“Yes, she is. She has mastered the art of remaining hidden, which is easier on Carnelian since it is mostly covered by water. She lives underground on a diminutive, otherwise uninhabited island. A native of Carnelian, she retreated to the island after the Archon took control and chose to remain in order to protect the library.”
“Library? Oh no...”
Qusam chuckled. “It’s all right, my friend. You won’t have to go diving to get to it. Besides, the library is not our main destination, though it is notable for surviving Aqtal’s purge.”
“Sounds interesting,” said Aphiemi. “I love books.”
“And I as well, Ambassador,” said Qusam. “There are also scrolls, maps, and many other items of curiosity.”
“Okay, so what will Sienna know?” asked Ryle.
“Being so close to the Archon, she will know secrets that most others will not. She doesn’t stay in her hole all the time. She makes occasional outings to the other islands. And she can shed more light on Zermal as she has had encounters with him in the past.”
“She’s met Zermal?” said Ryle.
“Yes. They were not the most pleasant interactions.”
“What do you know about him?” asked Ryle.
“Not as much as I should. His work has been shrouded in mystery, though I know it pertains to the combination of magic and technology. And it has a name. Oh, what was that?”
Ryle’s eyebrows raised. It was rare for Qusam to not remember something.
“Oh, yes...Jishara.”
“Jishara?” said Ryle.
Qusam nodded.
“But wizards use technology all the time, right?” said Ryle.
“Well yes, but this is a perverse melding of the two. Again, that’s about all I know, and even that is second-hand knowledge.”
An orange light blinked on the dash. Ryle punched in a response. “It’s Jyssa, letting us know they’re on course for Topaz. I hope Von’s okay. He’s a tough guy. He, oh, wait a second!”
Both Ryle and Qusam said at the same time: “Deathblood!”
Aphiemi’s head turned from Ryle to Qusam and back. “Huh?”
Ryle shook his head. “I can’t believe we didn’t tell Jyssa about that. She should know, especially now.”
“Hmmm, perhaps. Either way, her mission is fraught with danger. I doubt we could have dissuaded her, though,” said Qusam.
“Family trait,” said Ryle. “But we would know if Mitchett was killed or not. He must be alive!”
“What’s Deathblood?” said Aphiemi.
“It’s a long story,” said Ryle.
Aphiemi checked the dash. “We have three point two hours until destination.”
Chapter 28
A jolt to the ship woke Malaiya. She peeled her face off her brother’s head, on which she had been leaning for the past couple of hours. She stretched her neck and shook Brayden on the shoulder. “Hey, we’re stopping.”
Brayden opened his eyes and yawned. “Where are we? How long was I asleep?”
“I don’t know.”
“About which one?”
“Either! I fell asleep too.”
Dozens of other kids around them fidgeted, some waking from sleep. Jammed into the Archon cruiser’s cargo hold, rows of children were strapped into their places by a lone safety strap around their waists, just enough to keep them from sliding around the ship. The kids sat on the floor with their backs to each other for support; the Archon couldn’t be bothered to provide actual seats. Once the ship came to a complete stop, the older kids unstrapped themselves and jumped to their feet from stored up adrenaline, ready to fight their captors—not the best idea.
The exit ramp hissed open, and with the cranking sound of rotating metal gears it lowered, thudding to the ground and kicking up puffs of dirt. Morning crimson light streamed in through the opening, making Malaiya squint. She assumed they had left Onyx and was hoping to at least leave the dust and dirt behind, but the latter prospect appeared dim.
A battle-hardened warbot, carrying an enormous blaster rifle, marched up the ramp, its metal feet clanking up the ramp. Shrapnel damage peppered the bot’s chest. Two zealous teenage boys, previously on the verge of jumping the guards, rethought things and backed away. The warbot stopped at the top of the ramp and its mouthpiece opened. “You have reached your new project location, Archon World Six, also known as Topaz. You have two days, perhaps less, to complete your project. You will search for the items. You will know them when you find them. Fresh tools will be distributed.” The bot turned and clanked back down the ramp.
Archon soldiers from the ship’s bow marched into the cargo hold, ordered the kids to unstrap themselves, and herded them forward toward the ramp.
Malaiya stumbled up onto her numb legs and pulled Brayden up by his right bicep.
“Ow! Don’t pull so hard.”
“If you would move faster I wouldn’t have to.”
Together they followed the pack down the ramp onto the dusty plains near the hills. City lights flickered in the distance.
“Looks like we’re near the capital,” said Malaiya.
“How do you know?”
“Because I pay attention to things. I read. And there’s a bunch of tall buildings over there.” She pointed to the buildings, their outlines barely visible in the hazy morning light.
“When do we get to eat?”
“I don’t know and don’t ask. You know what happens to the kids who ask.”
Brayden put his head down.
After a few minutes, the group stopped their march. Kids began disappearing up ahead in between two warbots standing on either side of the group. As Malaiya and Brayden neared the warbots, she figured out the group was being marched down into an underground mine.
A soldier handed them each a shovel. “Dig.”
“Yeah, I know what this is for,” said Brayden.
Malaiya’s hand shot over Brayden’s mouth as they descended into the darkness. Sporadic electronic torches diffused soft light through the tunnel.
He pushed her hand off his mouth. “I bet if we made it back here I could outrun those stupid bots.”
“Don’t you dare.”
“I’m sick of this, Mal! Now Mom and Dad will never find us unless we do something.”
Malaiya understood but also wanted them to stay alive. “The robot thing said two days. Just hold off for two days before doing anything crazy.”
“We’ll see.”
Chapter 29
The last time Rez saw Jacinth, he was fleeing from a pursuing Ryle just after betraying him. It was only a matter of time before Ryle would be hunting him again, so he worked swiftly.
He knew all the tricks to pass through Archon checkpoints undetected, a feat made easier flying an Archon freighter. He guided his ship by night down toward a key mining and communications installation in the wintry tundra continent of Qalabra in Jacinth’s far southern hemisphere, a facility he had previously visited. An Archon vessel of this type was not unheard of here but not frequent. He did not respond to the hailing calls for identification, though the voices calling seemed more on edge than they should have. The freighter descended toward a spot next to the installation, not at the proper landing zone. He didn’t want to waste any time. The ship’s landing gear extended and sunk into a foot of hard snow.
Rez exited the ship and braced himself against a gust of bitingly cold wind. Over the past few months, his formerly hard wizard body had experienced “softening.” The extreme cold bit into him like never before, as if his very veins were freezing up. He steeled himself and stomped across snow toward the installation’s door. Each exhale threw a burst of foggy breath before him.
He banged on the door twice and stood to the side. The door slid open. Rez grabbed the arm that emerged, threw the trooper to the ground, and twisted his neck—almost frightened at how easily that move came back to him. He glanced in the doorway and, with pistol raised, entered the facility.
Rez crept down a corri
dor, seeing no one. He rounded a corner and came upon two guards who were clearly unprepared for such an intruder. He blasted them both down and reached a sealed entryway into the main sensor room. Red lights and stern signs warned uninvited guests. He tested his handscan...didn’t work. The lights remained red. I suppose Aqtal banned my access rather quickly.
He dragged the higher-ranking dead guard to the handscan reader. The guard’s hand appeared to register, but the red lights didn’t change. Rez pulled the door lever but it was still locked. He noticed another handscan on the other side. That was not there last time I was here.
He dragged the other dead guard over to the other handscan station. Rez had little choice but to test himself. He held the first guard’s hand to the scanner and cleared his throat. A simple melody floated from his lips toward the second guard. The guard’s hand floated up and smacked the hand console. The lights went green and with a subdued clank the door unlocked.
Rez dropped the guard to the floor, gulped a breath of air, and composed himself as he reached over and twisted the door lever before it auto-relocked. He stumbled into the room as the door closed behind him. The use of harmonious music was still a strain as all his previous efforts had fallen limp. Or perhaps it was not so much the harmony but rather the tug of war between it and the noise of darkness.
An unhelmeted officer stood up from the main control console. “Who are...Rez Gelibor, is that you? I wondered who was so brazen as to park right next to the station.” The man’s straight black hair resembled Rez’s—not much style, fit for regimented military service.
Rez straightened himself upright. “Captain Kelpar, you’re still in this stinkhole?”
Kelpar sized him up and down. “Rez, this is highly irregular. You’re on Aqtal’s—”
“Kill on Sight List?”
“Yes, the KOSL, among other lists,” said Kelpar, whose only weapon was his holstered pistol blaster. He wouldn’t be able to grab it quick enough to best Rez. Kelpar’s hand moved toward the comm button on his black chest armor.
“Don’t,” said Rez, pointing his blaster directly at Kelpar’s head. “Please.”
Kelpar’s hand stopped. “Since we’re talking, I am intrigued to know why you’re here.”
“I’m trying to save a soul from a distorted path.”
“You know I can’t help you.”
“This is your chance to do something meaningful with your thus far pathetic life.”
“Such smooth words of flattery, Gelibor. You have moved me.”
“You have served him for far too long.” Rez inched closer, pistol still raised.
“Some of us don’t give up after such short stints.”
“Aqtal will give you nothing for serving him. Am I wrong?”
“Hmmm, you are today.” Kelpar smacked his chest comm and reached for his pistol.
Rez blasted Kelpar in the chest at the exact spot of the comm. As Kelpar collapsed to one knee, his armor machinery sputtered and puffed with smoke. Rez blasted him two more times. The force of the blasts pushed Kelpar backward against the wall, breaking a glass enclosure covering an over-sized purple button. Kelpar’s back pressed the button, then he slid lifeless to the floor. Rez hoped he stopped the comm transmission but couldn’t be certain. However, a potentially bigger problem threatened.
The main scanning console blinked purple. Rez had prayed it wouldn’t come to something like this. Kelpar had activated the function preventing anyone but a dark magic user from opening the scanning and information system.
But this was worse. It was different. It was not ordinary dark magic. It was the Zermal brand—a wicked melding of magic and technology. He examined the control board desperately hoping for another way to override it.
There was not and he knew it.
Was this security device crafted just for Jez? Zermal should have been too busy on Onyx to spend much time here. Rez kneeled and meditated, though forced to employ a counter form of meditation to what he had been recently practicing. He closed his eyes and let his inner world drift toward dark music. His knowledge of Jishara was scant, yet on occasion Aqtal let Rez be exposed to it to see what kind of reaction it would produce. It never quite took.
Rez was no expert in this hybrid form of magic, but he could, if he tried, conjure up enough to get the job done—and it would tear his soul open. He stopped, stood, and paced the room back to the door. I shouldn’t do this. I have made so much progress.
He glanced through the room’s window slits in case anyone else was near and checked basic sensors to ensure minimal activity outside. He placed his hands on the console controls, closed his eyes, and drew from wells deep within. The harmony and the discord mixed within his soul. They clashed. Light filled his mind, then darkness. Because of his missing left ear, he felt himself out of balance. The music ebbed and flowed in his mind, and then twisted.
A dark noise bellowed from his mouth and reverberated throughout the room, shaking the other stations. The flashing purple stopped. The scanning console lit up with yellow. Rez collapsed to the floor, fighting for consciousness. He took deep breaths and pushed himself up, not allowing himself to lay there. He must stay alert and awake.
After a hazy minute, he regained composure and pulled himself back up into a chair. He had to move quickly in case any dark wizards were afoot and sought him out. His interior world was too chaotic to win a magic battle.
Rez engaged the initial sensor sweep. The readings came back with the expected: a few trooper platoons overseeing digging operations in the northwest and northeast quadrants. Aqtal was always digging, always searching. He never quit. Aqtal’s tenacity paid off because he kept finding useful things. Now he was on to diamonds…but why?
In the scan for specific lifeforms, none of those detected resembled Jez. Jez may have been elsewhere on Jacinth, but unlikely since Qalabra was the center of the planet’s diamond activity. Aqtal was known, though, to move operations around to confuse the enemy and even his own troops. Aqtal enjoyed keeping people off balance; it made them easier to control.
Rez accessed ship log information, confirming substantial outbound shipments within the past few weeks. Jez probably left with those. Rez clenched his fists and resisted the urge to punch the console; denting the controls just might ruin his search. Brother, how could you be so stupid? But I followed Aqtal too, of course. Jez, why didn’t you learn from me? He recalled when they were children: Rez tried to teach Jez how to hike, explore, and build things in the forest—Jez was never interested, never keen on learning much from Rez.
He sat in silence, fighting to calm himself. He pursed his lips and whistled. A gentle melody tiptoed from this mouth. In his years serving Aqtal as a double-agent, and then openly as his right-hand man, Rez had never whistled. Strangely, Aqtal never allowed whistling among his wizards. As a child, Rez whistled frequently. It had brought him joy until on one occasion his mother complained his loud whistling hurt her ears. He never did it again.
His whistling grew louder and louder, and his foggy soul grew clearer and clearer. His exhaustion dissipated. A full song came and went, warming and calming him, and eventually his whistle quieted to a whisper. He would need to reflect and meditate on this experience—but not now. His attention snapped toward a certain classified ship log flashing on the screen: FR41 D887 C-JG; HC HD/AM~AW1.
“That’s it!” he proclaimed aloud. Freighter 41, departed at 887...earlier that day! C-JG indicated the commander of the mission was JG—Jez Gelibor. Headed to Hyacinth, the capital of Jacinth, and later bound for Had, Amethyst—Archon World One.
Rez had him.
Chapter 30
Aphiemi rose from a brief but much needed nap on the cot in the Arrow’s cargo hold. For a military ship, it had decent amenities. A nice enough bed, edible food, and even a shower. This was top of the line special forces equipment.
She stretched her arms, picked up her comm, and noticed a message from Tevin: “Had big meeting with the faction leaders. Things start
ed out good, but then took a step back. Will keep you posted.” It pained her to leave Onyx behind, for that type of work was what she was born for. But with the battle won and her trusted aides there, not to mention Prys and Edward, she could rest it was in good hands. She must allow herself a break from her life of diplomatic work to focus on other things.
Such as Ryle.
Seeing him again affected her more than she had anticipated. The little things came rushing back. His smell. He always smelled of shrapnel and plasma fumes, yet it’s what he smelled like and she missed it. And his facial stubble. Did he ever shave? And his hair. It wasn’t that long but was always a bit too scruffy. She searched through drawers and cabinets in the cargo hold for hair clippers—no success. She suddenly felt silly for looking. Why would an elite military ship have hair clippers? You never know—they might need to cut their hair as a disguise. She slammed a drawer shut.
If she married Ryle, would life always be like this? She wouldn’t normally go on his missions of course. Thus far in their relationship, they had not figured out how to make their respective careers coalesce. Ryle’s job was obviously important, but so was hers. She felt deep down he would do whatever it took to make it work though he hadn’t quite articulated the words exactly the way she wanted to hear.
Her diamond, which she rarely went without, sparkled up at her from its necklace. She hoped Sienna the Wizardess, whoever that was, might have answers for her. This wizard stuff was still fairly new to Aphiemi, but she couldn’t deny its relevance especially after the battle over Ochuroma. This diamond she wore, which she could not fully embrace yet could not reject, emanated something to her soul she couldn’t put into words. Technically, she could marry Ryle without this particular diamond. But something told her that was an impossibility. This was the one he gave her.
“Ambassador?” said Qusam, entering her area of the cargo hold.
“Yes!” she said, throwing her official grey robe back over her white sleeping garments.
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