing and language evolves with each new era.”
“What did you wear back when dinosaurs were lumbering around?”Grace asked.
“Leaves, mostly,” he replied in amusement at her fascination.
“Did you ever fight a T-Rex?”the kid asked, green eyes widening.
“One of my knights was eaten by one during a battle with our foes,” he said.“Not even we were brave enough to take on the large carnivores.We blundered into its territory by accident.”
“It must be so strange to wake up every five thousand years to see the world has changed so dramatically,” Zoe said, directing him to turn onto the highway.
“Fate always imbues us with knowledge, so we arrive prepared,” he said.“I must admit that the changes this time are more extensive than usual.”
“Do you always end up here in America?”Gracelyn asked.
“We’re sent all over the world,” Amaros said.“We were in what’s now known as Egypt the last time we fought Chaos’ minions.The Egyptians were the most advanced beings we’d interacted with at that stage.”
“The pyramids must have been new back then,” Zoe said, sounding as awed as the teen by now.“You guys are time travelers.”
“In a sense,” he agreed, feeling weary beyond description from the weight of just how much time had passed.
“How did Order create you?”Grace asked.“Did someone give birth to you in the Void?”
“I remember suddenly becoming aware of my existence appearing as I do now,” the knight said.“Fate appeared before me and told me of my destiny.My team was created in the same way.We’ve fought by each other’s sides since time began.”
“You miss them,” Zoe said, picking up on his nostalgic tone.
“They’re like my brothers,” Amaros said.“It’s always painful to see my men fall in battle.I take comfort knowing they’ve returned to the Void from whence we came.”
“From whence you came?”Grace repeated.“You sound so old sometimes.”
“It’s hilarious,” Zoe said, dredging up a smile.Grace seemed to be coping with the Rapture and subsequent fallout, but Zoe was still trying to deal with her loss.
