When she finished, Trett spoke, his voice hesitant. “Besides making you wear those eights, how did Merak treat you?”
“He—he treated me well, most of the time.” Ellin closed her mouth, determined to keep some details of her captivity private. Then she remembered her unwillingness to tell anyone about her meeting with Merak. Look where that got me.
She moistened her lips. “Trett, he never hurt me, except one time he made me keep the eights on overnight. He actually made me feel . . .” She trailed off, swallowing tears, looking away. “Oh Trett, I let him hold me.”
Despite her best intentions, one tear escaped. Then, all at once, she was crying uncontrollably, complete with snot bubbling out of her nose. She couldn’t look at Trett.
A handkerchief found its way into her hand, and she wiped her nose and eyes, though it was a hopeless endeavor. Trett’s hand rested on her knee, and she found the courage to look in his eyes.
He was holding back his own tears, which made her cry harder. “Rona saw that,” he said, his voice breaking. “Ellin, I’m so sorry.” He offered her his arms and held her in a hug that surpassed the perfection of the one earlier that night.
The touch was calming and cleansing, and after several minutes, her tears subsided. When she pulled back, Trett simply said, “I’m sorry we didn’t get there sooner.”
“I’m glad you got there at all. How’d you do it, Trett?”
He told her about the message to Merak’s wife, and she nodded. “That was smart.”
He laughed softly. “Between Rona and me, we had just enough brains to come up with it.”
A comfortable silence fell between them. Ellin filled it with a tentative smile, which Trett returned.
“I guess we should talk about stopping Merak,” he said.
“We should.” Ellin took a deep breath. “But not yet.”
Trett raised his eyebrows.
Ellin felt something in her break, something that had been there for years, and through the gap, she let the words flow as freely as her tears had. “I care about saving the world, and I want to move on after that and do something big with my life. Maybe I’ll be a surgeon, or a journalist who won’t bow to Merak. I don’t know. And despite all those dreams, I’m well aware that we have almost no chance of stopping him, and we’ve probably only got a little over a day left to live.”
She tentatively took Trett’s hand, and he didn’t pull away. The words still insisted on coming out, but now she had to push them past the lump in her throat. “Being in that room, there was one dream that filled my thoughts more than all the others. Even more than saving the world.”
“What was it?” he murmured.
“Trett . . . I just wanted to see you again.” She swallowed. He was watching her expectantly. Her voice came out in a whisper. “I don’t want to follow my dreams alone anymore. However much time we have left—even if it’s only a day—I want to spend it with you. Please tell me it’s not too late.”
His face broke into a smile so wide, the shallow dimple in his cheek turned deep. Pulling his hand from hers, he ran gentle fingers down both her temples and over her ears, making her shiver. Finally, he cupped her face in his warm hands. He leaned toward her, close enough for her to feel his words as distinctly as she heard them, and whispered, “It’s not too late.”
He kissed her gently. Clearly he was being cautious for her sake, knowing what she’d been through, and she loved him for it. But she didn’t want tenderness. The same something in her that had broken open, making way for honesty, had also made a way for passion. She pressed against Trett, her mouth telling him the wordless story of her pain and fear and, above all, hope.
Rona’s door opened, and her pragmatic voice interrupted them. “Plenty of time for that later.” It was a crazy statement, probably the most false thing she could say at that moment.
Ellin pulled away from Trett, annoyance overpowering her embarrassment. Or maybe the embarrassment had fled along with her reticence? The thought made her smile, and she kissed Trett once more, a deep, hungry kiss, simply because she could. Then she sat up straight and called out to her sister, who’d walked into the tiny kitchen. “Rona, I suppose you want to talk about the end of the world?”
“No. I’m just getting some water.” Her voice sounded weary. “We’ll make our plans in the morning. We should really all get some sleep.”
Ellin watched as her sister walked back to her room. Her eyes were red, and exhaustion made her face look years older. What was it like to be Rona? To be battered by prophecies, some of which she couldn’t even share?
Rona glanced back at Ellin before entering her room. Ellin gave her a small smile. Rona blinked and nodded.
Despite the promise of sunrise in a few hours, Rona couldn’t sleep.
Shrouded prophecies from the past few weeks tumbled around her brain. She lay back on her pillow, stringing the scenes together.
I know what tomorrow will look like.
She knew most of it, anyway. She knew what Trett and Ellin would do, where their plans would work and where they’d go wrong. Their facial expressions, gestures, and words played in her head like a film on a loop.
Rona just didn’t know how she fit into it all.
She sat up, hunched forward, and rubbed her aching temples. What was she supposed to do with all these visions when she didn’t see herself in them and couldn’t share them with anyone?
What if I did know my role? My future? Rona chewed on the thought. Having foreknowledge of Ellin’s and Trett’s actions was infuriating. She knew if she tried to change even the smallest detail, she’d freeze up. If she were in the visions too, it would be even worse. She’d be an automaton, acting according to cruel predestination, unable to even scratch her nose unless it had been foretold.
I’m free.
The truth washed over her, and she sat up straighter, mouth hanging open.
She’d always thought of her gift as a type of bondage, tying her inexorably to a fated future. The falsehood of that belief nearly bowled her over. She didn’t know her own destiny. That meant she was the only one who was truly free. No, she couldn’t change the world, but she could control her interactions with it.
“I can do whatever I want.” She whispered the words, and then a laugh escaped her mouth. Her eyes darted to the door; she didn’t want to wake Ellin and Trett. Oh, who am I kidding? They’re not sleeping.
For once, the thought of them making out in the next room didn’t bring on queasy jealousy. They’d been under as much stress as her, far more in Ellin’s case. They were as unsure of their own futures as she was of hers. Let them have their fun.
Rona’s thoughts turned inward again. I’m free. So what do I want?
The answer was clear. She wanted to support her sister, making the most of the last day before the apocalypse. Maybe it wouldn’t make up for eight years of coldness, but it would be something.
The decision washed over her like warm, soothing water. A small smile settled on her mouth and lingered there—until an image of Kizha’s face intruded on her contentment.
Kizha. Her best friend who could’ve been more, who still had no idea what was going on but had helped her every time Rona had asked.
A month ago, Rona had seen Kizha die, seen all the color flee from her lovely face and dark, curly hair. Rona had watched Kizha’s perfect green eyes turn into unfocused, lifeless orbs. That vision had replayed in her mind dozens of times a day since then.
Lately, she’d avoided Kizha, contacting her only when necessary. She didn’t dare warn her of the coming apocalypse and couldn’t tell Kizha her own fate, even if she wanted to. What else is there to talk about?
Everything. Rona clenched her fists, pressing them against her lips. She’d muzzled the truth for years, and now all the words she’d carefully restrained were begging for liberation. At this point, what was there to lose?
She turned on the light and picked up her crumpled flex. Fighting off a silly, giddy flutter, she
firmed the device, pulled up Kizha’s contact, and pressed the icon for a video chat.
Kizha’s face and shoulders filled the screen. “You’re up late.” She smiled, but even the expression was shallow, like all their interactions had been lately.
Rona opened her mouth, but it was so dry. She licked her lips. Swallowed. Here goes nothing. “Kizha, I need you to know something.”
Kizha’s eyes widened in concern. “Okay?”
Rona swallowed again. This was harder than she’d thought it would be. She opened her mouth, expecting to stutter and hesitate, but the words tumbled out, breaking through her reticence. “I’m in love with you. I think I have been almost since we met. Kizha—I love you. I do.”
She took in air, ready to release more captive words, but what she saw on the screen halted all her logical thoughts. Kizha’s smile was one Rona never seen on her face before, gleeful and tender all at once. Her green eyes glistened with tears, and then merriment overtook her, uncontrolled laughter bubbling from her mouth.
Rona stared at her. The smile had been promising, but the laugh? What did that mean? “Why are you . . . Kizha. . . ?”
Kizha held up her hands, shaking her head, gulping air and trying to control her laughter. “Sorry—sorry.” She finally calmed, releasing one more childlike giggle. Then she brought her flex closer to her face. “Damn it, Rona, I don’t care how long you say you’ve loved me, I swear I’ve loved you longer.”
A loud laugh, almost a shout, burst from Rona’s throat. She covered her offending mouth. But her laughter didn’t last, because Kizha’s eyes caught hers, and the intensity Rona found there captured her breath. She uncovered her mouth, touched Kizha’s lips on the screen, and whispered, “I wish you were here.”
Kizha swallowed. “So do I. Rona—do you think we can see each other soon?”
For a second, she saw Kizha with white skin and hair, mouth gaping. Rona blinked hard, forcing the image away, and instead focused on the life-filled green eyes and joyful smile of the woman she loved.
Rona still didn’t know her own fate, but she knew how many lifeless bodies her prophecies had shown her. She wasn’t arrogant enough to think she’d be one of the few survivors.
“Yes,” she said, and her mouth relaxed in a genuine smile, even as tears filled her eyes. “I think we’ll see each other very soon.”
28
FRIDAY, CYGNI 5, 6293
-1 DAY
Ellin slept curled up on the couch, her head on a pillow in Trett’s lap. He was seated, head lolling back against the cushion, his warm arm resting on her. It was the best sleep Ellin had gotten in two weeks.
Rona’s voice woke them. “Good morning, you two.”
Ellin sat up and rubbed her eyes. Rona looked just as tired as the night before, but something about her was different. It took a second for Ellin to identify the change. She’s smiling. And it wasn’t some self-righteous, I’m-the-older-sister smile. It was a happy smile.
“Good morning?” Ellin didn’t mean for it to come out as a question.
Rona’s smile got bigger. “Want some coffee?”
Five minutes later, they were seated in the little living room—Rona on the single chair, Trett and Ellin on the couch—with cups of surprisingly decent coffee, fresh from the beverage maker.
Ellin started the discussion. “Rona, Trett said you’ve been having visions about tomorrow.”
Rona nodded slowly.
“So what’s our plan?”
Rona looked down at the mug between her hands, and when she met Ellin’s eyes again, she was sporting a helpless smile. “All my prophecies about you and Trett have been shrouded. You need to plan however it seems best to you. I’ll be with you every step of the way, supporting you however I can.”
Ellin’s eyes narrowed. “Did something happen to you?”
Rona laughed, and coming from her, it sounded like a foreign language. “I think the approaching apocalypse has changed us all.”
Ellin blinked and shook her head. She took her coffee cup to the kitchen and placed it in the sink. When she returned, she sat next to Trett but locked her gaze on Rona. “Are we still supposed to try to stop this thing?”
Rona’s nod was emphatic. “Yes. I’ve known that since the first vision. I think part of me has known it for years. You need to do whatever you can—the two of you, together.”
Ellin took Trett’s hand. “Then let’s figure out how.”
When they finished strategizing, Rona went to her room. Ellin figured her sister was sleeping until laughter floated through the bedroom door.
“I think she’s talking to her hacker friend,” Trett whispered. He paused, then added, “I’ve been wondering if they’re more than friends.”
“Really?” Ellin smiled, a rush of warmth for Rona filling her. “I hope you’re right.” She leaned against Trett’s chest. He wrapped his arm around her, and they alternated between talking and dozing.
Trett’s voice woke her from a snooze that had threatened to turn into a proper nap.
“Hmm?” she asked.
“I’m sorry we can’t spend our last—that we can’t spend today drinking great coffee or riding too fast on hovs or climbing a mountain.”
Ellin sat up. “It’s not our last day.” She kissed him, then rested her forehead against his. In a bare whisper, she added, “And if it is, I can’t think of a better way to spend it than this.”
They remained on the couch all day, breathing in sync with each other, sometimes napping, sometimes simply being. They talked occasionally, sharing words of love Ellin had long avoided and long desired.
Every time Ellin thought she should search for more information about the dig site or go over their plan one more time, she instead kissed Trett and snuggled in tighter. Rona came out of her room several times to get a drink, use the bathroom, or eat the food they ordered from a local restaurant. Each time she entered the living room, she smiled at her sister and Trett with a contented look Ellin had never before seen on her.
That night, Ellin and Trett slept in the same position as the night before. Trett’s flexscreen chimed at one a.m.
It was time to fight a prophecy.
SATURDAY, CYGNI 6, 6293
0 DAYS
Ellin, Trett, and Rona drove rented hovs to Cellerin Mountain. Wary of tripping Merak’s electronics-detecting sensors, they stopped more than a clommet from the dig site and abandoned their vehicles behind some brush. They got their bearings using a map on Trett’s flexscreen, then left even the flex behind as they walked, their path illuminated by stars and a quarter moon.
After navigating over rocky terrain for about half an hour, they arrived at the dig site. Hiding behind large stones, they saw that the area was lit by several floodlights. One security guard patrolled the area, but he was on foot and would be easy to avoid.
The guard and floodlights were more for show than anything else. While Ellin was locked up, Rona’s hacker contact had worked for a full week to get into the site’s security network and had told Rona that most of the security was digital, primarily movement sensors and infrared cameras. Earlier that night, the hacker had disabled the equipment and set up a program to feed false data into the system. She’d even turned off alarm sirens connected to the project leaders’ flexes. She’d found evidence of electronics sensors but hadn’t been able to access that part of the system.
The three intruders approached the dig site itself and hid behind the large stones early colonists had piled up thousands of years before.
“I thought they’d almost reached the isotope,” Trett said. “I don’t see any digging happening.”
“They made a path through the rock,” Ellin replied. “We can’t see it from here.” She looked around in all directions. “I think it’s safe—let’s go.”
They skirted the man-made rock formation, dropping to their hands and knees when they came under the illumination of a floodlight. They weren’t crawling for long when they arrived at the path through t
he stones. It was wide enough for three people to walk through it side by side. They halted.
“Ready?” Trett asked Ellin, his voice a low whisper.
She gulped and glanced down the path that led to the cave. How much radiation is bombarding us right now? By the time Trett and Rona had thought to purchase antirads several days ago, it was too late. No one could deliver them that quickly. The device Ellin had borrowed had lost its charge a few days after she’d entered the freezer, and Merak had taken it back to his glidecraft.
Ellin closed her eyes briefly. If they got out of this alive, they’d seek immediate treatment for radiation exposure. Will it work? Can anything protect against the levels here?
She smothered the thoughts before they could paralyze her. This is worth the risk. She turned back to Rona and Trett. “Yeah. I’m ready.”
“You’ve got this, Ellin,” Rona whispered.
Ellin blinked. “Thanks.”
Rona and Trett crawled into the pathway, while Ellin continued past it. She nearly yelped when a sharp rock dug into her hand. When she left the floodlit area, she stood and walked.
It didn’t take long to reach her destination: a rock-cutting machine. Merak had shown her a picture of the tall, narrow piece of equipment that would cut through the final barrier over the cave entrance, a massive stone larger than a man.
Disabling this machine wouldn’t keep the archeologists from their prize. It would, however, slow them down. They’d have to repair it (since it was the only large piece of equipment approved by the government for this phase of digging), and Trett and Ellin hoped that would take longer than a day.
There was no handbook on how to derail a prophecy, but Trett had suggested that making the deadline impossible might nullify the whole thing. Then they could work to shut down the dig and neutralize the isotope.
The Seer’s Sister: Prequel to The Magic Eaters Trilogy Page 23