“You sound like you have an idea,” said Yajain.
He nodded.
“Not sure if you’ll like it, though.”
Dara took the glass from the server, gown sparkling in the fiery brilliance of Edrid’s solna hive. Captain Kebrim Ettasil took another glass from the same cup holder. Yajain and Mosam followed them into the hall, the one where that first masquerade had been held.
Mosam had been right. Yajain did not like putting Dara in danger by bringing her to the party. However, no other person in the fleet carried enough reputation to interest Patla enough for the ruling elder to provide an invitation.
As Dara’s escort, Kebrim came unarmed, wearing a similar overcoat and suit as Mosam. Yajain and Dara wore mirror dresses, Dara’s silver-laced and green, Yajain’s violet with gold lace.
The long shadow of the relic ship Scarlet Glory eclipsed the distant red glow for a long moment as the vessel passed outside.
For once, Csi Patla herself was in attendance of the ball. Despite her age and wizened shape, she wore a dress as rich and elegant as any of the others on display, black and white-patterned with a flowing skirt going almost all the way to the floor. Her glasses’ golden rims shone in the chandelier lights. Standing atop the interior balcony, she raised her glass over her guests.
“Ladies and lords, rich and wise, observe our fleet, stronger than any time since the last war’s end.”
She motioned to the shapes moving beyond the pillar’s arc field. The Crimson Sorrow sliced past, a lance of darkness the same shape as Scarlet Glory, which now floated on the edge of Yajain’s vision. Someone pointed up into the mist.
Kebrim squinted.
“There’s a ship up there,” he said.
Mosam joined Yajain and Dara following Kebrim’s raised finger to the shape of a vessel even larger than the two relic battleships. A crescent-shaped ram curved along the enormous ship’s gleaming black bow. Sleek turrets with dark weapons-barrels lined the sides of the ship. Some kind of larger weapon ran the length of the entire ship. This was no explorer, but it was easily two hundred meters longer than Castenlock.
“I give you, my friends and allies, Red Pride, the first Warfinder Class ship ever constructed,” said Patla.
“Abyss,” Kebrim said under his breath. “That ship could swallow all our rangers whole.”
“You’re kidding me,” Mosam said. “I knew Yugha was mineral-rich, but to make a core for a ship that large…”
“You boys can gape at the new toy later,” said Dara, turning to Yajain.
Yajain nodded.
“For now, we need to look for Iswenn and Unoban.”
“Right,” Mosam said.
Caisdon Suront, the weapons-executive must have overheard them. He pointed through the crowd.
“My niece is over there. Her fiancee is probably aboard that new monster of a ship.”
“Thanks,” Yajain said.
I hope he’s not on the Red Pride. That would make things difficult. She started through the party, eyes hunting for Iswenn’s face in the colorful crowd.
Dara followed close behind her.
“Any idea on what to do when we reach her?” asked Dara.
“Mosam said he had a plan. I trust him enough to believe that.”
“Did you ask him what it was?”
Yajain lowered her voice.
“We could provoke them to protect their controlling tyrant. For that, we need to find the controller first.”
“So, we’re keeping an eye on her and that’s all?”
“For now, we can’t let her get Patla alone. They have enough dust in them they could transfer the tyrant’s control to her.”
Dara shook her head.
“We’ve got our work cut out for us, then.”
“Yeah.”
They proceeded through the party toward Iswenn. Yajain slowed her pace to reduce suspicion. If Iswenn or her tyrant realized Yajain’s intentions things could get dangerous fast.
Yajain and Dara followed Iswenn at a distance, winding through dance halls and dining chambers through more sparsely populated rooms to a balcony chamber overlooking the fleet deployment, adjacent to the main room. A few meters behind them followed Mosam and Kebrim. Yajain didn’t risk losing sight of Iswenn by slowing her pace, but in doing so they lost sight of Kebrim and Mosam around a curved corridor wall.
She peered into the chamber where Iswenn stood alone, watching the bulk of the sorai exile fleet. Her dress trailed around her legs, metallic threads glittering in places. Yajain held up a hand to stop Dara from moving past her.
“Don’t bother waiting,” said Iswenn without turning around. “I know you’re there. Yajain.”
Her breath caught in surprise. Dara’s eyes widened. She shrank back into the passage.
Yajain gritted her teeth. Her hand moved to the locket around her neck. She switched on the audio relay hidden within it.
“You know we’re on to you?” she said.
“Quite so. My new friend told me not to leave you alive.” Iswenn turned, an air pistol in hand.
Yajain ducked her head into the corridor. Iswenn didn’t shoot.
“Your men won’t reach us,” she said. “I’ve had them delayed, perhaps permanently. Without weapons, you don’t stand any real chance. And neither do they.”
Yajain glanced at Dara. Her friend nodded. She turned toward the chamber where Iswenn stood, keeping an eye on the tyrant agent with a mirror on the wall at the end of the passage.
“Looks like you’ve got us,” she said.
“You don’t sound surprised. Why is that?”
“Abyss, I knew the tyrants were smart. How much control does one of them have over their subjects?”
“Why? Funny you should ask. I control her every word if I like,” said Iswenn. “For the moment she’s a puppet under my full control.”
“And Unoban?” said Yajain.
“My partner has him. By now he should be making his move to take over the new warship.”
“So, you have an end game here.” Yajain sighed. “Guess I won’t be around to see it, though.”
“Indeed,” said Iswenn. The tyrant’s control forced lips to curl in a smug sneer. “Now tell me. Even if you had a plan to stop me. How were you planning to stop him?”
The warm wall pressed to Yajain’s back caught a reverberation of shouts. Angry cries echoed down the passage. Yajain smirked.
“I’ll stop him with the same stone I just used on you. Elder Patla and her guests heard every word you said, Iswenn Kaidal.”
The tyrant must be fuming. A shudder ran through Iswenn as she advanced on the corridor where Yajain and Dara hid. Her face contorted, clearly visible in the mirror. Yajain tensed to leap on her lifts. She kept her eyes on the mirror.
Iswenn rounded the corner, keeping her distance as she entered the corridor. Her air pistol spat a high-pressure blast straight at Yajain. The shot hit her in flight. Yajain’s shoulder erupted in pain as she tackled Iswenn to the floor.
They struggled for a moment. Yajain pried the pistol from Iswenn’s fingers and tossed it away blindly. The tyrant agent shrieked. She kicked Yajain in the stomach. Yajain rolled to the floor and Iswenn got to her feet. Dara flipped the selector to nonlethal, then pulled the air pistol’s trigger twice in an instant. Iswenn pitched to the floor, dark bruises forming on her chest and forearm.
Yajain got to her feet, clutching her cut and bleeding shoulder.
“We need to find Mosam and Kebrim,” she said. “And hope the crew of that battleship doesn’t go over with Unoban.”
“Need better than hope right now,” said Dara.
They hurried down the corridor the way they’d come.
They found Mosam and Kebrim breathing hard, standing over the groaning forms of four sorai in rich clothes who writhed on the floor.
“Are you alright?” Dara asked.
Kebrim nodded, leaning on one wall. The little
blood flecking his suit appeared to belong to his attackers. His knuckles looked raw from blows. Yajain glanced at Mosam. Given his help with the audio relay using his cybernetic compartments, he had not been able to bring a weapon. One of his sleeves was torn off to the shoulder, exposing the seams in his skin and the wires connecting to the micro speakers he had placed in the main ballroom.
“What about you?” asked Yajain.
“When they saw I was wired they focused on me.” Mosam smiled, despite a cut on his lip. “I’m fine if you are.”
“Iswenn shot me.” Yajain indicated the cut on her shoulder from the air pistol’s shot. “I’m lucky she went with air over coil.”
“Guess we both need to slow down a little,” said Mosam, still smiling.
Yajain nodded. Blood stained her hand where she held it to her wound. Dara touched her arm.
“Come on, people. We need to make sure Patla stops Unoban.”
“It’s out of our hands at this point,” said Kebrim.
“No,” said Mosam. “Unoban isn’t aboard the Red Pride.”
“Then where is he?” Yajain scowled. “We need to find him.”
“His shuttle is floating in the arc field below us,” said Mosam. “He’s going to use a scanner as his back up plan.”
“What?” said Dara.
“He might not have a vosna, but he could still kill everyone in the main ballroom if he agitates one of those scanners enough to make it attack.”
“How do you know all this?” asked Dara.
“I put a bug on him earlier. Never mind that. We need to get there or there’s no chance.” He took off along the corridor toward where Iswenn lay unconscious on the floor.
Yajain grimaced. She ran after him.
“Mosam, don’t do this alone.”
“Are you coming with me?” he asked.
“Looks like it.”
“Then I’m not going alone.”
“Yajain!” Dara called. Yajain looked back. Dara nodded to her. “Catch!” She tossed Yajain the air-pistol its safety locked.
“Thanks.” Yajain’s heart thudded in her chest as she followed Mosam to the balcony in the overlook chamber. In the distance far below, she spotted a serpentine shape flying up the side of the pillar, a scanner like the one she had flown with alongside Mosam. He touched her arm.
“If we’re going to get there in time, we’ll need to free fall for a while.”
“I know. Good thing I got some practice earlier.”
“Ready?”
In answer, she jumped over the rail. Mosam fell after her. They plummeted through arc-laced air, clothes streaming around them. Yajain’s gown swam around her. She flipped to fall headfirst. Blood rushed through her. She held the air pistol tight, slowly removing the safety. They fell toward the snake-like scanner.
“Pull up in a hundred meters!” Mosam called.
Yajain’s stomach roiled. She did not reply. Air and heat washed over them. Mosam reached for her.
“I’m glad you’re here!”
A thrill of adrenaline ran through her.
“Me too!”
“Lifts. Now!”
She activated the devices in her dress with a twist of her arm. Mosam did the same with his suit. Something sparked in his ruined sleeve.
“Half lift only,” Yajain muttered. That sleeve must be more important than he thought.
She swam away from the pillar, circling to slow her descent. She reached for Mosam as the scanner raced toward them. Unoban Dask rode on the creature’s back, hanging onto the carapace near the front segment of the enormous serpent. Yajain grabbed Mosam’s hand. She pulled him to her.
“We have to work together to slow down,” she said. “Follow my movements.”
He nodded.
She spread her arms. He matched her. Yajain’s fingers not holding the pistol interlocked with Mosam’s.
“Don’t let go,” she said.
The creature was almost upon them. They flipped to descended feet first.
“Kick when I kick,” said Yajain.
Unoban drew a beam pistol from his mist coat. He aimed at Yajain and Mosam.
“Now!”
They kicked as one, providing enough force to their lifts to arrest their remaining momentum. They hovered over the scanner and Unoban, just far enough to avoid the creature’s path. Their faces were close.
“Time to let go,” she said.
He kissed her quickly on the lips, firm and powerful, warm and fleeting. Yajain’s eyes widened. They released each other. Synchronized, they reached for the bristles on the scanner’s back as it raced upward. The sharp hairs ripped at Yajain’s fingers, reopening the tender skin on the hand she’d burned on Sifar.
She held on. Mosam did the same. They faced Unoban as he aimed the beam pistol at Yajain.
Her wild air pistol shots knocked the weapon from his hand. He grunted in pain. The beam pistol plummeted out of sight. Mosam’s elbow connected with Unoban’s neck in the next moment. All the wind rushed out of the tyrant agent’s mouth.
“Yajain, can you calm the scanner?” Mosam asked, holding Unoban’s gasping form in a headlock.
She climbed up the ascending creature’s head and positioned herself before its beady black eyes. Taking a deep breath she spread her arms and embraced the scanner’s massive front.
He kissed me. He cares, maybe he always did. He trusts me. Maybe I can trust him.
“Trust me,” she said to the scanner. “Your anger will pass.”
The beast slowed. Without Unoban and the tyrant’s emotions to push the creature into a fiery rage, it lost momentum, purpose. But there is always a purpose, Yajain thought. We all have more than one reason to act. Act to save, not to avenge.
“Don’t act out of anger,” she said soft enough she feared the creature couldn’t hear her, even if it could understand her words. “Don’t act out of anger!” she cried. “It’s up to you and it always has been!”
Mosam’s eyes met hers over the scanner’s back. He swallowed hard.
The scanner glided to a stop just a dozen meters below the main ballroom. The rage that drove the creature abated. Its tail thrashed no more. Yajain climbed onto its back. She helped Mosam carry Unoban up to the balcony. Applause greeted them.
Csi Patla smiled as medical personnel met Yajain and Mosam.
“You two,” she said. “You’ve done all you can, both for my people and for your fleet. Very well. We will help you end the alien threat.”
The exile fleet drifted in the red glow. Castenlock’s shadow joined them, providing cool shelter to Haxos Mirror.
Yajain sank to the floor, adrenaline fading. Mosam sat beside her, closer than they’d ever been before.
You can get a free story from Yajain’s past “First Flight” by signing up for Tim’s mailing list at the link below. No spam.
http://www.timniederriter.com/list/
Then, read Book Three of the Pillar Universe “Ice War” available February 2019.
Thanks for reading!
Tim’s Note
I hope you enjoyed this second leg of Yajain’s adventure.
I’m honestly not sure what I was thinking when I wrote many of these scenes, but upon a recent reread I was pretty proud of the result, given how I’ve struggled at times. Editing took a little longer than I expected on this part. I hope its worthwhile.
Book 3, Ice War should be out early in February of 2019.
Until then, I hope you leave a review for this book if you enjoyed. Thanks for reading, and best wishes to all of you.
Tim Niederriter, January 2019
Also by Tim Niederriter
The Pillar Universe
Storm Fleet
Spells of the Curtain Series
Court Mage
Battle Mage
Winter Mage
Garden Mage
Traveling Mage
Fire Mage
Tenlyre
s Series
Ilsa and Blue
The Gray Lector
The Lyre War
The Root Conspiracy Series
Memory Lost
Mind Chase
Image Storm
Cell Cycle
Other Books
Rem’s Dream
Find out more at http://mentalcellarpublications.com
About the Author
Tim Niederriter is a lifelong fan of science fiction and fantasy.
He started out reading The Hobbit at a young age, transitioned into war gaming, role playing and finally writing his own fiction.
After watching Star Wars a few times as a child, he wanted to tell his own stories in fantastic universes and devised something called a Pillar Universe.
He writes, he podcasts, he blogs. Find him at mentalcellarpublications.com.
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