Adasion

Word was sent out. To every citadel, to every corner of their country. It was time to go. It was time to choose. The Welcoming had begun.

Intimidating alabaster marble pillars lined the High Hall of Asa. Grey marble shone on the floors and a long thick deep purple rug traced the way to the throne. Above the hall was a wooden galley built to hold hundreds. And hundreds came.

Bright colorful Asans wore neon and bold colors. Their fashions were waist-tied sarongs that fell in a wide strip over their groin. Their shoulders were covered by either vests with or loose shirts embroidery of the elements. Their necks and arms were decorated with ornate jewelry with large precious stones. Some of their jewels glowed with power. The noblest among them had the boldest colored hair. Some were shades of neon, or deep rich colors. They stood and sit on the first floor in semi-circle seating that was split by the main aisle. Their presence alone radiated power. But none was forceful as the Red King.

The middle class sat above them, overlooking the High Hall. Their hair was in pastel tones, their clothing a bit more modest.

The least powerful Asans waited outside the hall. Their masses sounded like the sea.

In the Hall, voices reverberated as they sat excitedly gossiping on thick cushioned seats. Their oohs and aahs grew as one by one ruddy beasts, bathed and decorated in splendor, walked down the aisle, carrying an open ornamental wagon with a crystalline pod. Each of the golden pods held a human. Frozen in time, but alive.

Unloading the pods from the wagons, the elves lined them horizontally among the pillars. Then the ruddy beasts changed shape. They stood on two legs in the form of more elves, these shapeshifters had orange hair.

The Red King watched impassively on. His heir, Prince Hirote, could not maintain a façade of indifference. They looked the very reflection of the Red King. Humanoid in appearance, they had clear medium brown skin. Their shockingly red hair denoted his power. Their long pointed ears twitched. They held a smirk as they watched in pride. Finally, Asa would rise. Their country may have won the war, but their losses had been a heavy blow. Many of their talented perished. The Gongre Confederacy lasted longer than what the military advisers predicted.

The Council of Elders approached the side of the dais, their brown hair denoting their age. Their wrinkled faces were filled with various emotions. Some cheer, others pity, one sorrow.

One spoke up, “My King, have you noticed we received an odd number of pods this year?”

The Red King nodded their head, “Unless one of the nations did not uphold the treaty, we have all the pods from Lysara and Gongre. We checked the global detection map. None were overlooked.”

“Then why do we have 41? It is odd…”

“I do not ask why onto the fates.”

“But we’ve always had even numbers appear on this continent. Every continent. And the one we found was near no one. Some are wondering if it had arrived another decade and had been overlooked. The place where it appeared was one of the destroyed cities. And its color: it’s dark, my king. It could be a sign of weak power.”

The Red King looked at the darker pod then at the rest. The others were light and bright, shining with life. This amber pod glowed steadily. It did not pulse like the others. Was the human inside sick? The other figures hidden in the pods moved occasionally. This one did not.

“I also must report that the translation spell worked, but as you know it’s difficult to translate our language to theirs. Their odd gender translations alone…”

“That is a minor thing if they still understand the basics. The Training Center will teach them our biology, culture, and about the planet. Let’s not wait any further.” The Red King seated themself on their throne with a sigh.

The audience grew louder as even more Asans crowded the gallery. One of the Elders cleared their throat and tapped a wide, heavy staff on the marble floor. A quick hush fell in the echoing hall.

Stepping forwards with their arms outstretched, the oldest elder with skin like crushed paper, opened their mouth and began to sang with a thin, reedy voice. As their first voice died, the king and their heir joined the next verse, followed by the nobility seated on the edges of the first floor. Finally, those in the galley joined in. Power gathered from the air and the Adasions, flowing towards the outstretched hands of the elder. It glowed in gentle sparkles and drifted with soft ease. It was calm, warm, joyful, and beautiful. Enough gathered in the hall to outshine the daylight outside. Taking the power towards him, the elder closed his eyes and gently blew upon it.

Scattering, the light fell upon the pods. One by one, the pods melted away revealing human women. With each one opening, the crowd tittered and exclaimed.

The women were young, around 20 years of age. Each one had differing features, body shapes, and coloring. Opening their eyes, women whispered, cried, some where confused, others in awe of the beautiful music. One in pajamas asked if she was in Heaven. Another in jeans and her college shirt declared that they must have been abducted by aliens. A redhead laughed maniacally.

One of the pods opened and the hall filled with groans. It was a young man, fair, with pale skin, blonde hair, and blue eyes.

A voice spoke from the throne, “Well I guess we must pay the Earth stipend to him as well. Where was he found?”

“In our territory, Dominator.”

“Damn it. I guess we can’t send him to the tribute nations then. Unless you want him, Ambassador?”

Ambassador Zarvik of Lysara shook their head. Another Ambassador besides them from Gongre winced. They knew the Red King was testing them.

There was a third Ambassador who was ignored by the Red King. A woman. She had her fiery hair in intricate braids which twisted around her head. Large white feathers reached outwards, framing her face. Her face was painted white but she also was painted with small blue triangles emphasizing her eyes and her chin. She popped open a fan to hide her reaction as she stared at the young man. “If I could, I would take you to my country, Una’Ta. Unfortunately, our relations with the elves are strenuous at best. Humans can claim asylum a short period of residency.”

The young man shivered as disdainful eyes watched him. “What’s going to happen to me?” He motioned to the other humans around him, “What are you going to do with them?”

A strong hand clamped down on his shoulder. “Stay here and wait quietly for the ceremony to end, human.” The young man frowned.

A wave of murmurs came from the furthest side of the Hall.

“What’s going on?” Prince Hirote demanded.

“Sire, one of the pods is not awaking,” the oldest elder answered.

“We cannot complete the ceremony until all of them open! Follow my lead!” Prince Hirote began the awakening song with notes that were more passionate. Sensing the urgency in the call, the others in the Hall rejoined. Hearing the internal music, with what little power they had, those waiting outside belted the chorus.

Power gathered once again, and the elder motioned to them, “You learned this song since you were a youngling. Go. Lead the awakening.”

The humans held their breath as the energy gathered, this time tinted red. The Prince blew on it once again. Some of it entered the humans gathered, but the rest flowed into the darkened pod.

Its light suddenly died.

The pod dissolved revealing a woman in a tailored grey pantsuit with a red collared shirt. She was mid-thirties, much older than any human Welcomed in the past. Her skin was clammy and pale. She did not stir and laid like a sculpture wrapped in red.

A gasp came from the gallery. A sea of whispers came. One of the tributed women was dead!

Watching the ceremony, Zarvik, the Ambassador of Lysara, held back a curse. They knew this pod was found on the border town destroyed by the last war. She should have gone to Gongre or Lysara! These Asan thieves forced a future connection of their people to travel a long journey when she was in a precarious state.

There was no birth on the Adasion planet. However, human women were able to connect to the planet and call the growth of powerful fledgling Adasion. Whichever clan allied themselves with the women had influence. Every Adasion knew this. What a loss from the war! They would be stuck with a whole half-century of having to stand by and watch the Red King lord over the prizes of their kingdom.