Ch. 14

 It took her a long time, but Nami eventually allowed herself to move away from the glass. Though the fate of her friend was unknown, there was little she could do to help her now. The thought crossed her mind that right now the leviathan might be killing Xi in some unthinkable way; perhaps she was dismembering her, or maybe she had decided to smash her into nothing. The image of these horrible possibilities sickened Nami, who was forced to sit down to relieve her wobbly knees.

Glass surrounded her on every side. A glass ceiling above securely closed her in captivity. Its only inconsistency was centered square opening which could be manually opened and closed from the outside. It was not solid, but took the form of a dense meshwork, allowing minute amounts of precious oxygen to trickle into the chamber. The ground was covered in a wood-like substance which was broken up into thousands of miniature pieces small enough for Nami to walk across without tripping. It conveyed a wonderful smell unlike anything Nami had ever experienced; she imagined that the smell must be replicating something beyond the artificial appliances with which her colony had become so acquainted, something more natural. Outside was the giantess’s room, as it normally looked. It served as a tortuous reminder of the freedom of movement which she would most likely never again enjoy.

An absolute helplessness overcame Nami, who had finally collapsed under the weight of her own defeat. Her life seemingly over, it occurred to her that she would never again enjoy the benefits of her colony. There would be no more harmonized dinners with the Calculi and their many enjoyable personalities. Never again would Nami get to listen to the anachronistic legends that Thelonius habitually repeated in comedic forgetfulness. No more festivals. And Leigh, Leigh was gone, and the two spotters would never again be able to relish each other’s company. And now it seemed as though Nami was going to lose one of the only things left she felt was worth living for, her freedom, for it had been swept away the minute she was kidnapped. Her only purpose now was, well, she wasn’t even sure, but it most likely involved her imminent death.

“Oh Leigh, Xi, I am so sorry. I was unable to help either of you. If I was faster, more perceptive I could have…” her voice trailed off, “… No. I am, was, too naïve. To believe that there could ever be any good in this world outside of Sanctuary, our home. Oh Mariah, Isabella, please help me, for I need it now more than ever.” Nami, who had been resting her weight on her ankles in a crouching position, allowed herself to fall onto her side, totally crushed. She mindlessly began manipulating a dried piece of wood in front of her, as if in some inescapable limbo.

A rumbling of feet on the floor indicated that the giantess was returning. Nami did not look up; she did not care. She had nothing left, and while the thought of death scared her, it now seemed a fitting conclusion to this tragic game she found herself forced to play. An indistinct clattering above; the time was growing near. A click, the sliding of the mesh door, and a dreadful shadow cast prepared her for an unceremonious mortality inside of her own special glass tomb. Nami closed her eyes and tried to think of something better; at least her last thoughts could be of happiness.

There was a thud beside her, and the sliding of the glass door above signaled that her prison was once again sealed. But she was still alive. What is going on she thought to herself.

“N… Nami?”

Nami slowly curved her head upward, and was greeted with a familiar face. Xi stood over top of her, her hands and knees red and scabbed, but still strong enough to support her delicate frame.

“Xi. Xi!” Nami shot up and the two Calculi embraced once again, only this time Xi hugged back, tighter than ever. They stood there for a moment in blissful relief, crying over each other’s shoulders, until they were once again emerged in darkness. Under the ominous shadow of the giantess, the two of them turned their heads to meet her eyes and found themselves yet again locked in a staring contest. Although both of them were incredibly fearful of their new master, they looked on with a hint of fascination, for it seemed logical that if the leviathan had intended to kill them she would have done it already. What her overriding purpose entailed was, like everything else in her confusing world, beyond the understanding of the Calculi, who at that moment only hoped that throughout their captivity they would be able to remain together.

…….

“What, what do you mean she is no longer with us? Where did she go, Jericho?”

“Aieté, my boy, I… I did not realize. I am sorry.”

 
Aieté looked at him with patience, as if waiting for some further explanation. “Well, can we not send a search party for her? We cannot sit here while she is out there alone Jericho!”

“Aieté… please. Understand that she is not coming back. Neither are Nami or Xi. I… I could not save them in time.” Such pain was apparent in his eyes that for a moment Aieté remained silent, taking a graceful step back. As Jericho walked off down one of the halls of their hideaway the young Calculi called after him…

“Jericho, we must go after them! What are you doing? Where are you going?” His words were becoming more and more broken the farther away Jericho went.

He quietly emerged in Thelonius’s doorway, and both men looked at each other, Jericho with a hardened soul, Thelonius with apparent resolve. Jericho was the first to speak after a long silence.

“What do you want to do, sir? What should I do? I have failed not only my sect, but the entire colony.”

“Do you remember when I was guardian, Jericho, long before I became a member of the Concilium?”

“I vaguely remem…”

“It was some years ago. I had a voracious young man under my leadership. Yes I remember that lad well, ha ha, very eager to prove his worth. Remember that this was during a time when there were fewer of us, and we were less organized. Hunger was our closest associate, and many of us could not survive the conditions of our poverty. This man had a love interest, what was her name again? Elysia, no no, Elusie, oh, uh..”

“Elusiasus.”

“That is correct, Elusiasus. She was a fair young woman… what an amazing smile she had! A very quick flyer for her age, but she was not a part of my sect. She found herself in serious trouble, if I recall correctly. Out scavenging I do believe, for she had not eaten in quite some time. None of us had, really, and no one could deny the severity of our situation. This young man I knew defied my orders. He went after her, against my will, steadfast and determined. So badly he wanted to believe that he alone was strong enough to conquer the world. So he went to her, to find and help her.”

“That is right. He went to her, and he failed. You were right all along, old man. We are nothing alone.”

“But he had the courage. Please sympathize, but my mind does not always function as it should. But if I recall correctly, he was ready to die for her, was he not?”

“That was a long time ago, Thelonius. I was younger back then.”

“Well, only by number! Where has that courage gone now, Jericho? Do you still possess it? Do you not care for your very own as you did her, for is it not your job to protect Nami and Xi, no matter what unfortunate circumstances may have befallen them?”
“What can I do, old man?! I am only one man. No. I am merely an insect. We all are.”
“We live and die together Jericho. Remember that Vilitrus was only able to find his way home because Mariah and Isabella united. Without those two girls up there who are trapped, fearful for their own lives, our colony is incomplete. We must be united, Jericho, so you must find that courage yet again and put it to good use.”

“Our colony will be forever broken with the death of poor Leigh.”

Thelonius looked to the ground, contemplative and esoteric as ever. “Do not concern yourself with such things. Just know that I love you all very much.”

…..

The blue ceramic had cooled and the beverage no longer radiated its wonderful aroma. The floor of Nami’s new prison was cold; its surface seemed to be composed of a material which would not absorb any heat. The leviathan’s absence was welcome, leaving her in a peaceful solitude broken only by the never ending chain of her memories. Nami grabbed the fabric she had been using as a blanket and wrapped it around her legs. The orb in the sky was a beautiful hue of orange, and its warm rays emanated through the window in a spectacular aurora of dust and light. Her own chest beamed. How something so beautiful could penetrate a place filled with so much sadness and suffering left Nami with an optimistic vision of the future. Perhaps it was a sign, that even the darkest places can be penetrated by hope. She prayed that in time, like the founder of her colony, her own light would similarly lead her to her own desperately needed salvation.