Cierra noticed small flecks in whatever Hubard was smearing along the ship. “Jaedo’s showing Theo some body manipulation techniques, then I think they’ll be good to go. Hubard, what is that stuff?”
“Hmm?” The old man lifted up the brush he was using to dip into a bucket of shining liquid. “Oh, this? It’s an experiment I’m working on. I had a thought that if Relissarium dust was mixed with paint, we might be able to give our ships a stronger defense against any incoming enemy fire.”
“Does it work?”
Hubard tilted his head from side to side. “Well, it’s still a work in progress. Mixing it with the paint means that there are some places that have more paint and less Relissarium. I’m working on identifying the correct number of coats to ensure that the Relissarium has maximum effectiveness.” He frowned to himself for a moment. “Of course, if I had more Relissarium dust, it would be easier. Right now, I just have what was left over after shaving down the mineral slabs to cut out the lasana blades. Oh, well. Waste not, want not.”
Theo and Jaedo joined them by the ship. Theo noticed Cierra’s snicker as he waddled over to them. He pointed his finger at her. “Oh, shove it. I don’t want to hear it.”
She couldn’t keep from smiling. “You walk like a duck with gout.”
Narrowing his eyes at her, Theo put his hands on his plumper-than-usual hips. “I’ll remember that the next time you want something.”
“Ha!” Cierra rolled her eyes. “When would I ever want something from you?”
Hubard cleared his throat. “Ahem. Are you all ready to go?”
A unanimous nod came from all three. Piling into the ship, they waited for Hubard to start the engine. Theo, Cierra, and Jaedo braced themselves for the takeoff, strapping into their acceleration couches. A pack sat at each of their feet. The g force was intense. It wasn’t long until Hubard had closed the distance between their basecamp and the target planet.
Theo felt a knot in his stomach. It was his first mission since accepting the role of Hulaki. Knowing that he was chosen by Batumah to take on the role did little to ease his nerves. Instead of the fate of his team, or the Carbonari, he was now responsible for the fate of the entire galaxy. He had thought that scouting the base would help put him at ease, but it hadn’t.
Hubard came over the speaker in the passenger compartment. “We’re almost to your drop point. I’ll only land for a second, so be ready. There’s a homing beacon in Theo’s pack. When you’re ready to be picked up, hit the button. It’ll send out a signal and I’ll come back to get you. Leaving the ship on the planet might draw attention. It’s been a few weeks since the raid on the last imperial base, but Makram isn’t one to let security lapse. Be careful out there.”
The ship made its descent. A few feet from the ground, the craft held steady enough for them to jump out easily. Theo landed firmly, and spun around to help Cierra down. She tentatively reached out her hand to take his. There was a small pause when she landed in front of him. Theo’s thumb brushed across the top of her hand. The soft caress made her cheeks burn. She jerked her hand away, and went about scanning their surroundings. Jaedo jumped down beside the two of them. He filled his lungs with the fresh air of a foreign planet. Once the three of them were on the planet’s surface, Hubard closed the door and rocketed into the sky.
Cierra checked her pack and strapped it to her back. It was held very securely, with both shoulder and waist straps. Each pack had a built-in jetpack along with some meager supplies. She secured the clasps around her waist. “Well, what now, Theo?”
“The base is in the middle of a clearing. There won’t be any cover once we get past the perimeter of the trees.”
She raised an eyebrow at him. “How exactly do you plan on getting us in then? We can’t jetpack in. They’ll see us.”
Theo flashed her a cocky smile. “We can take the jetpacks to the edge of the tree line. After that, I’m going to make us invisible.”
She scoffed. “Have you forgotten that your gift is body manipulation?”
He held up one hand as an example. “Not at all. After watching Jaedo’s technique with avoiding incoming stab wounds, I started to think differently about my gift. If I can manipulate my body, why can’t I make it invisible like Makka and Fabois?” His hand faded until it was see through.
Jaedo wheezed out a laugh. “That’s pretty clever. Maybe you’ll be better at this whole Hulaki thing than I thought.”
Theo squinted at the Josti. “Wait, you didn’t think I’d be able to do this?”
Jaedo shrugged his shoulders, and stretched his stiff muscles. “All the Josti, the Aphaians, and the Verbash kind of assume that the prophecies about Hulaki are about one of their own. It never really occurred to me that our savior might be a different race.”
“Oh.” Theo tried not to take what Jaedo said personally. He hadn’t really had time to consider what everyone was expecting Hulaki to be. He had only been focused on getting back at the imperials and bringing down the emperor. Batumah had chosen him for the role, but that didn’t mean there wouldn’t be doubters and scoffers.
Cierra placed her hand on his shoulder. “Try not to overthink it.”
“Huh?”
She sighed, as if she were explaining something to a child that hadn’t been paying attention. “Batumah chose you, because of who you are. All you have to do is be yourself. Just be Theo. Everything else will fall into place.”
Theo nodded, and tried to smile. “I hope you’re right.”
She gave her pack one final adjustment before walking to the edge of the outcropping Hubard had left them on. “I know I am. Now, come on. Let’s get this mission going. It’s already hot and humid. The sooner we get off this planet, the better.” Without waiting to see if the other two were ready, Cierra leapt off the cliff face. She let the wind rush past her for a moment before she triggered her jetpack.
Jaedo nudged Theo with one of his elbows. “She certainly is quite a woman. You’re lucky.” The Josti leapt after Cierra.
“Yeah. Lucky.” Theo secured his jetpack. His feelings about Cierra had only gotten more complicated during the time they had spent with one another. At times, he thought that she felt the same, but he wasn’t sure how much of that was just wishful thinking on his part. Theo stepped off of the edge of the cliff. The wind roared in his ears. In a matter of seconds, he was racing after Cierra towards the line of trees that marked the perimeter of the imperial base’s grounds.
The three of them landed at the edge of the forest, still covered by trees and underbrush. They pulled off their jetpacks and stashed them in the undergrowth. The white building in front of them glistened in the hot sun. Guards patrolled the grounds. There seemed to be more people on the premises than Theo had seen previously. He chalked that up to the guard having less men on the nightshift. They watched for a few minutes, just to make sure the patterns of their patrols were the same.
Theo turned, and whispered to Jaedo. “Do you think you can make your body invisible?”
Jaedo squinted at his hand. His forehead was beaded with sweat. After a few minutes, he looked up, defeated. “I can’t seem to get it to work for me. Maybe if I had more time to practice…”
Holding up his hand, Theo shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. I should be able to make it work for all of us.”
“How?” Cierra looked at him in confusion.
Theo reached out, and touched her arm. “I can heal others. That’s a type of body manipulation on other people. Why wouldn’t I be able to make you invisible, too?”
Cierra watched, as her arm faded out of sight where he was touching her. Without saying anything, Theo slid his hand down her arm until he was holding her hand. He touched Jaedo’s arm, and all three of them became invisible. Slowly, they made their way across the grounds to the armory. The sun beat down on them relentlessly.
Having made their way cautiously and fearfully from the tree line, the three of them pressed themselves against a guard post for a moment, le
tting the guards move along on their patrols. Jaedo whispered thoughtfully, “Maybe the reason you can turn invisible isn’t because of body manipulation.”
Theo hurried them forward through a gap in the patrol. They were almost to the armory. “What else could it be?”
A few larger strides placed them in the shade of the imperial weapons base. Jaedo glanced around to make sure no one had detected them. “Maybe it’s just part of you being Hulaki. Maybe you aren’t limited to one gift the way the rest of us are.”
Theo contemplated what Jaedo had said. “I never thought about it—”
“Shh!” Cierra reached over to clamp her hand over Theo’s mouth.
Two noisy guards positioned themselves in front of the entrance. Theo had been over the grounds and the blueprints. There was only one entrance. They would have to squeeze past the pair somehow. He had to think quickly. Making the three of them invisible was draining on him, especially in the heat. If he kept it up much longer, he would be useless later.
Theo gently guided the other two away from the door and around two corners, to the back of the building. Behind the armory was a pile of used up parts that the imperials were trying to repurpose for other ships. Crouching behind the pile, and making sure Cierra and Jaedo would be hidden when he let go, Theo broke contract with them. He let his body go back to its usual shape, freeing up his lasana blade.
In a few quick strokes, Theo cut a hole into the three story wall. If Jaedo’s theory was correct, then he would have enough strength to turn the chunk of rock about its vertical axis, like a revolving door. He pressed his hands against the wall. It was a struggle. Clenching his teeth, Theo shoved his shoulder against the stone. Slowly, the chunk began to move. The muscles in his arms tensed against the strain. It was difficult, but he was managing it. After a few moments, there was enough of a gap for them to slip inside the base.
Theo stumbled inside. His arms were shaking from effort. Brushing the sweat from his forehead, he motioned for the other two to follow him. Once the others were inside, Theo pushed the piece back around its axis to cover their tracks. He made sure to conceal his lasana blade one more time.
Cierra looked at him. He could tell she was worried, even before she said anything. “You’re not looking so good. Do we need to turn back?”
“No.” Theo’s answer was definitive. “We need to try to get more weapons for any supporters we can recruit. I’ll be fine. I just may not be able to cloak us the whole time. That plus covering my lasana is taking more energy than I thought it would.”
Jaedo unsheathed his infintium blade. He seemed unphased. “The Josti have battled for eons without invisibility. There’s no need for gifts when a skilled sword will do the job.”
Cierra’s eyes were glued on something in the corner of the hallway they were standing in. “Theo?”
“What is it?”
She pointed to the sphere in the corner. A red light pulsed in the center. “I don’t know, but I don’t like the look of it.” Cierra took a few steps to one side. The sphere didn’t move.
Theo squinted at it. “Is it some kind of laser or something?”
Shaking her head, Cierra moved to get a better look. “I don’t think so. If it was a laser, surely it would have fired already, right?”
Theo stepped closer to her. “I don’t know. Maybe.”
“Stop!” Cierra held her hand up to keep him from moving.
“What?” He immediately paused.
She kept her eyes on the sphere. “Theo, take one step back towards where you were.” As he moved, the glowing, red dot seemed to track his movements. “I…I think it’s watching you.”
Theo took an experimental step to the side again. The sphere rotated a little to keep Theo in view. “I think you’re right.”
Jaedo swirled his blade through the air beside him. “We’re about to have company. Get ready.”
From around the corner, imperial soldiers flooded towards them. Theo raised his blade. If they wanted a fight, he was going to give them one. Theo and Cierra stood side by side. Behind them, Jaedo turned to face a wave of soldiers coming at them from the other direction. They were cut off.
With a battle cry, Theo started to charge towards the soldiers. He managed to cut down a few with his infintium blade before metal cannisters rolled towards them across the floor. Sparks flew from Cierra’s blade. She battled against two guards, as smoke started to fill the hall. Jaedo dodged a sword from a lunging imperial. Coughing, Theo struggled to get a good breath. The gas was thick. It smelled sickly sweet and clouded his vision.
Looking up, Theo realized that the guards had pulled masks over their faces. He gave one more good thrust, nicking the closest guard in the femoral artery, before he fell to his knees. “What is this?” The gas stung his eyes. Coughs wracked his body. He tried to heal through it, but it was making him lightheaded. “Cierra?” Theo turned to see her laying on the ground. She was already unconscious. Her blade was useless in her limp hand. He collapsed to the cold, stone floor.
Before he passed out, he heard Jaedo’s body collapse behind him. The last thing Theo saw was the imperial guards closing ranks around them. One of them kicked Cierra’s boot. She didn’t move. He wanted to reach out, to cut them down right where they stood, but his body wasn’t listening to his brain anymore. His vision swam. One of the guards grabbed Cierra’s ankles and started dragging her down the hallway. There was nothing Theo could do. With one final, rattling breath, Theo’s eyes rolled back into his head. The gas had won.
Four
Cherish dug her fingers into the cliff face. Wind whipped loose dirt into her eyes. She glanced beneath her to where Makka and Fabois were tethered to her with a strong rope. “Are you guys doing okay back there?”
Makka’s arms were shaking from exertion. She struggled to find a new foothold. A few pebbles were kicked free when she moved her foot. “How much further is it?”
Turning his head quickly, Fabois dodged the debris his wife had knocked down. Dust covered his head, and left muddy streaks down his cheeks. “You can do it, Makka. It can’t be much further. We can rest once we get there.” She let out a small whimper as a response, but kept climbing.
A familiar limb jutted out of the cliff. Cherish’s eyes lit up. “There! I saw that limb in my vision last night. We’re almost to the guard station.”
Makka let out a shaky breath. “Are you sure this is going to work? What if they don’t listen to us?”
The same worry plagued Cherish’s mind, but she didn’t want them to know that. They needed reassurance. “The Mithunan parliament is being called together to talk about the attacks on the monastery. Hubard was able to intercept some of their transmissions. They’ve been attacked, the people are afraid, and they need help. They’ll listen to us, because they have to.”
The three of them continued on their climb. The higher they went, the sound of rushing water became clearer. The air was misty. Cherish gave the signal for Fabois to start using his gift. It would be better if they were invisible when they reached the top. That would give them a chance to assess their surroundings and decide on their next move.
With one more heave, Cherish pulled herself over the edge of the cliff. She could hear the other two making their way up the final few feet of rockface. The rope tied around them helped to spread their cloaking gift to Cherish, hiding her from view. She heard Makka collapse beside her. A small puff of dirt rose around the smaller woman. A moment later, Fabois was perched on the ledge by his wife.
In front of them, the Jamanaba Falls created rainbows from mist and sunlight. Different types of algae tinted the water in hues of reds, purples, and greens. Lush shrubbery surrounded the pool of water at the base of the falls. It teemed with radiant life.
Cherish sucked in her breath. “It’s so beautiful.”
Fabois massaged the worn callouses on his hands. “I thought you already saw all of this in one of those dreams of yours.”
“Seeing something with your min
d’s eye, and seeing it in person are two different things. You can see a photo of your wife, but seeing her in person is even lovelier.”
He flexed his fingers, and stretched out his sore legs. “I suppose you have a point there.”
To their left, a guardhouse was constructed out of woven wooden branches and large leaves.
“Shh!” Makka hissed at them. “Someone’s coming!”
A sentry poked his head out from inside the guardhouse. “Who’s there?” He squinted into the layer of mist around the ledge. His hand went to the sword strapped to his hip.
Cherish waited until the guard was within reach. She slowly stood up, and quieted her breath. He moved towards Makka. In order to coax him back, Cherish let out a low whistle. When the guard turned back towards her, she quickly wrapped one arm around his neck. He choked as if an invisible force was keeping him from breathing. In a few moments, the guard fell unconscious. With the help of Makka and Fabois, Cherish placed his body back inside the guardhouse.
Fabois closed the door to the guard’s shack. His hands were still throbbing from the climb, but the day wasn’t over yet. “What do we do now?”
Through the mist, Cherish could see the stone staircase carved into the side of the waterfall. “There’s a staircase that leads to a cave behind the waterfall. That’s where the meeting’s being held. Do you think you can keep us hidden until the right time comes along?”
Taking a moment to analyze his remaining strength, Fabois scanned the staircase. “As long as you don’t take too long deciding on when the right time is, yes.”
The three of them walked towards the staircase. The stones were slick from the spray of the crashing waters. Cherish took point again. She took her time to allow Makka and Fabois to follow at a comfortable pace. Following the stairs, they saw the opening of a cave. It was hidden behind a curtain of cascading water. Voices inside the cave were muffled, but it sounded like the meeting was heating up.
Stepping inside the mouth of the cave, Cherish saw a ring of stone seats jutting out of a pool of crystal clear water. The parliament was comprised of several Josti, a plant-like being from Verbash, and an Aphaian. The Aphaian was seated on a raised seat in the center of the pool. He was perched higher than the rest of them, and exuded a powerful aura. Guards armed with infintium blades were posted around the inner wall of the cave.
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